A recent stroll down the Via Veneto brought us face-to-face with this swim-goggle-sporting mass of marble whom we recognized as one of the athletes that embellish the Foro Italico, Mussolini’s sports complex on the north side of Rome.  As we’ve discussed before, these marble gods stand around the track and the tennis courts showing off their fine physiques and providing inspiration for those who labor below.

Closer examination of the commentary below this marble god of water reminded us that Rome will be hosting the World Swim Championships this summer, from 17 July-2 August, a competition that  will include the standard laps-in-the-pool kind of races, as well as diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo.

As with most major sporting events in the Eterna, the swim-fest will be held at the Foro Italico, a giant sport complex on the north edge of Rome constructed in the 1930s. Originally known as the Forum of Mussolini, the complex was conceived as a temple dedicated to the Fascist cult of athleticism.

Thus  extraordinarily lovely indoor and outdoor pools at the Foro Italico, now quite aged, are being restored to their original splendor (we hope).  There can be little doubt theose responsible are in a mad dash to complete the work before the events kick-off in a month or so, but we’re glad they were able to find the time to deck out one of the marble monoliths in a pair of super-cool swim googles.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone in the world didn’t hear the noise and the celebration last night when the Barcelona soccer team won the UEFA Championship in Rome.  They were the underdog, but they beat Manchester 2-0.

As expected, crazy celebrations ensued.  We love the sheer joy depicted in this photo of Barcelona fans in the Trevi Fountain.

For more on the lead up to the UEFA Championship, see our photos of the Colosseum made of Heinekin beer bottles in the Termini train station and an article with information about the champions village that was constructed around the Colosseum.

Photo from Il Messaggero.

Sporty eCoolers will remember that on 27 May, the UEFA Champions League Final will be held in Rome (the rest of you may need to refer to your Cliffs Notes to discover that the UEFA is the Union of European Football Associations and that the game will decide which club is champion of the European league).

A few weeks there was hot discussion about whether or not soccer fields should be set up around the Colosseum in celebration of this event.   We’ll admit that we didn’t follow the discussion that closely and thought that the idea had been vetoed by various superintendents of archaeology and culture ministers — that is, until this weekend, when we began to see elegant little banners flapping on Rome’s bridges with images of the classical-urn-shaped trophy and an announcement that there would be some sort of soccer celebration in the valley of the Colosseum in upcoming days.

Around town there are other indications of just how eagerly Romans (and sponsoring corporations) are anticipating this event.  Heienken, always a big advertiser in the Eterna, has really gone all out.  They’ve built a Colosseum out of beer bottles in the Termini train station.  The base on which the monument stands is “inscribed” with the date of the game in Roman numerals: XXVII. V. MMIX and the motto “History is made in Rome.”

There’s been discussion here at the eCool Compound about getting ourselves out of bed early on Sunday the 17th to run the Race for the Cure here in Rome.  Now, however, Blogging Pompeii has divided our loyalties with their publication of news about the “Corri per Pompei” or Run for Pompeii that’s scheduled to take place on Saturday the 16th at 6pm.

An article about the race on Stabianews.tk says that starting line will be at Piazza Anfiteatro in the modern city of Pompeii and that the 10 kilometer and 3 kilometer routes will take runners through both the ancient archaeological site and the modern city.  How much of the race takes place on the ancient site?  We don’t know and we’d imagine that if it’s a lot the course could get a bit rough as even walking through ancient Pompeii can be tough on the feet, but nonetheless, we think this is one of the most eternally cool things we’ve heard about in a while.

For more information:  write to napolipompei@libero.it or call 081 857 62 71 or 338 10 52 494.

For forty years, Rome has been home to the Internazionali d’Italia, a tier one tennis tournament that takes place on the clay courts of the Foro Italico.  Last week, Rafael Nadal came out on top of the men’s tourney.  This week, the women are in action and today’s championship match pits Russian players Svetlana Kutnetsova and Dinara Safina against one another.

The two met last week in a final match in Stuttgart and Kuznetsova came out on top.  But last night Safina, currently ranked #1 in the world and as fit as she’s ever been, imposed her iron will on Venus Williams and powered her way to victory in a match that lasted over three hours.  What will today bring?  Photographer Susan Sanders is sure to let us now.  She’s been sitting courtside for most of the week and so today treats us to some action photos of the contenders.

For more photos of the Internazionali d’Italia (and other things happening in Rome), visit Susan’s photo blo, Rome With A View.

On 27 May, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League Final will be played in Rome.  The tournament awards the most prestigious trophy in all of European football and winning it is the ultimate goal for any major football club within the continent.

It’s not clear yet who will be playing in the match.  The victors of semifinal games between  Barcellona-Chelsea and Arsenal-Manchester will be the teams that take to the field for a game to be played at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico (the home of A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio) which holds some 82,000 people.  Preparations and publicity are already underway and it’s expected that the Eternal City will be flooded with soccer fans for the event.

As part of the preparations, the colossal trophy was delivered to Rome’s Mayor, Gianni Alemanno, on the Birthday of Rome, 21 April, in a ceremony that took place in Rome’s city hall.  Alemanno joked that it was the only trophy he’d ever one.  Now, in a move that’s proving to be highly controversial, organizers and promoters have come forward with a plan to build two soccer fields that can seat some 200,000 people and are furnished with giant video screens, concession stands, portable toilets and other necessities near the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine for the event.

Archaeologists and others who worry about the monuments and the effect that hundreds of thousands of soccer fans might have upon them are opposed to the suggestion, citing the need for decorum near the ancient monuments, bans against publicity on and around Rome’s archaeological monuments, and general wear and tear as reasons that the fields should not be built.

If the plan goes forward, it won’t be the first time since antiquity that the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine have been used as backdrops for sporting events.  In June 2007, a Euro title cruiserweight boxing clash took on gladiatorial overtones as it was staged on Piazza del Colosseo with the fourth-century Arch of Constantine as a backdrop.  And long before that, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, the Arch of Constantine served as the finish line for an historic marathon won by the Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila who set a new world record while racing barefoot.

We’ll keep you posted.

A bit later this week, on the 21st April, Rome will celebrate its 2762nd birthday–she’s looking good for her age, wouldn’t you say?

In honor of this big event, a long series of concerts, historic reenactments, speeches, and inaugurations began today and will continue through Tuesday.

The fesivities were scheduled to kick off this morning at 10:00am with the traditional parade staged by the historic reenactment organization called the Gruppo Storico Romano.  Rain made the parade a bit less impressive and less photogenic than those of other years, so if you’re interested, we suggest you click over and take a look at our 2008 photos of the birthday celebration.

The rain did hold off long enough, however, to allow the for a “chariot race” in the Circus Maximus–a new event devised to honor the Eterna.

A patriotic group of bikers sporting giallo e rosso (yellow and red) athletic gear cleverly transformed their bicycles into race horses that pulled bigas, or two-wheeled chariots, manned by enthusiastic charioteers.  While ancient Roman chariot teams were divided by color into the greens, the blues, the whites, and the yellows, these modern day Ben-Hurs formed two teams distinguished by their headgear–the helmet heads and the brush heads.  Eager for a bit of Sunday-morning competition, they lined up at one end of the Circus and at the signal, the race for glory and fame began!

Each horse and chariot were required to complete three turns around the spina or central spine of the circus.  Just as in antiquity, things got a little hairy on the tight turn opposite the starting line.  Ancient sources suggest that seating in that area of the circus was desirable, as one of the attractions of the chariot races were the “shipwrecks” or crashes that occurred when chariots took the tight turn at a high speed.

Though the highly trained horses and charioteers of today’s race managed to navigate the turn without any crashes, spectators were still pleased as the terrain is rough at that end of the Circus Maximus and thus it gave the racing teams an opportunity to exhibit their superior skills.

At the finish, a helmet-head (no doubt aided by the aerodynamic design of his headgear) nosed ahead of the leading brush-head chariot, taking the prize!

Stay tuned! We’ll be covering more of the birthday festivities in coming days!   And, we’re wondering if anyone out there has a She-Wolf cake pan we can borrow?

Some 80,000 people hit the streets of Rome early yesterday morning to take part in the annual Rome marathon and the associated Rome Fun Run of 4.2 kilometers.  A brilliant sun lit the sky, temperatures rose enough to make running comfortable (but not too hot), and a light north wind cleared the air, as 12-15,000 marathon runners set out on their 26 mile trek through the Eterna and tens of thousands more runners took on the Fun Run challenge.

The victor in the men’s marathon was 30-year-old Kenyan, Benjamin Kiptoo Kolum, who crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 17 seconds.  The women’s race was was won by Ethiopian Firehiwot Dado, 25 years of age, who managed a time of  2 hours, 27 minutes, and 08 seconds.

While most runners were decked out in the spandex, goretex, and nylon of which today’s cutting edge athletic outfits are made, others chose more traditional Roman garb.  As seen in the photograph above, at least one Roman centurion — in this case shunning marching sandals for sneakers — joined the race, proving that the stamina and determination that characeterized the ancient Roman army is still alive and well in the people of Rome.  (For the record, a garden gnome was also seen running the race, but we’re fairly sure that the centurion slayed him shortly before he reached the finish line.)

The finish line was on Via dei Fori Imperiali, quite near the Colosseum.  By early afternoon, the road was awash with runners trading stories about the race, massaging sore muscles, and gulping electrolyte-replacing liquids.  For reasons entirely unclear to everyone in the eCool Compound, city officials enhanced the celebratory atmosphere by providing a stage on which kilt-wearing Scots (or good impersonators of them) danced jigs for a part of the afternoon (see below).

A recent stroll through an Autogrill halfway between Rome and Naples alerted us to a whole new way in which Italy’s passionate football fans can support their team.

We were utterly entertained to stumble upon a sizable display of wines labeled in honor of Italy’s most popular teams.  There were bottles featuring the A.S. Roma shield, complete with its iconic She-Wolf (top left), while others were embellished with the bold baby blue Napoli logo (top right), the elegant italicized Juventus name (bottom left) and the red script that denotes A.C. Milano.

We’re sorry to say that we didn’t have the the opportunity to crack open any such bottles, but we’ve no doubt that they’re fine vintages.

It’s hot and steamy in Rome these days.  The weather, in combination with the fact that everything in the Eterna is closed, make it hard to motivate the staff here at the eCool compound.  Hence, the scarcity of posts.  Most days, when we saunter into the compound after a few iced coffees and a leisurely stroll through the city’s deserted streets, we find our eCool employees hunkered down in front of the television, watching the Beijing Olympics. The minute we switch off the set and demand that they start writing and photographing, the whole team heads for the glorious swimming pool that’s been put up “in the shadow of the Colosseum” on the Caelian Hill.  (If you’re sweating it out in Rome this summer and you’ve not yet been to this pool, run there!)  It’s hard to get any work done in this national holiday month!

The eCoolers did show a bit of excitement when we suggested they write about the Olympics instead of just watching them.  And so, today, we bring you news of a new book by Pulitzer Prize winner, David Maraniss, titled Rome 1960.  The Olympics that Changed the World.

Rome’s 1960 Olympics happened half a century after they were first planned.  The Eternal City was awarded the Olympics in 1908, but the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 1906 forced the city to decline the honor, which was passed to London.  Thus, there was much celebration when, in 1955, the International Olympic Committee selected Rome as the host for the XVII Olympiad.

Like all Olympic cities, Rome went to work when the announcement was made.  The entire city’s infrastructure, from the transportation system to the water supply, was significantly upgraded, and a number of new sporting venues were constructed.  None of the new stadiums were as interesting as the ancient settings in which some sporting events were held: the wrestling competition was held in the Basilica of Maxentius in the Roman Forum, the gymnastic events were staged at the Baths of Caracalla, and the marathon — won by the Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila who set a new world record while racing barefoot — finished under the Arch of Constantine.

The athletic competitions at the Rome Olympics proved to be just as spellbinding.   The Soviet team, backed by generous Communist athletic subsidies, trounced the Americans by winning more medals than ever before.  Supercharged sprinter Wilma Rudolph broke racial barriers when she won the gold despite a bout with childhood polio that left her in leg braces.  America’s number one hope for a medal, sprinter Dave Sime, was recruited into an effort to convince a Soviet long jumper, Igor Ter-Ovanesyan ,to defect to the United States during the Games.  And the gold-medal-winning marathoner, Bikila, had the satisfaction of achieving athletic triumph on the streets of the very country that had annexed and ruled his own for several decades in the first half of the 20th century.

While David Maraniss’s book is about such athletic achievement, it is also about the changing world in which the 1960 Olympics were staged.   Political and social events play a central role in the story of the Rome Olympics, from the rise of Communism and the advent of the Cold War to the slow disintegration of racial barriers.  As well, Maraniss chronicles changes in the culture of athletics that still affect the sports world today.

As Maraniss himself says in an interview posted on his website, the Rome Olympics heralded the beginning of our modern world:

In so many ways, the 1960 Olympics marked a passing of one era and the birth of another. Television, money and doping were bursting onto the scene, changing everything they touched. Old-school notions of amateurism, created by and for upper-class sportsmen, were being challenged as never before. New countries were being born in Africa and Asia, blacks and women were pushing for equal rights. For better and worse, one could see the modern world as we know it today coming into view.