Storia e attualità del rugby nel contesto veneto e internazionale
edited by Andrea Passerini and Andrea Rinaldo
cover price 16 euros
Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche-Viella
Treviso-Rome 2025
68 pages
15 illustrations in colour and 7 black and white
ISBN 979-125469-389-6
(Ludica Minima, 2)
A historical and contemporary view of rugby in the Veneto and on the international scene is a concerted exploration of the socio-anthropological and sporting phenomenon of rugby in Treviso and the Veneto region in the context of the ambitions of Italian rugby.
The rationale of the game no longer frames it as an opportunity to put gentlemanly virtues and values to the test. Nor does it embody the core principles of ludic activity: refraining from creating goods or wealth, admitting only shifts of property between players, has not been applicable to sporting professionalism since the days of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. Strange encrustations link the past and the future: in the Veneto the popularity of rugby is driven by rivalry between cities that may be neighbours but have quite different social origins and cultural references, and which have been in competition for centuries (with Venice against the Carraresi, the Scaligeri and the Ezzelini, families whose power bases were Padua, Verona and other cities in the region, though not Treviso, which remained faithful to the Serenissima). Everything stems from the anomalous roots of Italian rugby, which are strong but somewhat limited and insecure in the bigger Italian cities.
The book’s publication marks the history of over ninety years of rugby in Treviso and covers its development in the 20th century and the sport’s later dimensions. It also takes note of Italian rugby’s recent performance, which gives good grounds for healthy optimism.
Contents
Preface by Andrea Passerini and Andrea Rinaldo, 7
Gherardo Ortalli, Giochi di battaglia e processi di civilizzazione: la lunga storia del rugby, 9
Umberto Curi, Tra forza e violenza, 21
Gianluca Barca e Luciano Ravagnani, Evoluzione del rugby veneto, italiano e globale, 23
Andrea Rinaldo, Pensiero veloce e selezione naturale: ecologia del rugby, 31
Andrea Passerini, Breve viaggio nel rugby trevigiano, 53
The authors, 57
References for illustrations, 58
Index of names and places, 59