Palasport Olimpico, officially operating with the sponsored name Inalpi Arena except during events prohibiting sponsorship names when it is usually known as simply PalaOlimpico, or occasionally PalaIsozaki after its architect, is a multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

located within Torino Olympic Park in the Santa Rita district of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Opened in December 2005, the arena has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 12,350 when it is configured for

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

, and it is the largest indoor sporting arena in Italy. The arena was originally built at a cost of €87 million, for the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

, and along with the

Torino Esposizioni Torino Esposizioni is an exhibition hall and convention centre in Turin, Italy which was primarily completed in 1948, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi. The building is made with primarily '' ferrocemento'' and glass. Ferrocemento is a form of concr ...

, it hosted the

events. It is a few metres east of the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...

. Since 2021, the Pala Alpitour has been the host venue of the tennis

ATP Finals The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant tennis event in the men's annual calendar after the four majors, as it features the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams based on their ...

. Between 8 August 2014 and January 2024, the arena was renamed to Pala Alpitour following a sponsorship deal with Italian travel company and in November 2020 became the fifth arena, the first in Italy, to be admitted as a member to the International Venue Alliance circuit. On 11 January 2024, a five-year agreement was announced with Inalpi (a dairy company based in Moretta) to become the new naming sponsor of the arena, which thus becomes Inalpi Arena.

Construction

The design of the building was the subject of an international competition, which was won in June 2002. The winning bid consisted of a team composed of

Arata Isozaki Arata Isozaki (磯崎新, ''Isozaki Arata''; 23 July 1931 – 28 December 2022) was a Japanese architect, urban designer, and theorist from Ōita, Ōita, Ōita. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1986 and the Pritzker Architecture Prize i ...

and

Andrea Maffei Andrea Maffei (1798 – 1885) was an Italian poet, translator and librettist. He was born in Molina di Ledro, Trentino. A follower of Vincenzo Monti, he formed part of the 19th-century Italian classicist literary culture. Gaining laurea in ju ...

Associates, who directed the design, with ArchA SpA of Turin, Arup Italia of Milan and Favero & Milan Ingegneria, engineer Giuseppe Amaro and the architect Marco Brizio. The final project bears the joint signature of the architects Isozaki and Pier Paolo Maggiora of ArchA SpA and is part of the larger complex called the Central Olympic Complex ( Torino Olympic Park) consisting of the Olympic Stadium, water sports facility and the park in .

Architecture and design

The futuristic building's exterior has a strict rectangular Cartesian coated stainless steel and glass structure, with a base of 183 by 100 metres. It is spread over four levels, of which two are underground (up to 7.5 metres below ground) and two outdoors (up to 12 metres high). The overall length of the structure is about 200 metres. The structure, designed to be a veritable factory of events, using the words of its architect. The arena is completely flexible and adaptable in its internal structure, and with the arrangement of the stands. Due to a modern system of movable and retractable bleachers, and also the option of a temporary movable deck. The structure's acoustics are also adaptable.

Events

The arena is a kind of "magic box", and was designed to host many different types of events beyond the Olympics. It serves as a venue for events including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, and various sports, such as basketball, ice hockey, curling and volleyball. Since its opening, the Pala Alpitour has become one of Italy's most booked venues for large-scale concerts. It is also the largest capacity venue in Italy for these types of events, with the allowed maximum capacities set at 15,657 for general admission center-stage concerts, and 13,347 maximum capacity for general admission end-stage concerts. In addition to concerts, the arena has also been able to host successful touring shows and musicals over the years such as ''

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'',

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

, and occasionally sporting events including

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

professional wrestling in 2007, 2011, in 2014 and 2018, and the car shows ''Top Gear'' Live in July 2014 and '' Fast & Furious Live'' in September 2018.

Sports

It was inaugurated on 13 December 2005, with the name PalaOlimpico, during a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

in ice hockey between the men's national teams of

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Between 10 and 26 February 2006, it was the main venue for the ice hockey events of the 2006 Winter Olympics, hosting the main matches of the first group stage and then all those of the final stages of the men's and women's tournaments. In January 2007, the venue hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and selected ice hockey matches of the XXIII Winter Universiade. In basketball, the Pala Alpitour hosted the

2008–09 EuroCup Basketball 2008–09 Eurocup Basketball was the seventh edition of Europe's second-tier level transnational competition for men's professional basketball clubs, the EuroCup, and the first to be contested under the Eurocup name. From the inception of the co ...

final stage, and the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The Palasport was due to host the 2010–11 season's

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

of the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

, as announced on February 16, 2010, but the event was later moved to the

Palau Sant Jordi Palau Sant Jordi (, ) is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena and multi-purpose installation that is part of the Anella Olímpica, Olympic Ring complex located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, i ...

, in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. It was one of the three main venues of the

2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number) *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen * ''Sixteen'' (20 ...

, which was held in

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

on July 4–10, 2016. The mixed martial arts events

Bellator 152 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxin ...

and Bellator 176 were held at Pala Alpitour on 16 April 2016 and 8 April 2017 respectively. The third and final round of the

2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship The 2018 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship was the 19th staging of the FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship, contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. The final tour ...

were also held at the venue. From 2021 to 2025, the Pala Alpitour will host the tennis

, marking the first time in history in which Italy will host the tournament.

Music

Palaolimpico arena during Eurovision 2022

Pala Alpitour has become one of the main venues for music events in Italy. Artists such as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

, U2,

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer, often shortened to 5SOS, are an Australian pop rock band formed in Sydney, New South Wales in 2011. The group consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford (musician), Mic ...

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

Renato Zero Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of t ...

Tiziano Ferro Tiziano Ferro (; born 21 February 1980) is an Italian pop singer and songwriter. He broke through in 2001 with his international hit single " Perdono" and has remained commercially successful since then, in several countries. Ferro has released ...

Il Volo Il Volo (; ) is an Italians, Italian operatic pop Trio (music), trio, consisting of Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone, and Ignazio Boschetto. They describe their music as "popera". Having won the Sanremo Music Festival 2015, they represented Italy ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay is a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of ...

and

Marco Mengoni Marco Mengoni (; born 25 December 1988) is an Italian singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2009, after winning the third season of Italian talent show ''X Factor (Italian TV series), X Factor''. Since then he has sold over 2.8 million reco ...

have performed in the arena. On 8 October 2021, the

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

(EBU) and the Italian broadcaster

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

announced that the venue would host the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

, following Italy's victory at the contest in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands with the song " Zitti e buoni", performed by

Måneskin is an Italian Rock music, rock band formed in Rome in 2016. The band is composed of lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. Performing in the streets in their early days, Mån ...

. The semi-finals of the contest took place on 10 and 12 May, and the grand final on 14 May. It was the first time that Turin hosted the contest and the third time that Italy has hosted the contest overall, with the last being in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in .

References

External links

*
Torino Olympic Park site
{{Authority control 2005 establishments in Italy Venues of the 2006 Winter Olympics Arata Isozaki buildings Indoor arenas in Italy Basketball venues in Italy Tennis venues in Italy Volleyball venues in Italy Ice hockey venues in Italy Modernist architecture in Italy Olympic ice hockey venues Buildings and structures in Turin Sports venues in Turin Sports venues completed in 2005 Music venues completed in 2005