BOLOGNA RACECOURSE RECOGNIZED AMONG THE SPORT SYMBOLS OF THE CITY

On Friday 11 April, the Sala Borsa Library in Bologna hosted the round table organised by the Department of Education Sciences ‘G. M. Bertin’ of the University of Bologna, an event included in the 21st edition of the International History Festival which for several years has had a section dedicated to sport.

Among the qualified participants was also the CEO of Hippogroup Cesenate S.p.A., Marco Fabio Rondoni, who was invited to share his testimony of how the racecourse has been and still is one of the city's most identified and identifying places of sport.

During a constructive discussion, which analysed the results of the research conducted on the relationship between city and sport, it emerged that the urban sporting cultural heritage generates a sense of belonging and can become a catalyst for urban regeneration functional to the evolution of society.

"Even today, despite the contraction of the sector, the Bologna racecourse is the reference point for Emilia-Romagna and the neighbouring regions, for several thousand enthusiasts, for several hundred professional operators, as well as for many families who participate in the initiatives, largely centred on learning about and approaching the world of horses,made available free of charge in a well-kept and hospitable area such as the racecourse park. - commented Marco Fabio Rondoni - The challenges of the coming years are many and demanding, first and foremost aimed at expanding the use of such a precious but ‘complex’ area in the heart of Bolognina. It is our intention to face these challenges in agreement with the Administration, aware that we must preserve and pass on the memory of what the racecourse is: an institution based on a deep and experienced social fabric, a fundamental workplace for many professionals, the terminal of a large agricultural chain, not always adequately evaluated in numerical terms. In recent months, the Ministry of Agriculture has recognised Arcoveggio as one of Italy's strategic racecourses, ranking it third in the national league table."

Hippogroup would like to thank Prof. Giovanna Russo, sociologist at the ’G. M. Bertin’ Department of Education Sciences at the University of Bologna for inviting us to the round table and for including the Arcoveggio Racecourse in the research project, Dr Valerio Della Scala of the Autonomous University of Barcelona for having explored, through many interviews, the sociological character of a place like the Arcoveggio Racecourse.

With the official presentation of the project, the Bologna racecourse has been fully included in the new section ‘Bologna dello Sport’ (Bologna and Sport) on the website Bologna.online.

It is worth remembering that the concession of the facility to Hippogroup will expire at the end of 2025 and that in the past there had also been talk in the Municipality of changing the intended use of the area. This is something to be evaluated also in light of what emerged in this Round Table