Baiadigrotta and Tricenter are organizing Nino Fazio’s solo attempt to swim from Vulcano (Aeolian Islands) to Milazzo (Sicily) on July 7th. The 23 km course is expected to take Nino around 8 hours.

The Vulcano-Milazzo solo swim is one of the classics of open water swims in Italy. It was completed for the first time in 1975 by Michele Rossetti with fins and a wetsuit in 7 hours 30 minutes 48 seconds. The second crossing was completed in 1979 by The Shark Of the Straits Nino Musciumarra (with fins) in 8 hours 31 minutes 7 seconds.

Three swimmers have completed the swim without fins: Gianni Golini (1978) in 6 hours 25 minutes 51 seconds, the former Italian National Team Pippo Nicosia (1986) in 5 hours 27 minutes 7 seconds, and Cristina Scotto (2007) in 9 hours 56 minutes 27. The historical results are posted here.

The 50-year-old Nino from Messina, Sicily, has swum three shorter routes from the Aeolian Islands to Sicily: 21K Vulcano – Capo Calavà (1987) in 6:27:23, in 2005 in 5:55:56 and in 2006 in 5:35:05. He will be escorted by Giovanni Arena, one of the most respected pilots in the Sicilian seas.

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