Varese’s “Olympic” day is upon us: Wednesday 14 January the Torch symbol of world sport will arrive in the city and will be taken first to the ice rink in via Albani and then, thanks to the torchbearers, to the Estensi Gardens where it will be used to light the Brazier. VareseNews will talk about the day with a live blog already available to readers, but in this article we summarize the main information.
BEFORE VARESE
.
The 38th stage of the Olympic torch in Italy will start from Borgomanero at 9.19 am and will touch the Piedmontese towns of Gozzano, Verbania, Baveno, Stresa and Arona. The ancient steamship will transport it to Lombardy “Piedmont”freshly restored.
AT THE ICE rink
The Olympic flame will arrive in Varese and will be brought to the facility that is the symbol of the city’s winter sports, the “Acinque Ice Arena” ice rink of via Albani. Inside there is a show with the athletes from the seven clubs who regularly use the structure: the show is dedicated to the disciplines practiced in Varese (figure skating, synchronized, hockey, curling). The ceremony will begin around 5-5.15 pm while at Speeches by the authorities are scheduled for 5.30pm. The torch, however, should arrive around 6.15pm and will pass through the hands of 20 “skating torchbearers”. The city procession starts at 6.40pm. Access to the stands at the ice rink is free but it is already sold out (the seats had to be booked) for some time.
THROUGH VARESE
The path of the 17 torchbearers on foot it will wind through the streets that connect the ice rink to the Estensi Gardens: the departure as mentioned will be at 6.40 pm. From via Albani e Hippodrome Avenue the procession will proceed for viale Aguggiari which will be routed in the direction of the city centre. Once in Beccaria Square will take place in the pedestrian area for via Cattaneo, piazza Carducci, Corso Matteotti. Then to the Basilica of San Vittore, in via Marconi and in piazza Montegrappa from which the torch will pass twice. In fact, a “ring” has been foreseen between Corso Moro, via Vittorio Veneto, via Orrigoni, via Medaglie d’Oro, piazza Repubblica e Via Volta to return to Montegrappa again. And from there in via Sacco with the entrance to the Estensi Gardens. There are three points where collateral moments are foreseen: the performance of Bosino Group in San Vittore, la Capolago band in via Marconi and the Bersaglieri Fanfare who will accompany the court to Piazza Repubblica.
INSIDE THE GARDENS
The last torchbearer will be the legendary hockey goalie Jim Corsithe “flag” of the Mastiffs which came specifically from North America. He will arrive around 7.05 pm and to light the Olympic brazier located in the Gardens.
Il village dei Giardini, however, will open much earlier: It will be active from 5pm with a narrative dedicated to the Olympic Torch and the explanation of the journey of the Flame. They will also be distributed i gadget offered by the sponsors, which are Coca Cola and Eni. Entrance is free and open to all for a sports festival that is repeated after twenty years: on January 30, 2006 in fact the fire of Olympia made a stop in Varese headed for Turin. That night the last torch bearer was Manuela Zanchigold in water polo in Athens and leader of VON in Serie A.
