L'articolo descrive il viaggio in Italia che lo scrittore e suo figlio hanno fatto a settembre. Oltre a visitare luoghi turistici e storici, hanno partecipato alla Cinque Mulini, una gara di corsa fuori dalla città di Milano. La gara aveva fossati e curve strette. Alla fine, c’erano diversi dolci. Dopo la gara, sono tornati a Roma per visitare la Porta di San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Paolo Fuori le Mura e la Basilica di San Pietro. Questo viaggio rimarrà per sempre un ricordo prezioso per loro.
The trip to Italy during the 93rd edition of the world-famous Cinque Mulini cross country event in San Vittore Olona would be my second voyage to the home country of my grandparents, the first being a decade ago when I went with my son Phillip and nephew Daniel for their 2015 graduation present.
When the Jubilee year started, my son and I tossed around the idea of going to Rome to visit the Holy Doors. Spring passed and turned to summer with no plans because of schedules. Finally in September, I found the dates my son was available matched up with the 93rd Cinque Mulini - a 55 + cross country race that I could compete in. That sealed the deal and Phil Micali, operator of PhilItaly in Cleveland’s Little Italy, helped us to make it happen.
PhilItaly set up a rough itinerary, and we purchased airline tickets. Phil also set up the hotels and ground transportation, and we were going to be on our way to Italy.
The concerns about flight reductions because of the government shutdown ended as we arrived in Rome on Thursday, November 20 at 8:05 a.m. After a taxi from the airport (that is always interesting in Rome traffic), we arrived at our hotel soon after. Phillip and I hit Rome, sightseeing for the next seven hours and eventually ending up at Studio Olympico, the venue that hosted the 1960 Olympics. We then took the city bus to our hotel, checked in, and I got a quick run in before dinner. Friday morning, we took the Frecciarossa to Milan, arriving on a drizzly late afternoon – quite a difference from the Rome weather!
On Saturday, Phillip and I toured Milan by subway, bus, and tram visiting the Sforza Castle, the Duomo, other sights including the Milan area getting ready to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, then attended 5:30 p.m. mass at the Duomo. PhilItaly arranged for us to have a private driver take us the 35 minutes from Milan to San Vittore Olona. After checking into the Poli Hotel, I got my racing stuff gathered for the next day. My Saturday night sleep was fitful knowing that I was jet lagged and that three long days on my feet were not ideal for racing, but I finally fell asleep knowing that I can easily race the 4200 meters (2.6 miles).
Waking up Sunday morning, I did my usual morning race day routine, feeling better than I thought. With the Poli Hotel being only a mile away from the cross-country course, I planned to run to the course for part of my warmup. Arriving at the course, I collected my bib number for the race from the registration table. I found a race volunteer who spoke some English, and she was kind enough to let me keep my bag with my racing stuff near her chair. I gave her a USATF Lake Erie travel bag for her kindness.
I ran a little more to preview the course. What a course! Rough footing, sharp turns, ditches, and two gristmills to race through! Obviously, this was not the typical U.S. cross country course! In the early editions of the race, athletes raced over the grass and through five gristmills. Today’s edition of the race would go through the two only remaining gristmills.
With my warm-up completed and my racing spikes and Eastern Buckeye Track Club racing singlet on, I found it interesting that we had a queue to get to the start line. All my competitors looking at my Eastern Buckeye Track Club royal blue singlet were asking me “Dove?” and I said, “Ohio, United States” and they replied, “Americano, Buona Fortuna” to which I replied “Grazie.” After endless talking by the announcer – of course I did not understand a word – I heard “Un minuto”, and I knew we were ready to go.
The gun sounded and me and 110 other competitors were off to take the challenge of this remarkably interesting course! I knew that whatever this course was going to throw at me, I had to do it twice as it was a 2,000 meter loop. I encountered a three-foot-wide ditch to cross, the first crossing was OK, the second crossing, I attempted to leap but did not get as far as I thought and jammed my left foot. I was more cautious over the next three. I continued through a hard right turn over a turfed town street, across a field, up a left turn hillside, along dirt/hay/mulch trails to the most famous part of the course…the two gristmills!
The San Vittore Olona event began as a response to the neighboring town’s cross country event. The five (Cinque) gristmills (Mulini) from the earliest days of the race are the reason for its name. The other town’s race folded, but Cinque Mulini continued through the Depression and WWII. In the 1960s, Cinque Mulini became an international event, attracting the world’s top male runners, then eventually the top women world runners. Billy Mills, Frank Shorter, and Lynn Jennings from the U.S. battled top athletes from around the world. Today’s World Athletics president Sebastian Coe of England, a former gold medalist in the 1500 meters and World Record holder, competed in this race by mistake. Knowing the reputation of the race, Seb figured that he could easily run five miles (he mistranslated Mulini for miles).
Borrowing cross country spikes from a friend, he arrived at the course to find the race was over 10km long on a challenging course. Obviously, he could not disappoint the race organizers who gave him special entry. He raced well but said “never again.”
I raced through the gristmills, around sharp turns, and through the second loop of the course to find my son yelling “Go Dad” as he took photos. I was pushing hard knowing the finish line was close. A competitor behind me was coming up fast, so I had to muster strength from within to hit another gear to beat him across the finish line. I made my way down the finish chute to be greeted with the usual bottled water. But I was in Italy! Biscotti, powdered lemon bars and assorted sweet treats also awaited finishers. Certainly not the usual U.S. race at the finish line!
I had brought various race t-shirts, USATF Lake Erie t-shirts and Eastern Buckeye t-shirts to give away to other runners who took them graciously saying “a shirt from America!”
Phillip and I still had more time to spend in Italy, so we headed back to Rome to visit the Holy Doors. Our first stop was at St. John Lateran. We were surprised to find few tourists milling and were able to enter the Holy Door here twice. Then we were on our way to St. Mary Major where we went through the Holy Door and took in the view of the magnificent Basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Phillip and I continued our journey to the Holy Door at St. Paul Outside of the Walls Basilica, an often-overlooked treasure. Finally, we were on our way to the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican. The queue at the Vatican Basilica was not as daunting as we thought it would be. As we walked through the Holy Door, viewing the largest Basilica in the world, we had time and space to enjoy.
The next day, we visited more Basilicas until it was, sadly, time to pack our bags for our return trip home. Heading to the airport with sadness in our hearts, Phillip and I began to give thought to our next trip back to Italy.
