The History of CIRCOLO NAUTICO STABIA
a) 1921 - 1996
From the pages written by President lawyer Giuseppe d'Angelo on the occasion of the
Seventy-fifth anniverasary since its founding
1996 was the year of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Circolo Nautico Stabia.
To mark the occasion, a volume was published, edited by Prof. Giuseppe D'Angelo, past president of the club, tracing the life of this glorious club. (History of the Circolo Nautico Stabia) We thought you would appreciate it and we decided to make available online, so as to give everyone the chance to learn about the history of this prestigious Club, with the Roll of Honor and the entire sporting curriculum of the Abbagnale Brothers.
The origins of rowing in the city of Castellammare di Stabia are very ancient and closely linked to the daily life of itspeople.
It might not seem necessary here to recall that Castellammare, a city that even has the sea in its name, could not but have had a history linked to the sea.
And from the sea, according to myth, came Hercules, who, after overcoming the fatigue of capturing the oxen of Gerion, king of the Balearic Islands, founded the pre-Roman Stabiae.
The Latin writer Silio Italico in his long poem, in 17 books, entitled the 'Puniche' (Punica), about the second war between Rome and Carthage, which took place between 219 and 201 B.C., in book XIV, which deals with the siege and capture of Syracuse by the Roman Admiral Marcus Claudius Marcellus, in verses 408-9, recalls the strong Stabiae youth fighting on Admiral Corbulo's ships against the Carthaginian fleet.
Here are the words of Silio Italico: (Punica, XIV, 408-9)
Irrumpit Cumana ratis, quam Corbulo ductor
lectaque complebat Stabiarum litore pubes.
Or:
Already a Cumanian ship is being driven by Corbulo,
full of choice youth from the shores of Stabia.
Although the story has been considered somewhat legendary by critics – for sure Silio must have drawn on some ancient annalist that has not reached us - the news of the presence of the Stabiana pubes on Roman ships is very significant, because it historically gives evidence of the existence of the city of Stabiae and the valour of its oarsmen in the years of the Second Punic War, i.e. in the 3rd century BC.
Even during the Middle Ages, and particularly during the Angevin period (1266-1442), not only were ships built in Castellammare but its oarsmen were also required for the royal army.
The first news, however, of the existence of rowing, as we know today, dates back to the 1870s. At that time, in fact, the southern nobility continued the centuries-old habit of moving to Castellammare in the summer, to the splendid villas that framed the ancient Bourbon residence of Quisisana.
The young scions of these families - Acton, Caracciolo, Ruffo, Paternò, Capece - practised the sport of rowing in Neapolitan clubs and organised races in Castellammare during the summer.
No wonder, therefore, that on 1st June 1881 the Stabian Rowing Club was founded in the city thanks to the initiative of Giovanbattista Gallone, Prince of Moliterno, Marsiconovo and Tricase.
Giovanbattista Gallone was a man of the world, as they say, a frequent visitor to the best salons in Europe, the animator, as according to the chronicles, of Stabia's summers.
Among the many initiatives of which he was a promoter was the foundation of the Stabian Rowing Club.
In fact, on 20th July 1881, he sent a letter to the municipal administration informing them of the constitution '... of the Stabian Rowing Club, recently established in this city, with the aim of encouraging young people to take up rowing and, consequently, to race. Developing, in the younger generations a taste for the sea, good for them and for Italy; already in many places, similar societies arise, welcome with widespread acclaim. In addition to the national opportunity of this institution, it also offers the city material advantages, helping to increase the number of holidaymakers by making our rowing races more brilliant.
Certainly the prince would never have imagined that, a century later, Stabiese rowing would be crowned with world and Olympic laurels.
It should be clarified immediately that the Club was founded by Stabiesi or in any case by residents of the town, as can be seen from art. 30 of the Articles of Association: "People, who do not have a stable abode in Castellammare, may be invited to attend the Club for eight days, upon request of a member, and with the approval of the Board of Directors."
Over the years, the rowing races organised by the Circolo Canottieri Stabiani were such a success with the public that many wanted to give a try at this new discipline, which thus went from being an elite sport to becoming widely popular. A bit like what had happened with tennis.
The yearbook of the Regio Yacht Club Italiano shows that in 1884, i.e. three years after the establishment of the Circolo Canottieri Stabiani, there were only five other rowing clubs in Italy and the Federation itself was not established in Turin until 1888.
The club's emblem was a rectangular flag with vertical yellow and blue stripes, the colours of the city. The entry fee was ten liras and the monthly fee three liras. The first jolas were built in the shipbuilder Gennaro Bonifacio's shipyards, a member of the club.
The first president was Prince Giovanbattista Gallone.
At the beginning of the new 20th century, news of the Stabian Rowing Club was lost, although here and there in the documents there is always mention of regattas and, in particular, of those organised in September 1920 by an unidentified Sports Club, which received a contribution for the occasion "as a contribution from the Municipality for the awarding of prizes to the winners of the regattas, which usually take place every year in this month."
And in fact "with the date of May 23rd, 1921 is founded in Castellammare di Stabia a society called Circolo Nautico Stabia", with head office in via Bonito, constituted by "a wooden and masonry building built at the expense of the Society (of the General Warehouses) in 1920 on the docks of the port of Castellammare di Stabia ... for the sole purpose of creating in the Stabian youth the passion for rowing sports'.
Its statute was approved by the General Assembly of members on the following 27th May.
We feel to report Dr. Vincenzo Imparato senior words , who a decade ago gave me one of his manuscripts concerning the birth of the Club, and from which we will also draw later.
"The Nautical Club,' wrote Dr. Imparato, 'had come to life thanks to the merits of Comm. Carlo Enrietti who, in the fervour with which he was animated, conceived the idea of bringing together in an associative institution, crowned by an athletic-sporting forge, all those who saw in the sea and for the sea the continuity of the historical and glorious traditions of this dear and much-loved city of ours.
Commendatore Giuseppe Cozzolino, manager of a Naval Agency located in via Bonito and a proactive operator of port traffic, took up the viaticum of the great and unfortunately forgotten promoter Enrietti and made real the project with the help of illustrious fellow citizens and the contributions of industries and Navy Commands, all of whom participated in ensuring that the yellow and blue flag of the Stabian Rowing Club of 1881 would once again shine in the sun and triumph in maritime competitions.
The austerity of Commendatore Cozzolino, the first president of the club, contributed, it is true, to the establishment of social splendour, to the link with the clubs of the hinterland of Savoy, Naples, Italy and later Youth, but it also inevitably constituted the prodromes of the consequences that later occurred over the years, consequences that were also part of a history that should not be omitted, let alone distorted by covering them with frills.
Although I was thirteen years old in 1921, the inaugural ceremony, seen from the outside, and the christening of the boats (two, if I remember correctly) in the club's possession have stayed with me since than.
It was an evocative celebration for Castellammare as well, since the sea swarmed with elegant, sleek cutters, very fast motorboats from the Neapolitan clubs, and their anchorage in the stretch of water in front of the Marinella was a beautiful sight for the Stabia crowd that had gathered to watch the mooring manoeuvres and the disembarkation of dignitaries, graceful ladies and distinguished members of the aristocratic, aristocratic classes of Naples.
Faithful press comments on the exceptional social-sporting event were widely reported in the newspapers and crowned in the 'Mosconi' by a copious list of names of those present at the wedding of the Stabia rowing club with the sea.
The first crew to take to the water in a four-man jole were the unforgettable Nino Natale (rowing leader), Paolo Scognamiglio, Carlo Vitelli, Nino Gaeta, and Vincenzo Sorrentino at the helm, the latter becoming famous, years later, as the 'lone navigator' and recordman of distances Castellanmare-Rome and Rome-Tripoli covered in a canoe.
The first coach, in 1921, was Attilio Mercanti of the Circolo Canottieri Milano, at the time a conscripted soldier in Salerno.
"I was a sixteen-year-old libellist,' Dr. Imparato continues, 'when I was included in the student-rowers' clan for my first rowing experiences, under the guidance of the expert teacher, Marquis Costa, from the Circolo Canottieri Napoli, who came from the capital to delude us into thinking we could move the dock in front of the Nautico with instructive rowing. At the same time we were fascinated by the mirage of participating in the Pattinson, a competition that, together with the Lysistrata, was selective for national titles.
Releasing the oar from the water with the movement of the wrists and the amplitude of rowing with attachment and stretching on the trolleys made the apprenticeship of us youngsters, who, through difficult training, aimed at equalling the skill of adults, meticulously trained for competitions.
We rowers were banned from attending the halls of the graceful chalet, the headquarters of the Nautical Club, but the patronage of Comm. Giuseppe Mannara, who succeeded Comm. Cozzolino as president, allowed for negotiations, which were inevitable given the location of the changing rooms, showers and toilets on the left side of the entrance hall.
Belonging to a class of reputed aristocracy and no less a patron than the Enrietti, engineer Monticelli, lawyer Salvatore Turcio, the democratic Comm. Mannara par excellence, expressed his prodigality with the gift of the Marta, a four-boat jole, in homage to his wife, born Fusco, and by steadily structuring the crew of the eight-boat jole, setting its efficiency at a level that would enable him to realise his most aspired dream, the victory of the Lysistrata.
Mannara was followed by Catello Geata, lawyer Nicola Greco, notary Giuseppe Fienga, and a pentarchy made of cav. Francesco Buonocore, lawyer Vincenzo Criscuolo, cav. Raffaele Pagliara and cap. Vincenzo Sorrentino.
But in the meantime, times had changed, and the new political climate produced as president Cav. Giovanni Vollono, city secretary of the National Fascist Party, who probably contributed to the association's name change, from Circolo Nautico Stabia to Fascio Nautico Stabia, which took place on 30th April 1927.
Dr. Vincenzo Imparato senior states that 'years of flattening of social activism followed, if one can say so,' although they were enlivened by three events that once again distinguished the Nautical Club.
The first was the visit, some time between 1921 and 1935, of King George V of England, who disembarked at the Club's landing stage and was received by the English vice-consul, a member of Stabia, Engineer Ettore Sacco Albanese, visited the premises, received the festive homage of the members and then went on to Pompeii.
This was followed on 17th May 1927 by the visit of Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy.
From a file I tracked down in the Municipality's Historical Archives, it was possible to reconstruct this event in detail.
From an order of service issued by the Commissariato di P.S. (police commissioner's office) we learn that on 17th May, Tuesday, at 4.30 p.m. there will be a visit 'of HM the KING of Italy to Pompeii (excavations) from the C.T. Confienza at the quay facing the Fascio Nautico Stabia and return to Castellammare leaving from the headquarters of the aforesaid Fascio Nautico on the same destroyer.
This is the programme: "4.30 p.m. Arrival in Castellammare and disembarkation of HM the King of Italy, who will be received on the quay facing the headquarters of the Fascio Nautico Stabiese by the Podestà, the Captain of the Shipyard, the Praetor, the Bishop, etc." etc. "Only members and the Press will be admitted to the two lateral enclosures of the sea-side headquarters of the Circolo Nautico. In the Hall, on the left, members' families, on the right Officers and other authorities, behind a special rope, so as to leave the passage free. In the courtyard (garden) on the left War Orphans and Balilla, on the right Little Italians, ex-combatants and amputees, also behind a rope. Having passed through the Club, S.M. will leave by car for Pompei", crossing Via Mazzini, Piazza Principe Umberto, Corso Garibaldi, Traversa Ferrovia, Piazza Ferrovia, Via Napoli, Piazza Principe di Napoli, Via Cimitero, Chiesa Postiglione, heading for Torre Centrale Pompei.
This is the invitation received from the members of the Club:
Dear member partner,
Next Tuesday at 4 p.m. HM the King will disembark at the Circolo Nautico to go to Pompei.
His Excellency, if you wish, will be able to assist to such landing, being in the halls of the Club not later than 3.30 p.m., when the ropes will close.
Since the halls of the Club will also host civil and military Authorities, you are kindly requested to attend with your family, excluding acquaintances and children.
With deepest respect.
The President
Lawyer Giuseppe Cozzolino
You will certainly not have missed that President Cozzolino, when addressing members, uses the expression Circolo Nautico and not Fascio Nautico.
I leave the conclusions to the careful reader.
From the file from which we are drawing we also learn the composition at the time of the Board of Directors just six years after the foundation of the Club.
President: Mr Giuseppe Cozzolino
Vice-Presidents: cav. Giuseppe Mannara and cav. Giovanni Vollono
Councillors: Cav. Francesco Buonocore,
Consul MVSN Maresca,
Senor Gaetano D'Auria,
cav. Ettore Ovazza.
Finally, here is the list of Founding Members from 1921, taken from an official document of the time, sent to the Police Authority at that time.
dott. com. Francesco MONTI, cav. Giovanni NASTI, dr. Paolo DE FUSCO,
cav. Ettore OVAZZA, Raffaele STRIANO, cav. Giovanni VOLLONO,
Rag. Gaetano D'AURIA, Consul MARESCA, com. Gioacchino ROSA ROSA,
prof. Ugo SAFFIOTTI, lawyer Pietro ANGRISANO, eng. Alfonso MOSCA,
Joshua GAMBARDELLA, com. Giovanni SIGNORINI, com. Giosuè RAVONE,
lawyer Giuseppe COZZOLINO, notary Giuseppe FIENGA, cav. Giuseppe MANNARA,
cav. Francesco Paolo RUOCCO, cav. Francesco SALVATI, cav. Francesco BUONOCORE,
lawyer Luigi CANNAVALE, comm. Luigi DEL GAIZO, Gr. Uff. Carlo ENRIETTI.
Fifty-eight Ordinary Members followed.
The third event of a certain importance for the Club was the Rome-Tripoli raid, of Captain Vincenzo Sorrentino, rower and Gialloblù coach, reported by the entire national press and filmed by the Istituto Nazionale Luce.
At 11.45 a.m. on 2nd June 1930, at the helm of the single boat built in Livorno's Cantieri Ezio Carlesi, christened 'Stabia' for the occasion and with the motto 'Post fata resurgo', he set off from the landing stage on the Tiber at the Circolo Canottieri 'Aniene' in Rome to reach Tripoli.
It was launched in the presence of General Giorgio Vaccaro, president of the Aniene, and christened by Adelaide Ausiello, wife of the Castellmmare mayor.
She bore the pennant of the Circolo Nautico Stabia, and when she reached the waters of Castellammare she was escorted almost all the way to Sorrento by the Stabia's Otto Jole.
The feat aroused considerable admiration and helped make the name of the Circolo Nautico Stabia known nationally.
Capt. Vincenzo Sorrentino was awarded a large gold medal of the special federal coinage and diploma of the Royal Italian Rowing Federation by its president Admiral Luigi di Simbuy, who stated "we have informed the Partenopean Sectional Committee of this R.F.I.C. and the Fascio Nautico Stabia of this award".
Cav. Giovanni Vollono was followed as president of the Club by Consul Vincenzo Spinosa and again in 1936 by Giuseppe Cozzolino.
The latter gave a considerable boost to rowing sport, so much so that he set up a Rowing School: ' ... The main aim of this school is to extend the sport of rowing to all young people in Stabia who meet the physical and moral requirements'.
Memorable were, according to the town chronicles, the two days of rowing and sailing regattas organised by President Cozzolino on 29-30 August 1936 and 4-5 September the following year. For rowing there were 2 con, 4 con and 8 jole races, in which, in addition to Stabia, the Neapolitan clubs R.C.C. Italia, R.C. Canottieri Savoia, R.C. Canottieri Napoli, Circolo Nautico Giovinezza.
But alas, politics, as usual, loomed large.
In fact, the 'higher authorities' imposed, with an act of 20th July 1936, the modification of the 1921 Articles of Association, inserting in the 3rd paragraph of art. 38: 'The office of President shall be designated by the High Hierarchies of the National Fascist Party upon proposal of the Italian Rowing Federation, while the other offices, including the two Vice-Presidents, shall be designated by the President.
In fact, on 13th September 1938, Mr Cozzolino, the last president elected by the members, was forced to hand over to Dr Manlio Fusco, in 'compliance with Article 642 of the Disposition Sheet No. 52 of the National Fascist Party'.
And it is significant that Cozzolino was not present at the handover, but had himself represented by vice-president T.Col. Ing. Gian Guido Bordoli.
With a subsequent amendment to the articles of association, president Manlio Fusco also purged the nucleus of the founding members of 1921, with the following provision: 'Only members of the National Fascist Party can belong to the category of founders', with good peace for the Club's autonomy.
Fusco, however, had the merit of obtaining part of municipal land from the municipality for the construction of a Pallacorda court, as they used to say in times of linguistic autarchy. Today we would say a tennis court, which was built in 1939.
The last president, before the destruction of 1943, was Engineer Ferdinando Scioli.
But 'the war,' Dr. Imparato recalls, 'with its mourning and tragedies, did not exempt the Nautico from maintaining efficient life, as it had done until the declaration of hostilities on 10 June 1940.
Social and sporting activities were halted and brought to a standstill due to calls to arms, the emigration of most of the members to safer places, not targets of air raids, the fear that even Castellammare was a mirage of terrible bombardments. There were very few of us left, very many, to find ourselves in the Club in the evenings to be forgotten, for a few hours, of the daily stresses we suffered".
Then, following the well-known events of the war, since 8th May 1942 the Club had been occupied by the 426th Coastal Battalion for service needs and, after 8th September 1943, it was occupied by homeless people. Until 30th September 1943 it was finally requisitioned by the occupying British army 'for immediate use in the military service', by decree No. 1215/i.
But if this marked the end of social activities, sporting activities, in particular rowing, continued; not just because of the high regard in which this sport -rowing- was held by the British authorities.
In fact, as early as 26th August 1944, the allied command had authorised rowers to train in the stretch of water between Castellammare and Torre Annunziata with the two existing jolos, "they can come and go as they please, but care must be taken not to approach the ships anchored in the bay" and "during the hours of daylight."
Once the Allied occupation ended, on 14th June 1945 the Club was handed over to Cav. Raffaele Perna, the town's mayor, who returned it to the few remaining members.
"Vincenzo Imparato goes on to say: "The social community, which at that time consisted of no more than twenty or so people who had remained in Castellammare for professional reasons or office commitments, was given back a dilapidated ruin, filthy, stinking of fuel oil and, moreover, even more disfigured by the barbaric raids of September '43.
At the meeting organised in December 1945, 'to reach a decision on whether to re-found the Nautical Club or return to the State the area occupied by the chalet up to that date', were present
Rag. Ferdinando SCIOLI, lawyer Pietro ANGRISANO,
prof. Catello SORRENTINO, rag. Ettore OVAZZA,
Baron Flavio GIRACE, Amedeo SENIGALLIESI,
Paolo SCOGNAMIGLIO, Dr. Vincenzo IMPARATO,
Mario VANACORE, cav. Luigi DEL GAUDIO,
cav. Francesco INGENITO, magg. Raffaele D'AURIA,
Rag. Vincenzo SANTORO, cav. Francesco BUONOCORE,
Rag. Manfredi ABENANTE, Filiberto MIRRA,
Rag. Ottavio MANNARA, Rag. Giuseppe BUONOCORE,
Mario SPAGNUOLO, cav. Francesco D'APUZZO.
This is the chronicle of the meeting: 'In the squalor of that small room (the former presidency), seated on empty boxes and on their feet, the very brief conciliation took place on taking or leaving a seat as the only item on the agenda. There was no hesitation in the commitment to resurrect the Nautico and restore decorum and representativeness in the role of official relations, qualifications that had distinguished it since 1921. We quoted ourselves a contribution of thirty thousand unimpaired liras at the time, and it was to Mr Mario Vanacore's credit that he collected adhesions in favour of the reorganisation of the headquarters from as many other members as returned to the city".
In fact, those present at the first meeting, assembled in General Assembly, had no doubts. Giuseppe Fienga of 13th January 1946, elected the new Board of Directors, whose members were as follows:
President: lawyer Pietro Angrisano
Vice President: Rag. Ferdinando Scioli,
Councillors: cav. Luigi Del Gaudio,
prof. Catello Sorrentino
Cav. Francesco Ingenito,
Secretary: Mario Vanacore.
Further additions and changes were then made by the General Meetings of Members on 9th June 1946, 2nd and 26th March 1947 and 9th November 1947.
At the assembly of 2nd March 1947, Dr Catello Sorrentino was elected as president, who gave new impetus to rowing, entrusting its technical direction to coach Gigino Di Capua, who had already rowed with Renato Schettino, Enzo D'Avino and Gigino Aracri in the pre-war years.
The result of this work was the thrilling victory in the national regatta in Syracuse on 21st August 1949 in the 4 jole rookies, made up of Cacace, M. Marolda, G. Marolda, Siano, Tim. Perna.
Immediately afterwards the technical direction passed on to Russo of C.N. Posillipo who set up a 4+ composed of Salvatore Lusciano, Mario Ildenni, Fulvio Lopez, Antonio Cesarano, tim. Salvatore Perna.
In 1951, President Michele Rossano entrusted the coaching position to Giuseppe Tassan.
The presence of this coach gave new boost to our sport, fuelled by the not-to-be-forgotten seniors of the time: Renato Schettino, Leonardo Pagano, Elio Spina, Andrea La Puca, Enzo Troiano, Gildo Petaccia, Mario Siano, Enzo Cuomo, Peppe Gaeta, Valentino Vecchione, Aniello Pappalardo, Nicola Cacace, Renato Rocco, Enzo Cannavale, Pierino Cascone, the Marolda brothers, Silvano Cannavacciuolo, Salvatore Perna (tim. ) and, later, by young Pasquale Gaeta, Antonio De Rosa, Bruno De Stefano, Giorgio Criscuolo, Renato Pappalardo, Enzo Sammarco, Pino Menetti and many others whose names we no longer remember.
Tassan immediately set up two quatro jole. The first was made up of Nicola Cacace, Mario Siano, Renato Rocco, Pino Menetto with the helmsman Salvatore Perna, known as the president; the second by Enzo Cuomo, Calvanico, Valentino Vecchione and Tavarelli. And already in May 1951, at the opening regattas in Naples, the first boat came second behind Ilva.
After Tassan's departure in 1954 and the brief experience with coach Lovati, in 1956 president Guglielmo Vanacore first entrusted responsibility for training to Enzo Cuomo and then to Marra of the Circolo Nautico Posillipo.
Enzo Cuomo carried out the first revolution for Stabia by setting up a women's crew consisting of Iolanda Pappalardo, Rita Sorrentino, Wanda Aracri and, at the beginning, Enzo Cuomo himself, who were joined, over time, by Carmen Ingenito, Marra Vanna Cardone and Maria Vanacore, who took part in the 1958 Sorrendo Sea Championships, finishing second.
In those same years, the first 4 outrigger was purchased, christened 'Aida' in honour of Mrs Aida Scarselli, President Vanacore's wife.
Those were the years when Castellammare was still living its season as an established tourist resort.
Two bathing establishments, La Limpida and Il Moderno, built in wood in the late Art Nouveau style, overlooked its seafront in summer. In the morning there was a sea bath and in the evening a grand ball with the election of various misses.
The Royal Palace of Quisisana, the ancient residence of the Angevin and Bourbon kings, transformed since the end of the 19th century into an elegant hotel, Royal Palace Hotel Quisisana, in the evenings welcome the young Stabia lions into its park to hunt for foreign teenagers.
In this atmosphere, Circolo Nautico Stabia also played its part.
Having always been part of the city's cultural and social circuit, admission to the Nautical Club was for many the official recognition of belonging to the Stabia middle class.
For this reason, the parties organised there received the honours of the 'Roma' and 'Mattino'.
Even the christening of a new boat was considered a civic event with a bishop and civil and military authorities.
Among the many personalities who succeeded one another in its halls, who does not remember the Marquis D'Auria Filangieri and his impeccable, almost didactic, kissing: a true master. The artist and good-tempered painter D'Angelo claimed that the marquis, to keep himself in practice, hid a wooden hand in his house that he regularly kissed for at least three hours a day.
Ugo Iorio, a chess master, said that when he lost to Dr. Maresca, known as the lion, he had to suffer, from the bystanders, a sort of Greek chorus borrowed from Gerusalemme Liberata (it seems to us): Ed ei del colpo non accorto, andava combattendo ed è morto. To general hilarity, even of the defeated man himself.
Mario Spagnuolo and his fishing campaigns with Count Cesare Coppola. According to the malignant, they never fished anything, but the fish they exhibited had been bought from some fisherman. Sometimes Spagnuolo would fall asleep in front of the television set and regularly be tied to the chair by Marquis Bruno Cardone and Baron Aldo Celoro, with general uproar as soon as he woke up.
Who does not remember the dance parties, always wearing a jacket and tie, even in the middle of August, and there we young people always protested in vain. When dancing, the dance floor was surrounded, almost besieged, by all the ladies who, with lorns and spectacles, supervised the correctness of the dancing.
But with rowing it began to get serious in 1958 with the appointment of Arturo Cascone, a Stabia rower, as coach and the presidency of Giovanni Greco.
This president, a true sportsman and gentleman figure who has linked his name to one of the best periods in the history of the club, was able, despite the financial straits of the time, to dedicate himself both to sport and to the decorum of the clubhouse.
In fact, with only two crews he managed during 1958 and even more so in 1959 to win prestigious trophies.
In 1958 the Stabiesi rowers won the Coppa Città di Marsala (City of Marsala Cup) and in 1959, with just eight athletes, on 25 April the Pinto Cup and the Pattison Cup, and on 24 May the Michele Conforti Cup and the Targa Bruno Sorich, with Michele D'Agostino, Vincenzo (Gegè) Amura, Nicola Cuomo, Del Gaudio, Nunzio Martone, Francesco Cesarano, Francesco Balzano, Salvatore Guarino, Nicola Del Gaudio, Tim. Ravallese.
And finally, at the Italian Championships in La Spezia on 8-9 August 1959, the 4-pointer with cadets won the club its first Italian title, with Francesco Cesarano, Gegè Amura, Nicola Cuomo, Salvatore Guarino, tim. Matteo Ravallese.
In April 1958 there was an event that was to have a decisive impact on the sporting history of Stabia, the start of rowing activity by an unknown 18-year-old from Pompeii, a student at the Liceo Classico "Plinio Seniore" in Castellammare: Giuseppe La Mura.
But in November 1959 Arturo Cascone, for work reasons, was forced to leave the technical direction of Stabia to go to Posillipo and the task was entrusted to Matteo Ravallese, a young helmsman taken by Cascone from the Navy.
After some successes, such as a third place at the national regattas in Padua, a sixth place at an international race at the Idroscalo in Milan and a few results in the 2 jole of La Mura and Vicinanza, the lack of financial means led to a decline in participation in regattas. So much so that some athletes, including La Mura, will be forced to join Circolo Nautico Posillipo to continue rowing at a higher level.
But, despite the limited means, the torch jept burning, and was even picked up by seniors Ciccio Cesarano, Francesco Balsamo, Salvatore Guarino, Nunzio Martone, Antonio Buccarelli (tim.), Nello Lambiase (tim.) and youngsters Nicola Lombardi and Gaetano Nastro who, together with Vincenzo Paragallo, Peppe Corcione, Vittorio Donnarumma, Domenico Parmigiano (tim.), Michele Murolo, and Michele Murolo, were able to give a great contribution to the success of the team. ) and by the young Nicola Lombardi and Gaetano Nastro who, together with Vincenzo Paragallo, Peppe Corcione, Vittorio Donnarumma, Domenico Parmigiano (tim.), Michele Murolo, Paolo Angrisano, Franco Milano, Luigi Martoriello, Catello Spagnuolo, and Nando Montagnano, would take rowing forward in the Club.
In 1963 there were some honourable placings in inter-zonal regattas in Naples, with second place in the Coppa Pepe of the 4+ (Gaetano Nastro, Peppe Corcione, Paragallo, Salvatore Silvestri, tim. Matteo Ravallese) and the following year the second place of the 4+ (Milano, Di Maio, Montagnaro, Murolo, Tim. Matteo Ravallese). In 1964 the 4+ (Gaetano Nastro, Peppe Corcione, Vincenzo Paragallo, Salvatore Silvestri, tim. Matteo Ravallese) in the Coppa Maione and in the 2+ with Nastro, Paragallo, tim. Ravallese.
Then the dark years arrived. In 1964 Ravallese left Castellammare and until 1966 there were only a few sporadic participations in the Naples Zonal.
Arturo Cascone returned, recalled by President Pio Angrisano, who decided to give a new boost to the sport of rowing. But after just a year, Cascone received better offers from Esperia of Turin and the technical direction was entrusted to Calì who, between 1968 and 1970, renewed the pool of athletes with many youngsters, achieving excellent results in the international field too, with third place in the 2+ at the European Championships jun in Berlin in July 1970 and at the Pentagonal of Castelgandolfo in August of the same year where, for the first time, a crew from our club wore the blue jersey, with Antonio Schettino, Andrea Coppola, helm Maurizio Zingone.
The following year, the direction of training was entrusted to athlete Bruno Zincone, who in 1971 would be joined by Peppe La Mura.
In that year, on 25th February, the first recognition from CONI arrived, with the awarding of the Silver Star for Sporting Merit to our club's flag, 'in recognition of those clubs that have done well in the cause of sport, for so many years served and honoured'.
In 1972, only La Mura was in charge of rowing and the first results arrived: the Two Jole Seniors, consisting of Errico La Mura, Andrea Coppola, coxswain Peppiniello Di Capua, was second at the Italian championships in Bari, while two other crews, the Two Without (2-) Seniors (Alfredo Acanfora, Antonio La Padula) and the Two With (2+) Seniors (Errico La Mura, Andrea Coppola, coxswain Peppiniello Di Capua) were fourth at the Campionships in Bari. Di Capua) were fourth at the Italian Championships at Lago Patria.
This was followed by years of great commitment and immense sacrifice for the athletes, which were rewarded by multiple placings of honour at national level.
In 1973, under the chairmanship of Giovanni Uberti, two second places at the Italian Championships in Mantua with the 2+ sen (Antonio La Padula and Carmine la Mura) and the 2+ sen (Errico La Mura, Andrea Coppola, helm Peppeniello Di Capua); in the following year another second place with the 2+ jun. (Sabino De Simone, Gerardo Trattelli, tim. Tullio Cinella) at the Italian Championships in Lago Patria.
In the same year, on 7th September 1974, Peppe Abbagnale entered the Circolo's door for the first time, followed by his brothers Carmine in 1977 and Agostino in 1981.
The time was ripe and on 27th April 1975, President Giovanni Greco, Antonio Dell'Aquila won the Italian title in Chiusi in the Canoe race, sixteen years after the first title won by the Club.
From 1975 to 1995, uninterruptedly for twenty years, the rowers of the Circolo Nautico Stabia won as many as 56 Italian titles, with an average of about three titles per year, projecting the Circolo Nautico Stabia to the top of national rowing.
But that was not enough.
Soon came the first success in the international field.
In fact, at the World Jun Championships in Villach in 1976, a ninth place in the 2+ with the very young Giuseppe Abbagnale and Mario Bandino, helm Di Capua; while the following year, Franco Scarselli, the federal 8+, with Giuseppe Abbagnale, was eighth at the World Jun Championships in Edinburgh.
In 1979, after a seventh place by Carmine Abbagnale in the federal 8+ at the World Jun Championships in Moscow, the seventh place won in the 2+ at the World Championships in Bled by Giuseppe Abbagnale, Antonio Dell'Aquila, tim. Giuseppe Di apua.
In 1980, Circolo Nautico Stabia's 2+ represented Italy at the Moscow Olympics, winning the prestigious small final. That same year, however, Antonio Dell'Aquila left rowing, replaced by 19-year-old Carmine Abbagnale, Giuseppe's younger brotr.
It was the turning point.
But it was 1980 that saw for the first time an athlete from our club as world champion.
We are talking about Ciccio Esposito, the greatest Stabia athlete of all times, who at the World Lightweight Championships in Hazewinkel, in the federal double with Ruggiero Verroca (Circolo Barion), will win the first of his nine world titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994), not counting seven victories in Lucerne (1981, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994), six gold medals at the French Internationals (1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992), five P. D'Aloja Memorial, 13 Italian Champion titles and the first Italian athlete to be awarded the Keller Prize, FISA's international award (1996).
Also in 1980, on 17th August, Carmine Abbagnale, paired with Maurizio Cimmino, tim. Aniello Greco, was fourth at the World Jun Championships in Hazewinkel in the 2+.
The following year, 1981, the epic of the Abbagnale brothers and helmsman Peppiniello Di Capua began, with victory at the World Championships in Munich, which would lead to seven world titles (1981, 1982 Lucerne, 1985 Hazewinkel, 1987 Copenhagen, 1989 Bled, 1990 Tasmania, 1991 Vienna), two Olympic laurels (Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988), five gold medals at the Great Regatta in Moscow (1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988), the Mediterranean Games (Athens 1991), four French Internationals (1979, 1984, 1985, 1993), 29 Italian Champion titles for Giuseppe, 23 for Carmine, 28 for Di Capua.
But our prestigious 2+, in addition to countless victories in international regattas, holds another enviable record, that of having won the Internationale Ruderregatta Rotsee-Luzern three times in a row in Lucerne (1983, 1984, 1985), securing a trophy (in the shape of a table clock) that no one had managed to take home before.
Just for curiosity's sake, we should mention that our prestigious 2+ also won one in 2-at the 1990 Vienna Internationals.
I would not like, at this point, to forget the gold medal won by Agostino Abbagnale, another Circolo Nautico Stabia athlete, in the 4 pair (4x) at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 10 Italian titles won with Stabia.
For all this activity and the contribution made to national rowing, on 13th April 1984 (prt. no. 777) Circolo Nautico Stabia was awarded CONI's highest honour, the Stella d'Oro al Merito Sportivo (Gold Star for Sporting Merit).
Here we would like to remember the names of all the other athletes who, with their sacrifices, their renunciations, their love for a sport that does not give financial rewards but only moral ones, have contributed so much to keep up the name of our Club and our City high. Let us not forget the managers, coaches and all the members who, even at the cost of considerable sacrifices, even in difficult times, have not failed to give their moral and financial support to so many enterprises.
Let's start with Italian champions Ferdinando Formisano (1976), Domenico Aiello (1976 and 1977)), Gennaro Cavaliere (1978 and 1981), Alfonso Shiano (1979 and 1981), Sergio Buonomo, tim. (1979), Aniello Greco, tim. (1980, 1982 and 1984), Maurizio Cimmino (1980 and 1981), Benedetto Nastro (1982 and 1983), Vincenzo Verde (1982 and 1983), Massimo Paradiso (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988), La Mura Carmine Robert (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988), Nastro Salvatore (1984), Aniello Zeccato (1985), Orazio Milano (1985 and 1988), Agostino Abbagnale (1986, 1987 and 1988), Luca Martorano 1987), Francesco Scote (1987), Stefano Bezzeccheri (1987 and 1993), Vincenzo Santaniello (1987 and 1993), Antonello D'Apice tim. (1987), Gioacchino Cascone (1990, 1991 and 1993), Alessandro Izzo (1990, 1991 and 1993), Antonio Cirillo tim. (1990, 1991 and 1993), Antonio Vescovo (1991 and 1993), Salvatore Amitrano (1992 and 1994), Antonio Albano (1992 and 1993), Luca Di Martino (1993), Catello Amarante (1994), Giovanni Di Stefano (1994).
Among the managers of the last glorious twenty years, we cannot fail to mention president Pasquale Gaeta, who believed in La Mura and followed him in everything, in competitions, in training and, why not, even in protests.
Many of us still remember the fiery Social Assemblies with La Mura and Gaeta against everyone.
The aggressive Geppino Cesarano, a rowing councillor, as impetuous as he was passionate about a sport he had never played. Of him we remember the flowery language, sometimes even robust, but always in defence of the athletes.
Count Marino Coppola, a gentleman from another era, a task, elegant, brilliant team leader.
Ciccio Landolfi, who in his maturity came to the club, becoming its careful and balanced treasurer. We still remember the love and affection with which he used to welcome the very young, new, aspiring rowers to the secretary's office, magnifying the achievements of the veterans. I do not think I am revea Alfonso Condoleo, who, after experiencing the sport of sailing first-hand, came to the Nautico and became its passionate manager.
The Cav. dello Sport Michele Illiano, who put all his sporting experience gained in Swimming at the service of the Club.
The secretary Annamaria, daughter of the helmsman Salvatore Perna, an attentive and valuable collaborator. Coach Giuseppe La Mura, the true architect of the rowing revolution, the inventor of Italian rowing, which propelled our rowing to unprecedented levels.
His collaborators, Vincenzo Cavallaro for years a scrupulous and attentive club doctor, Antonio Venditti and Antonio La Padula, the latter continuing the work undertaken by La Mura in Stabia.
Let us also remember the leaders of the latest generation, even though they can be said to have been born in the club, presidents Pippo D'Angelo and Antonio Cascone, the continuers of a tradition of style and sport, the true characteristics of the Stabia Nautical Club.
An institution that, in seventy-five years of life, through countless vicissitudes, has played and continues to play the role that is proper to it, that of bringing young people closer to sport, to true sport, a pure sport that educates to life, to sacrifice, to sufferings and achievements.
© Giuseppe D'Angelo
