Ivrea sits at the heart of a majestic moraine amphitheater. Here, water is the protagonist: the amphitheater is dotted with moraine lakes, each a legacy of the last glaciation — Sirio, San Michele, Pistono, Nero, Campagna and, a little further off, Lago di Viverone and Lago di Candia. Ivrea is also crossed by the Dora Baltea, a tributary of the Po: the modern part of the city spreads across the plain on both banks of the river, while the old town climbs a hill that rises from the Dora toward the Castello and the Duomo.
The history of Ivrea is so deeply bound up with water that even its sporting life bears its mark. From the 1940s onwards, canoeing took root here, at a time when the sport was far less known and practised than it is today. A true test of strength between man and the most untameable force in nature: water. From this spirit was born the storied Ivrea Canoa Club, affiliated with the Federazione Italiana Canottaggio since 1960. Feats such as that of Giulio Valzolgher and Gianfranco Voltolina — who in 1952 paddled a two-person canoe for 700 kilometres, descending the Dora Baltea and the Po all the way to Venice — paved the way for a sporting institution with a history rich in achievement, shaped by athletes and coaches of great renown, and capable of bringing the World Championships of this captivating sport to Ivrea itself.
The Ivrea Canoe Stadium is one of Ivrea’s proudest achievements, and has repeatedly placed the city in the international spotlight: both for the quality of the facility itself, and for the remarkable fact that it sits right in the heart of the city — something entirely unique. Over the years, a series of interventions have been carried out to improve the course and adapt it to the demands of major competitions, including the 2008 Canoe Kayak Downriver World Championships. The most recent significant restoration dates to 2016, when the course was updated with mobile structures and adjustments to the currents to make the channel more technically demanding and safer. In May 2026, the Ivrea Canoe Stadium also hosted a stage of the ICF World Ranking Competition in slalom and kayak cross. The channel, approximately 230 metres long, is used for slalom and downriver events.
But the Ivrea Canoe Stadium is also, by virtue of its position, an extraordinary vantage point over Ivrea: reclining on the opposite bank of the river, the “città turrita” can be admired in all its beauty.
An Amateur Sports Association whose purpose is the development, promotion and teaching of the sport of canoeing and, in a complementary capacity, of other sporting activities.
