Trento tops the roll of honour: the geography of sporting records

Twenty years of the Sportiness Index. Several regions have managed to stand out, whilst others have had a more ‘sporadic’ presence in the top rankings. The majority have never made it into the top ten of the overall rankings, yet even amongst the less prominent provinces there are some that have managed to stand out in the various indicators of the Pts Sport study, conceived in 2007 by Gianni Menicatti.

In light of the results, the undisputed champion of sporting spirit is undoubtedly Trento, which has won the symbolic pink jersey eight times out of 20 (in the 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025) and has missed out on the podium on just one occasion. The strength of a movement that has no weak points – save for football – lies in its status as an open-air training ground and its wealth of champions. Florence (2008 and 2015), Genoa (2010 and 2013) and Trieste (2017 and 2018) have each won twice. Livorno (2009), Parma (2012) and Bologna (2020), whilst in recent years Lombardy has come to the fore: thanks to Varese in 2021, Bergamo in 2024 and now Milan, it is the region with the highest number of localities to have won the gold medal.

Milan has claimed its first triumph, whilst other areas associated with the country’s most populous cities have enjoyed one or more moments of glory. Of course, Florence, Genoa and Bologna all represent the Centre-North, whilst the South – even in sporting terms – lags behind. From 2007 to the present day, all places below 100th have been occupied by the South, with the bottom of the table predominantly going to regions on the two islands.

Cagliari is the exception. Among the southern cities, it is not only the only one to have made it onto the podium – finishing third in 2018 – but also the only one to have secured a place in the top ten. It has managed this no fewer than six times, on a par with Macerata and Milan. The city that has consistently remained in the top ten is, ‘naturally’, Trento, whilst Trieste and Florence have achieved this feat 15 times, Genoa 14 times, Bologna and Bolzano 13 times (though Bolzano has never secured a victory), Livorno 10 times, Bergamo eight times and Treviso seven times. In total, 37 areas – just over a third of the total – have featured in the top 10 on at least one occasion. Rome is also on the list, with one appearance, on a par with Verbania, Piacenza, Ravenna, Forlì and Grosseto.

Among the indicators that feature consistently, nine are highlighted, spread across the four broad categories into which the Sportiness Index is divided. This 20-year milestone provides the perfect opportunity to see which provinces have achieved the best average results over the long term.