Naples Open Water Hero

Nino Fazio provided us this information on the great Giulio Travaglio of Italy, a 1966 inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Travaglio, a native of Naples, Italy, won the 32 km (20-mile) Maratona del Golfo - Capri Napoli in Italy in 1965, 1966, 1967 (see photo of finish on left), 1968 and 1970.

His first victory in 1965 is remarkable because he entered the swim as an amateur, but beat all the professional marathon swimmers. He also participated in other World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation races including the 24-hour 24 Heures La Tuque and won the 1966 overall World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation circuit.

He won numerous other races in Italy including the Crossing of The Gulf of Salerno, the Double-Crossing of the Procida Channel, the Torre Annunziata open water swim, the Dead Sea (from Bacoli to Naples) Crossing, the S. Martino Oxbow Swim in Naples, and the Traversata dello Stretto.

Travaglio started his career as a pool swimmer where he won the national Italian 1500-meter championships in 1962 as he gradually transitioned to the open water. It was in the open water where he really thrived and eventually developed into one of the world's best marathon swimmers. He now he lives in Rosario, Argentina, site of the famous Maratón Acuático Internacional Ciudad de Rosario.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Open Water Swims in the Strait of Messina

There is a series of open water swims in Sicily near or in the Strait of Messina held annually in August and September. The Strait of Messina is a narrow channel between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria (see map below) which is on the Italian mainland.



The first race is the 5.2K 45th annual Traversata dello Stretto with the longest history and a difficult course across the Strait of Messina. First crossed in 1930, the Strait has strong currents and natural whirlpools that make for a challenging and enjoyable event to do and watch, especially on a clear day. The Traversata dello Stretto starts at Torre Faro, crosses the Strait of Messina to a turn in Cannitello in Calabria on the Italian mainland, then traverses along the Italian coast and finished in Villa San Giovanni.

The second race is the 10th annual Trofeo Baia di Grotta (see finish point on left). The third race is the 1.8K II Trofeo Onda Azzurra along the Calabria coast. The fourth race is 36th annual 3.7K Favazzina-Scilla swim in late August. The fifth race is the 5.1K XI Memoria Nino Sofi. The sixth race is the 3K Città di Reggio Calabria II in September.

Photo of the Traversata dello Stretto race courtesy of Nino Fazio