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December 2009
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Benvenuti a Torino! |
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08.01.2009 |
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Torino 2009 is set to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year
in Europe.
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The biggest event of the 2009 European Athletics Championship programme takes in the Italian city of Torino from March 6-8.
Here, Marco Sicari, the Communication Manager of the Italian Athletics federation FIDAL explains what visitors to the European Athletics Indoor Championships might expect when they visit the city.
Torino, is a young city. The sea of changes brought about by the 2006 Winter Olympic Games has given a new dimension to this ancient capital city of the Italian kingdom. What used to be a grey industrial metropolis during the last century has today transformed into a modern European centre, where lifestyle jells with a hard-working rhythm. Visitors to Italy's fourth largest city will be offered a wide range of entertainment through theatres, restaurants, museums, cinemas, and the downtown itself.
Torino sits at the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Po and the Dora, believed to represent the male and female powers of the sun and the moon. And the city's cathedral is home to the enigmatic Holy Shroud, which attracts thousands of Catholic pilgrims during its rare public unveilings.
Walking slowly along the famous Via Roma, the commercial street connecting Piazza Castello and Piazza S Carlo, considered as the heart of the city, one can still experience the centuries that modelled this city, from middle-age to present days.
Sports remain at the heart of this cultural and commercial hub. The majestic venues of the Winter Olympics are now used for hosting other international events. The Oval Lingotto, the competition venue for the 30th edition of the European Athletics Indoor Championships was used for speed skating events at the Winter Games.
Athletics fans will be able to rejoice the most important athletics event in Europe in 2009 under a roof of more than 26,000 square metres, in a structure located close to the Exhibition area of Lingotto that used to house the factory of automobile giant FIAT.
The tickets for the three days of the Championships can be purchased directly through the event website www.torino2009.org. A map of the venue can help fans to make decision about their choice of seat, according to their wills and the setup of the field events.
Torino offers a huge number of accommodation options, from downtown to the metropolitan area, five stars hotels to youth hostels, providing concrete answers to all personal needs. Further details regarding accommodation have also been made available on the event's website.
The National Museum of Cinema, housed at the famous Mole Antonelliana, the landmark dominating the city centre, the Egyptian Museum and the Po riversides will be very hard to miss for any visitor.
Restaurants and wine-bars offer the specialities of Piedmont Region. Torino also hosts the ‘Salone del Gusto' (Salon of taste), one of the most popular world fair dedicated to quality eating and drinking.
Another important yearly event is the International Book Fair held in spring. The fair is thronged by hundreds of thousands of people every year. Last year the numbers reached over 200,000.
What better occasion to travel to Torino than during the European Athletics Indoor Championships, which the city will host from March 6-8. It will be an ideal time to add some passion for athletics to the joy of an Italian sojourn.
As the organisers of the event would like to call -- turning the ‘athletic emotions' into real feelings! www.torino2009.org
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