Springboks, Tennis and Serie A: Catch Italy’s Biggest Sporting Events

Italy will welcome some of the world’s biggest sports stars this month, with the ATP Finals taking place in Turin and the Azzurri taking on South Africa, Argentina and Fiji in the autumn internationals as part of rugby’s Nations Championship.

Gonzalo Quesada’s men kick things off at the Allianz Stadium when they host two-time reigning world champions South Africa on November 7 in Turin, where they lost 32-14 to the same opponents 12 months ago.

Italy beat Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations earlier this year, but have lost all three of their Nations Championship fixtures and sit bottom of the Northern Hemisphere group. The Springboks are joint-top of the Southern Hemisphere pool.

The first capital of unified Italy, home to Fiat, the birthplace of breadsticks, and host of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, Turin has plenty to shout about. And that is before we get to the fact that it is home to two of Italy’s most storied football clubs – Juventus and Torino.

The Granata are at home to Lecce on the same day Italy play, but with the Test kicking off at 12.40pm and the football at 3pm, watching both is impossible. The same applies to Pro Vercelli, whose game kicks off at 2.30pm, and fellow Serie C outfit Novara, who are away at Treviso the following day.

Dig deep enough, however, and you can still watch the Springboks in action while getting your calcio fix as Alessandria host Celle Varazze in Serie D on the afternoon of November 8. Alessandria is just an hour away by train from Turin Porta Nuova station.

Italy then host Argentina at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 14 as the Azzurri return to the home of Genoa and Sampdoria for the first time since beating Chile at the same venue last year.

The Ligurian capital is a football-mad city and watching either Genoese club at home at Marassi is one of the great calcio experiences.

But with Serie A and Serie B on hold during the international weekend, the best bet for combining Test rugby and calcio is a trip south of Genoa to La Spezia, where the Aquilotti host local rivals Vado on November 15.

Tickets for Spezia matches can be purchased on the club’s official website or through VivaTicket. Our matchday guide has all the information you need for your trip to the south of Liguria, which should take around 90 minutes by train, depending on the service.

On the same day the action moves back to Turin, as the city welcomes the ATP Finals for the sixth consecutive year. The grand finale of the men’s tennis season has the top eight players in the world competing from November 15 to November 22, the same day Juventus host Venezia at the Allianz Stadium.

Jannik Sinner, the world No 2 and winner over the past two seasons, will miss the tournament with a knee injury, meaning the home crowd will be behind world No 6 Flavio Cobolli.

November 21, meanwhile, is the last chance to combine rugby with some Serie A action this year, as Italy take on Fiji at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine at 5.40pm local time. Tickets for all Italy matches are available through TicketOne and were still available less than a week before the opening game.

Verona are at home the previous evening against Cesena and Italy’s afternoon kick-off leaves you plenty of time to travel to Udine, which is approximately three hours away by train.

From Roman ruins, to the iconic Piazza delle Erbe and the picturesque Adige river tracing a slow curve through the old town, Verona is one of the best cities in Italy for a weekend away. 

It is also a calcio hotbed with three clubs in the city, but tickets for Verona home games remain easily accessible and very affordable.

Alternatively, Feltre is around the same distance away by train and Dolomiti Bellunesi are at home against Carpi at 5.30pm on November 22.