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Sports and outdoor pursuits
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Spectator sports are popular in Italy, especially the hallowed
calcio
(football), and there is undying national passion for frenetic motor and cycle races. When it comes to participation, though, you get the impression that there isn't the same compulsion to hit the hell out of a squash ball or sweat your way through an aerobics class after work as there is, say, in Britain or the States. All the same, the notion of staying fit has lately been absorbed into the general obsession with
bella figura
(looking good), especially when it offers the opportunity to wear the flashiest designer gear. Members-only sports clubs, gyms and public sports facilities have mushroomed over the last decade and it's usually possible to find places where you can work out or join in a competitive game. Otherwise, the country's natural advantages provide plenty of scope for keeping in trim in the most enjoyable ways possible.
For visitors to Italy, the most accessible activities are centred around the mountains, which you can climb, ski, paraglide, raft or simply explore on foot. And, with so much coastline, as well as the lakes region, there are plenty of opportunities for swimming, sailing and windsurfing; Campania, Calabria and Sicily are particularly popular for scuba diving and snorkelling.
You can get a guide and map suggesting
sailing itineraries
round the coast of southern Italy from the Italian State Tourist Office
. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy |