World City Guide

Sport

Milan’s main sporting attractions are football and motor racing. The city has two football squads, Inter Milan (website: www.inter.it ) and AC Milan (website: www.acmilan.com ), which share the Stadio Meazza (more often known as the San Siro Stadium) Via Piccolomini 5, playing on alternate Sundays. A free shuttle from metro Lotto takes fans to the stadium before matches but not afterwards. The walk back takes about 15 minutes. Large Milanese banks sponsor both teams – Banco Popolare di Milano sponsors Inter Milan and Cariplo sponsors AC Milan. AC Milan tickets (16-120) are available for purchased from branches of the relevant bank, especially the branch at Via Verdi 8 (tel: 02 88 661). For Inter Milan, tickets (11.85-120) are available from TicketOne (tel: 02 892 424; website: www.ticketone.it ) and, for AC Milan, from their ticket office, Via Turati 3 (tel: 02 6228 5660). The two teams are usually neck and neck, hotly contesting Serie A and the Coppa Italia. In the 2002/2003 season, Inter were second and AC Milan third behind Juventus; AC Milan won both the Italian Cup and the European Champions League.

Each year on the second Sunday of September, the racetrack at La Monza, north of Milan, hosts Formula 1’s Grand Prix. Trains or buses (723 or 724) from Stazione Centrale serve the stadium, taking between 30 and 50 minutes. Tickets are available from ACI Milano (tel: 02 774 5400) at the racetrack or direct from the racetrack (tel: (039) 24821; website: www.monzanet.it ). Tickets for general admission to the stands start at 50, rising to more than 500 for reserved seats.

Cycling: Cyclists can stay fit and avoid the traffic and weather using the covered piste at the Velodromo di Trezzano sul Naviglio, Via Carpaccio 17 (tel: 02 4840 9142).

Fitness Centres: Milan’s gyms are more likely to be centri di benessere (wellness centres) with not only exercise equipment but also relaxation rooms, hairdressers, tanning beds and nutritionists. Full details of all leisure centres is available online in Italian at www.milanosport.it . Skorpion Club, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 24 (tel: 02 781 424) is steps from the Duomo and offers many facilities including turkish baths and wonderful views from its 11th floor solarium; daily prices start at 40. Downtown Palestre, Piazza Cavour 4 (tel: 02 760 11485; website: www.downtownpalestre.it ) is expensive but has an extraordinary range of features. FilaForum Stadium, Assago Via Vittorio 6 (tel: 02 488 571) offers many facilities besides fitness, including squash courts, a pool and an ice rink; a shuttle service connects the stadium with Famagosta metro.

Golf: Lombardy’s only public golf course is Le Rovedine, Via Karl Marx 18, 20090 Noverasco di Opera (tel: 02 5760 6420; fax: 02 5760 6405; website: www.rovedine.com ), 7km (4miles) from the centre of Milan. A round during the week costs approximately 31 and 55 at weekends and holidays. Both of the following clubs require membership in a golf club at home; fees are about 45 for a round. On the outskirts of the city, southwest of the centre, Castello di Tolcinasco has a dedicated Golf and Country Club, Tolcinasco, 200 Pieve Emanuele (tel: 02 9072 2740; website: www.golftolcinasco.it ), offering 36 holes. A round during the week will cost approximately 50 (60 at weekends) and membership is not required. Alternatively, there is an 18-hole course, Golf Club Milano (tel: (039) 303 081, website: www.golfclubmilano.it ), at the Parco di Monza near the autodrome – membership is not required.

Ice Skating: Ice skating is a popular way for students and young executives to unwind until late in the night. The rinks stay open until midnight every day except Monday. Good rinks include Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Via Piranesi 14 (tel: 02 73 981) which opens late Wed-Sat (ice disco Sat from 2130) and PalAgor, Via dei Ciolamini 23 (tel: 02 4830 0946). During the Christmas season, a rink is set up in Piazza del Duomo. (See also Fitness Centres, FilaForum, above).

Squash: Squash is much more of a younger Milanese sport than tennis since it fits in better with the fast lifestyle – it is played indoors, is over quickly and one does not need annual membership to a club. Vico Squash, Via GB Vico 38 (tel: 02 4801 0890; e-mail: viavicocity@tiscalinet.it) has a dozen courts and costs about 8 per session.

Swimming: One of the best of the public centres is Lido di Milano, Piazzale Lotto 15 (tel: 02 392 66100) with indoor and outdoor pools, water slides and also rollerblading rink and four tennis courts.
Tennis: Most tennis clubs require membership. The Centre Sportivo Mario Saini, Via Corelli 136 (tel: 02 756 1280) has 12 courts; it is almost essential to book in advance. There are also four public courts at Lido di Milano (see Swimming above) and public courts at FilaForum (see Fitness Centres above).