The Italian Figure Skating Championships () are an annual figure skating competition organized by the Italian Ice Sports Federation () to crown the national champions of Italy. The first Italian Championships were held in 1914 at the Lago di Ghirla and featured events for men and couples. The Italian Skating Federation, led by Count Alberto Bonacossa, was established shortly thereafter. Competitions were halted due to World War I, and in 1921, an event for women was added.

Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels, although each discipline may not necessarily be held every year due to a lack of participants. Alberto Bonacossa and Carlo Fassi are tied for winning the most Italian Championship titles in men's singles (with ten each); Fassi also holds the record in pair skating with his partner Grazia Barcellona (with nine). Carolina Kostner holds the record in women's singles (with nine); and Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio hold the record in ice dance (with nine), although Fusar-Poli won an additional championship with a previous partner.

History

The first figure skating competition for Italians took place in 1912 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, but the first Italian national championships were not held until 1914. The competition was held at the Lago di Ghirla, sponsored by the Varese Skating Club and La Gazzetta dello Sport, attended by skaters from Piedmont and Lombardy, and featured events for men and couples. Count Alberto Bonacossa won the men's event, and Dina Mancio-Kind and Adelchi Candellero won the pairs' event. The following year, the championships were held on Lake Valentino in Turin. Bonacossa again won the men's event, and Mancio-Kind again won the pairs' event, but this time with Gaspare Voli. Competitions were halted from 1916 to 1919 due to World War I, but after the war ended, new winter resorts developed in Trentino and South Tyrol. A championship event for women was added in 1921.

The Italian Skating Federation was established by Bonacossa in 1914. In September 1926, the skating federation merged with the ice hockey and bobsleigh federations to form the Italian Ice Sports Federation (). Early competitions often featured events in both speed skating and figure skating. The Ice Palace () – the first artificial ice rink in Italy – was built in Milan in 1923. This allowed for skating competitions to be held that weren't dependent on the weather, as lakes and outdoor rinks needed to be sufficiently frozen for skaters to practice as well as compete. In 1933, the Italian Ice Sports Federation merged with the skiing federation to form the Italian Winter Sports Federation (), and operations were transferred to Rome.

Senior medalists

Men's singles

Filippo Dubini, the 1937 Italian Champion, died in the Libyan campaign during World War II.

Women's singles

Rita Trapanese, seven-time Italian national champion from 1966 to 1972, died in an automobile accident in 2000 near Gattatico. The Rita Trapanese Trophy (Italian: Trofeo Rita Trapanese) is named in her honor, and is occasionally held as part of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series.

Pairs

Ice dance

Junior medalists

While junior-level championships were held in Italy prior to 2003, this is earliest for which full results have been documented.

Men's singles

Women's singles

Pairs

Ice dance

Records

Notes

References

Works cited

External links

• Italian Ice Sports Federation

• Italian National Championships at Skating Scores