The Campionato di Eccellenza is the leading competition for rugby union in Italy . The first championship took place in 1929. The championship is organized by the Federazione Italiana Rugby . The strongholds of Italian rugby are almost all in the north of the country, mainly in Lombardy and Veneto .
A reorganization took place in 2002 when the top ten teams formed the new Super 10 league . The championship has had its current name since the 2010/11 season and consists of twelve teams. The two best teams are eligible to play in the European Challenge Cup . Benetton Rugby Treviso and Zebre , the two strongest Italian teams, are not represented in the Campionato di Eccellenza, but in the multinational Pro14 and in the European Rugby Champions Cup .
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Italy
