THE SPORT OF ROWING Francesco Querini – L’uomo e la storia – La Società Canottieri nel Centenario di Fondazione Canottieri Querini di Venezia Eight 1911 Italian Champion, European Champion Bow Scipione Del Giudice, 2 Brenno Del Giudice, 3 Curzio Del Giudice, 4 Luigi Armellini, 5 Mario Tres, 6 Tullio Rosada, 7 Giovanni Nenzi, Stroke Gino Solesin, Coxswain Giuseppe Mion Lago Maggiore in the north, in river towns such as Pisa and Florence and Rome, in harbor towns such as Genoa, Livorno and Naples, and in the city of canals, Venice, the home of the first great star of Italian rowing. Scipione Del Giudice Rowing historian Maurizio Ustolin: “On May 16, 1901, a new rowing club was founded in Venice, Canottieri Querini di Venezia.2803 It took few years for them to record their first victories. “The first time you see the name of Scipione Del Giudice was 1904 when he won his first Italian Championship in a four- oared coxed open-water gig at Bocca d’Arno. At his debut, Scipio was not yet sixteen. “In 1905 in Como, Canottieri Querini won its first Italian Championship in the coxed-fours with Scipio Del Giudice, Ercole Olgeni, Emilio Fontanella, Finotti Antoni 2803 named in memory of Francesco Querini, a young officer of the Italian Royal Navy lost in the Arctic Ocean during the attempt by the Duke of the Abruzzi to reach the North Pole. and coxswain Corrado Benedettelli, acquiring the right to participate in the XIII European Championships in Ghent, Belgium. “The FISA Centenary Book 1892- 1992: “In the coxed-fours, victory to the Belgian hosts, but the Venetians crossed the finish line in second place ahead of the French.”2804 Canottieri Querini thus began a seven- year series of strong showings at European Championships, leading the way for other Italian clubs to follow. Their stable of young athletes, led by the first hero of Italian rowing, Scipione Del Giudice [1888- 1950], and eventually including two of his brothers, established the first family dynasty in Italian rowing. In 1906, Scipio, 17, his pair-partner Ercole Olgeni, 22, and coxswain Giuseppe Mion won the Italian coxed-pairs championship for their club, and then went to the European Championships in Pallanza, Italy, and upset Guillaume Visser, Urbain 2804 Maurizio Ustolin, Scipione Del Giudice – Campione Veneziano, www.canottaggio.org 780
