On 23rd September, the city of Turin was invaded by the almost 600 orange t-shirts of the participants in the European urban event organized by French company Pop In The City, supported by Città di Torino, Turismo Torino, Musei Reali and CUS Torino.
The event, now in its fortieth edition in 10 years, consists of an extraordinary treasure hunt that gets participants to try their hand at more than 30 challenges over 8 hours. There is no limit to what you can do, from asking locals for information to having a go at an extreme sport.
It is, however, a unique way to discover new destinations. As in the meaning of "Popping in", in fact, participants are encouraged to "jump somewhere” and the challenges that make up the competition are aimed at advertising the excellence of the city that hosts it. The values that Pop In The City carries forward are:
- Tolerance and solidarity between competitors and the local population;
- Respect and conservation of the environment and the cultural heritage;
Equality of gender and opportunity;
- Courage and perseverance in pursuing one's dreams;
- Curiosity and an open mind towards cultural differences and tourist attractions in destinations.
The Turin edition of the event, whose nerve centre was the Gardens of the Royal Museums, brought almost 600 people to the city, mainly from France and Switzerland, and allowed them to get to know Turin through a city guide created specifically for the event. The various tests gave competitors the opportunity to row on the River Po, immerse themselves in the charm of Turin's museums, taste typical food and wine, learn to dance the pizzica and the dances of the nineteenth century … and also learn a little Italian.
Turin’s Scuola Leonardo, in fact, was involved as a partner and managed one of the challenges of the race within the sumptuous premises of the Circolo dei Lettori. For the occasion, our teacher Alessio created a didactic game that allowed participants to learn to order a dish in a typical Piedmontese restaurant, with adequate language and gastronomic competence.
The challenge with the Italian language was attended by almost 200 competitors, aided by our teachers Andrea, Jasmine and Alessio, coordinated by director Chiara. The day was intense, but really satisfying.
“I sincerely thank Maelle Evrard and Julie Gabelle – says Chiara Avidano – for involving us in such an exciting event. We were thrilled when the competitors, after completing their challenge, said they were happy to have learned what to order for dinner and how to do it. Personally, it warmed my heart to see all those orange t-shirts printed with the silhouette of the Mole Antonelliana and to think that they will be worn thousands of times and that, going around the world, they will make someone else think of coming to discover our wonderful city. Turin is becoming more beautiful and dynamic every day: at the end of the day, it was extraordinary to see the participants of Pop In The City dance the pizzica and the historical Piedmontese dances in the Royal Gardens and sing songs by the Ricchi e Poveri before the award ceremony. I am really happy to have accepted the challenge of participating in this incredible event doing something we had never done before. Let's hope it happens again... We are ready!"
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Turin
The welcoming friendly atmosphere of our school will make you feel at home and you can relax with your classmates in the small gardens of the adjacent pedestrian area.
