Almost one hundred years have gone since the inauguration of the Motovelodromo “Fausto Coppi” in Turin: on its pitch played Juventus and Torino (who played the home games in the Serie A championships 1925-26 and 1943-44) but also the “Azzurri” of Mr. Rangone (it was 1926, Italy-Czechoslovakia 3-1); the Coppi brothers ran there (Xerxes achieved the violent head trauma – which was fatal to him – shortly before entering the Velò and ending his “Giro del Piemonte”); numerous rugby matches were played there; also Roxy Music played in 1980 (the only concert ever hosted inside the plant) in front of six thousand spectators.
In the mid-eighties the declaration of unavailability by the Municipality of Turin marked the beginning of the decline: today the velodrome, which is part of the historical, architectural and sporting heritage of Piedmont, is at the center of a renewed debate, born in April 2018 – following an Exploratory Notice published by the Giunta Appendino – and “resurfaced” in the last few days, after the unexpected announcement regarding the will to sell at auction the asset for the next 90 years for a figure considered derisory (250 thousand EUR).
Over the years, thanks to the intrinsic difficulties of managing such a vast structure and limited by the lack of a coverage on the historic concrete runway (one of the very few in the world that still exists), the hypotheses about the future of the area have followed: there was – and still is – those who wanted to demolish the entire complex for the construction of a boundless parking lot or a large shopping center; there are those who hypothesized to cover it; who thought to turn it into an urban park; those who are still at work trying to find a solution compatible with the Liberty style of the main buildings and the imposing entrance on Corso Casale and the urban layout of the lot, trying to reconcile the interests of the public – unfortunately lacking the resources needed for recovery of the artifact – and those of a possible private investor.
CLASSIFICATION AND SOLIDITY OF THE STRUCTURE
[1] Po river and Michelotti Park
The building of the Motovelodromo Fausto Coppi is located in Corso Casale No. 144 in the north-west part of the city (District 7). The lot, which consists of over twenty-four thousand square meters, is situated between the river Po and Michelotti Park [1] on one side, and the hill on the other, in a privileged urban context.
[2] Entrance of the structure
The monumental entrance is immediately recognizable [2]: located on the corner between Via Castiglione and Corso Casale, this consists of a tripartite portal in three arches with round arches. The portal is placed almost frontally to the access tunnel to the runway itself [3], which originally served as a triumphal entry for the pistards: from the stands, there was the perception that these “emerged” from the ground almost suddenly, and then slingshot at full speed on the reinforced concrete ring.
[3] Track access tunnel
The stands, originally divided into three sectors, were positioned parallel on the north and south sides. The western bleachers are the most capacious: positioned on the curve of the paraboloid, they are made of concrete and have always been devoid of coverage. In total, therefore, the original capacity of the Motovelodromo counted 7 thousand seats.
[4] Internal concrete track
The concrete ring [4] measures 393 meters by 8 in width; however, the length of the track is unusual: the most common for the velodrome of the time was exactly 400 meters (so that it could take 1 km in two and a half turns); 333 meters (1 km in three laps); 250 meters (1 km in four laps), which today is the standard of the slopes requested by the UCI (International Union of Cyclists). The sub-tribune and under-deck premises [5], where the height permits, accommodate changing rooms, technical rooms, warehouses, toilets.
[5] Changing rooms and warehouses
Inside the ring there is a track for athletics, consisting of two lanes, and a natural grass field, used in past years for soccer and rugby matches, for gymnastic activities, and for periodically hosting used flea markets.
The track, as said, constitutes one of the fundamental problems relating to the maintenance of the plant. Being outdoors, it is constantly exposed to the elements; the infiltrations due to the collapse of the stands, then, have certainly aggravated the situation over time. The tribune to the south is completely unusable; the northern one is more intact in the lower portion, but the prospect on Corso Casale [6], although it does not present architectural features of such importance that it may seem useful to provide for its complete conservation, is however strongly compromised.
[6] Corso Casale
Compared to the north and south stands, the Art Nouveau entrance is in excellent condition. Finally, the curved grandstand is externally preserved in good condition; the stairs leading to the seats, although infested with spontaneous vegetation, stand intact in their original majesty.
THE MOTOVELODROME WITHIN NATIONAL COMPETITIVE AND TOURISTIC CYCLING CIRCUITS
The Motovelodromo has already been, in the last decade and in a better general picture than the current one, the point of arrival of some of the most important cycling competitions in Northern Italy, such as the historic Milan-Turin and the “Giro del Piemonte”. In addition, the Ven.To. project of the Politecnico of Milan, which has as its ultimate goal the construction of a cycle path that can join Venice to Turin, activated in 2010 but not yet completed, could find, within a renewed sports facility open to public use, its own “Station” of departure / arrival (as long as there is the political and functional will to give back to the “Fausto Coppi” the centrality it deserves in the Italian cycling panorama).
The thrust induced by sports tourism, in fact, although difficult to quantify with accuracy, could prove crucial in terms of redevelopment of the entire complex. The hypothesis that the Motovelodromo “Fausto Coppi” can be an integral part of this project and, indeed, constitute its real starting point, is also real: already in 2016, the intentions of the then arrived Fassino were in fact those of convert the Velò into a large and well-equipped departure station for the longest cycle path in Italy. Any possible scenario of upgrading the plant, therefore, should be able to take this possibility into account, which, even more, could give back to the Motovelodromo the dignity and media resonance that are due to it.
WHAT FUTURE?
As mentioned, the debate on the structure has returned forcefully to occupy the political scene in the City: last July 4th the resolution was approved which will provide for the plant to be entrusted for 60 years (no longer 90, as initially hypothesized), necessary in any case, to return to the necessary investment – considerable – for the recovery of the complex.
The move to Palazzo Civico was not at all clear, however, and the approval of the resolution in the Red Room will be far from obvious.
It was decided – reasonably, in the opinion of the writer – to increase the commercial area, in order to attract the interest of private individuals, without whose support it would be clearly difficult – to use a euphemism – to proceed with the restoration and enhancement works of the complex . The main constraints contained in the resolution regard the nature of the commercial activities, which must be linked to the practice of sport and may not have an area greater than 250 square meters (in order to avoid creating yet another shopping center).
To the present day, however, the gates of the Motovelodromo remain closed; an association of volunteers (Pieces of Motovelodromo), which has had the fate of the plant for years, takes care of it lovingly, waiting for an investor who has the availability and the sensitivity necessary to “handle” a architecture that, on many occasions, has risked becoming the monument of itself. A risk which, however, has not yet been thwarted.