Marking 40 years of official affiliation with Fitarco, the Arcieri del Chisone are tracing the deep roots of archery in the Pinerolo region of Piedmont, Italy, from medieval feudal rights up to modern competitive circuits. Records cited by local traditions place the earliest mention of the Compagnia degli Arcieri di Pinerolo in 1322, when archers competed during celebrations marking the town’s enfranchisement from feudal obligations, establishing what historians regard as the peninsula’s first modern archery company.
Municipality Granted Land for Archery Confraternity
Archery in the Pinerolo area developed distinct recreational and competitive traits early on, diverging from the strictly defensive military roles assigned to crossbowmen. An administrative order issued by the municipality in 1456 granted land to a confraternity of archers and crossbowmen for youth training. A subsequent decree in 1467 placed the confraternity within the Corpus Christi procession. Traces of this heritage remain visible across Pinerolo, including a municipal chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastian—the patron saint of archers—inside the Church of Saint Francis, alongside an apse fresco in the Duomo.
While early groups welcomed crossbowmen, the introduction of firearms eventually shifted military tactics by the 18th century, pushing traditional archery toward temporary obscurity. Modern sporting activity in the Pinerolo district resumed in 1972 when Enzo Prina and Bombardieri founded the Compagnia degli Arcieri del Chisone, establishing an outdoor shooting range at Malanaggio in the municipality of Porte. Formal affiliation with the Italian Archery Federation (Fitarco) followed in 1974, anchoring four continuous decades of competitive development and athlete instruction in the region.
Pioneering New Disciplines and Developing Champions
Throughout its four-decade run, the Chisone club helped shape several specialized archery formats. The club pioneered ski-arch—a discipline combining cross-country skiing and archery—and hosted the first Italian championship for the specialty in Angrogna. Internal spin-offs also led to the creation of the Arco Club Praly, whose athlete Nadia Peyrot competed on the global stage representing Val Germanasca.
The club’s roster includes notable competitors such as the late Andrea Martin, a national youth and senior team member who trained alongside Olympic medalists Ilario Di Buò, Michele Frangilli, and Matteo Bisiani before competing at a World Target Championship in Sydney, Australia. Additional homegrown competitors include Claudio and Enzo Prina, current club president Giuseppe Musso, Lavinia Dellerba, and Laura Barale. Marco Galfione emerged as a prominent young talent from the Pinerolo ranks, capturing three Italian titles and competing in international indoor, target, and field championships.
Infrastructure Expansion and Regional Partnerships
Geographic proximity to France facilitated cross-border sporting exchanges, highlighted by the organization of a European Tir de Chasse championship in 1983—an early precursor to modern 3D archery. In 2013, the Arcieri del Chisone partnered with the Arcieri delle Alpi to host the 7th Italian 3D Championship across Prarostino and Pinerolo’s Parco della Pace, drawing roughly 500 competitors nationwide.
Operating out of its Abbadia Alpina facility on Via Bertairone since 2001, the club maintains an outdoor range equipped for distances up to 90 meters, alongside a field course for Hunter & Field competitions and a compact layout for 3D events. Membership stands at more than 50 active athletes competing across outdoor and indoor disciplines. Fitarco recognized the society’s competitive output by awarding it the Bronze Star for Sporting Merit following five Italian championship victories in disciplines spanning ski-arch, target, and indoor events.
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