"LE VASCHE": TURIN IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE...

Piazza San Carlo on Saturday afternoon.
Here is where one of the favourite Turinese sports takes place. Not quite an Olympic speciality, but for some citizens a really essential institution. Well, it is the famous "weekend stroll marathon", otherwise called "vasca"!

The starting line is in piazza Castello, destination: piazza San Carlo. In particular, the limits are McDonald's in piazza Castello and Ricordi-Feltrinelli in piazza Cln. The official route runs along via Roma, but the real champions, those who've been practising "vasche" for years, know some shortcuts and alternative ways: via Lagrange, via Carlo Alberto, via Accademia delle Scienze...

To complete 42 km, in compliance with the Olympic regulations, the 'vasca' continues along via Garibaldi (from piazza Castello to piazza Statuto) and along via Po (on the right side of the street... university students walk along the left) up to piazza Vittorio.
However, going up and down these streets is more like having a stroll in the city centre. In fact it lacks the proper rituals of the "vasca", especially concerning the "baccaglio" (street courting).

THE "VASCHE" ATHLETES

The group of participants is varied and heterogeneous, with various "teams" lined up.

Purists
The regular goers are the very young, who walk up and down the same street all afternoon to see the new gym shoes (with all the miles they walk they'll certainly need a pair), have an ice-cream, and especially "baccagliare" (court) a "tipa" (girl) at the bus stop, or follow a "tipo strafico" (a very cool guy) with a shocking pink cap, whose face is so tanned that it looks like it's been baked in an oven.

Fashion lovers
Shopping fanatics, those who fulfil the reason for existence of these streets: purchasing.
They madly walk up and down with their designer handbags, carefully examining the shining shop windows to find the most interesting price and the trendiest item.
For them the "vasca" is just a pleasant break during their pilgrimage from boutique to boutique.

Sporty drivers
Although the ZTL (limited traffic zone) makes car outings along via Roma almost impossible, the "vasca" is always full of sports car owners who, with their radios at full blast, rev up their engines while zooming down the street to show off their flaming possessions nonchalantly. When their friends, or girlfriends, walking along the porticoes recognize them, they'll park their car (almost in the middle of the street) to have a chat and... end up casually talking about their car engine.

Petition activists
Turin's "vasca" never forgets ideals and civil commitment: it offers serious food for thought. Indeed, from their stalls, supporters of animal rights and environmentalists attract competitors with their megaphones, distracting them for a moment from their favourite discipline and inducing them to think about the degradation of nature, pollution, the violence of human race, the terrible misdeeds committed in the name of scientific progress and much more.
Watch out: among them there are some false activists who usually approach you by asking: "Have you got anything against drug addicts / HIV positives / the disabled/orphans? Would you like to buy the pen/picture/agenda made by the 'so and so' rehab?"
How do you react in this case? Give to charities directly... without intermediaries..

Residents
There are also the area residents, who complain about traffic, smog, 'noise', car horns, parking difficulties, shops... They keep on grumbling, but then they regularly go for a walk and enjoy a hot chocolate with cream or a "bicerin" (Turin's historical coffee and chocolate drink, an absolute must!) in one of the historical coffee houses.
To tell the truth, they would like this wonderful area all for themselves.

Shop owners
And finally, the shop owners, those who determine the features of this area because it is their own territory and it is a business and sales territory.They stand on their shop doorsteps complaining about the euro, the economic crisis, the parking facilities, high prices, taxes, the passers-by who enter, just browse and... don't buy, "not like the good old days when people would spend their money...".
Ok,but at that time they used to complain just the same.

OTHER OLYMPIC SPORTS

Turin, city of the Olympics, couldn't restrict itself to the "weekend stroll Marathon".

Here are some more disciplines you'll have to face before ranking among the Olympic "vasca" champions...

hurdles to avoid the human barrier formed by girls, walking arm in arm, determined to pass the rest of their lives together embracing a great common cause: "il grande baccaglio" (the great courting)...

meal jumping to keep fit regardless of the strong temptations coming from crowds of youths eating all sorts of goodies...

rhythmic group dancing to have a look at a couple of shop windows, at least, together with: groups of elderly women chatting in front of them, women with children, husbands, relatives and friends, all chatting in front of them, too, hyperactive children, punks collecting offerings, squatters with a laidback look, young girls in love gossiping... all officially positioned in front of the same shop windows...

extreme surf to avoid the dreadful, giant wave of those trying to fill in market research forms on the reading habits of passers-by.
This is definitely the hardest discipline: it includes yoga to avoid giving in to the temptation of hitting them with a whole series of available objects.
The wave is usually announced by a series of unpleasant calls like: "Hey you..." "ohhhh bbella!!", or by a direct question like: "Can I just ask you a quick question, hey, don't go away, just one please, haven't you got a minute, it won't take a minute, bloody hell..." (after this a series of insults in any local dialect usually follows). Other embarrassing questions are:"Excuse me, do you usually read?" or worse: "Can you read?".

shot-up you'll have to throw away brochures, offers, fabulous 3% discounts, various religious leaflets and promotional disco evening tickets collected along the "vasca".

TIMES

Saturday 4 PM - 6.30 PM . via Roma
The Saturday "vasca" mainly involves 17 to 25-year-olds.

Sunday 5.30 PM - 8.30 PM . via Roma / via Po
After Sunday lunch, couples join singles over 30 for a walk along the "vasca", looking for an ice-cream. There are also many foreigners walking up and down since 4 PM.

In the summer: every weekday except on Monday
via Roma / via Po / via Garibaldi Turin becomes a holiday resort.

The Olympic "vasca" is still continuing, even after the Olympic Games... Turin is really always on the move.