The History

The history and tradition of our Club stand as a remarkable testimony to the inseparable and captivating bond existing between the city of Rome and its river.

In 1892, the Circolo Canottieri Aniene was founded by Alessandro Morani and the Fasoli brothers. The historic crew of the first ‘yole’ (a four-place rowboat), known as ‘Rugantino’, collected their first prestigious laurels, rapidly raising the profile of the Circolo Canottieri Aniene in Rome and throughout Italy.

In rowing, the unforgettable successes of the 1930s and 1940s achieved by athletes such as Antonio Ghiardello, Giliante D’Este, Francesco Cossu and Antonio Provenzani, who clinched medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932, along with Romolo Catasta, bronze medallist at the London Olympics in 1948, were followed by a sustained period of success.

Aniene’s multiple wins at international level, under the unparalleled leadership of Ghiardello, marked a veritable competitive explosion. Towards the 1950s, the club made a decisive choice towards its future, laying the foundations for the construction of the large complex that to this day constitutes our headquarters.

With the new course undertaken by the Circolo Canottieri Aniene with its move to Acqua Acetosa, further disciplines were added to rowing, which nevertheless remains the pride of our club. Indeed, over the years, tennis, five-a-side football, canoeing and swimming have also been introduced, sports in which we have become the leading Italian club in both men’s and women’s fields and consequently the winners of the national team championship.

The Circolo Canottieri Aniene, aware of the role that sport plays in the growth and development of young people, is increasingly aimed at disseminating precisely this, training young people to be the athletes of tomorrow, but above all transmitting our passion for the sport.

Precisely in virtue of and as an acknowledgement to this constant commitment, on 23 January 2002, the Prime Minister, at CONI’s proposal, awarded the Circolo Canottieri Aniene with the Collare d’Oro, our country’s highest honour in the sports field, becoming the first and only sports club to obtain this recognition.

So much water has passed under the bridges of the River Tiber since the four founders in a bohemian atmosphere gave life to our association, but the spirit that animates it remains unchanged and, thanks to this the Circolo Canottieri Aniene has renewed its bond with the city of Rome, with its sports disciplines, above all rowing and swimming.

The Circolo Canottieri Aniene has now become a social and sporting reality of absolute value in both the Italian and international arena thanks to the passionate activity of its members, management, technicians and athletes.

Confirming that it always remains faithful to the motto ‘sportsmanship, cordiality and spirit of tradition’ that inspired its founders in 1892, the Circolo Canottieri Aniene today, like then, seizes every opportunity that embodies the harmony between sports and solidarity, actively engaging its compassionate and ever-present members in these remarkable events, destined to enter into the memories of those who proudly represent its social body.