Swimming in History

In Bologna, my hometown, there is one of most iconic, historical swimming pools in the world. The Littoriale was built in 1927 during Italian Fascism, next to the football stadium. It’s a stunning 50 meters pool surrounded by a white grandstand, consistent with the monumentalist style of that time. With its 30 meters width it was one of the largest in Italy.

Here is a rare flyer from 1934

On 2 September 1927 the pool entered the history of water sports, hosting the second edition ever of the Swimming European Championships. That day, the Swedish swimmer Arne Borg set the world record in the 1500 meters with 19'07.

Later, the pool was named after Carmen Longo, who was a swimmer from Bologna of the Italian swimming team. She had died along with her teammates in the Bremen air tragedy.

The pool underwent a first major renovation in 1990, for the FIFA World Cup. Between 2003 to 2016 it was closed to the public to allow the construction of the current roof.

The swimming pool has been the scene of important local and international events, including the Finswimming World Championships in 1980.

The Olympic-size swimming pool "Carmen Longo" in Bologna, Italy, near to Dall'Ara Stadium

Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:Piscina olimpica Bologna.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Piscina_olimpica_Bologna.jpg&oldid=240745705