The Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) is deploying its top Olympic medalists and emerging talent to Rome's Foro Italico this weekend for the 62nd edition of the Settecolli Trophy, a three-day international meet that will serve as the final major test before August's European Championships in Paris. With 700 athletes from 36 nations converging on the capital from Friday to Sunday, the event offers Italy-based swimming fans a rare chance to see world-class competition—and assess whether the azzurri can replicate their stunning six-medal haul from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Why This Matters:
• Final tune-up: The Settecolli marks the last competitive outing before the European Championships (July 31–August 16) in Paris, where Italian swimmers will face continental rivals in both pool and open water.
• Star power at the Foro Italico: Olympic champions Thomas Ceccon and Nicolò Martinenghi headline a roster that includes Gregorio Paltrinieri, Simona Quadarella, Benedetta Pilato, and rising stars Sara Curtis and Carlos D'Ambrosio.
• Seine concerns persist: Open-water events scheduled for the Seine River (August 4–8) remain clouded by water-quality worries, with athletes demanding a backup venue.
Rome as the Continental Stage
More than just a dress rehearsal, the Settecolli brings together Olympic and world champions who are calibrating their form ahead of the LA 2028 cycle. Sweden's Sarah Sjöström, Great Britain's Adam Peaty, Romania's David Popovici, Switzerland's Noè Ponti, Ireland's Daniel Wiffen, and Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov are among the global headliners expected to race under the floodlights at the Stadio del Nuoto. The Netherlands' Marrit Steenbergen and Hong Kong's Siobhán Haughey round out a field that reads like a who's-who of world swimming.
For Italy-based spectators, the meet offers immediate proximity to elite sport without international travel. Tickets remain available for all sessions, and Rai Sport will broadcast evening finals live, with streaming on RaiPlay for heats and finals throughout the weekend. The Foro Italico complex—already hosting back-to-back sold-out concerts by Tiziano Ferro this week—reinforces its status as a year-round sports and entertainment hub in the heart of the capital.
"It confirms itself as a unique site in the world," said Marco Mezzaroma, president of Sport e Salute, the government body that manages the venue. "This weekend, beyond swimming, we'll have two sold-out concerts, demonstrating how it's a pulsating heart 365 days a year."
Italian Squad: Mix of Champions and Next-Gen Talent
FIN president Paolo Barelli described the Settecolli as "very high-level" preparation for the European meet. "The hope is that from Settecolli, the preparation of our athletes begins for the year's key appointment: the European Swimming Championships in Paris," he said Tuesday. "There's great international participation, with athletes looking toward the Los Angeles Olympics, just like ours."
The Italian contingent blends proven medalists with youth. Thomas Ceccon, the Olympic 100m backstroke gold medalist, is openly experimenting with the 200m backstroke in anticipation of LA 2028. "It's been a year since I felt good in the water, but I'm curious to see my condition," Ceccon admitted. "Then whatever comes, comes. The objective is Paris—expect me there."
His candor reflects a broader reality: many Italian swimmers are mid-cycle in their training blocks, balancing fatigue from altitude camps with the need to simulate race conditions. Nicolò Martinenghi, who claimed 100m breaststroke gold in Paris 2024, will race the same event in Rome, while Gregorio Paltrinieri—silver in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m at the Olympics—will focus on pool events rather than open water.
Paltrinieri remains vocal about the Seine's persistent water-quality issues. "They say that in August it will be a different stretch compared to two years ago, with cleaner and stiller water. Let's hope so, but we also want a Plan B," he said. During the 2024 Olympics, the marathon swimmer struggled in the river's murky currents, and recent testing confirms the Seine remains vulnerable to runoff after heavy rain. Elevated levels of Escherichia coli have repeatedly forced organizers to postpone or relocate test events, including a July 2025 European Cup meet that was moved from the Quai de Grenelle to the Bassin de la Villette.
Women's stars Simona Quadarella (800m and 1500m freestyle) and Benedetta Pilato (100m breaststroke) will also be on display, alongside Sara Curtis and Carlos D'Ambrosio, two teenagers who have already secured European Championship berths after strong performances at the April national championships in Riccione.
What This Means for Residents
For swimming enthusiasts in Italy, the Settecolli provides a low-cost, high-impact viewing opportunity. General admission to the Foro Italico starts at €10 for daytime heats and climbs to €25–€40 for evening finals, a fraction of what international championship tickets cost. The meet also serves as a scouting window: fans can gauge whether Italy's Olympic momentum is sustainable or whether fatigue and form dips threaten the medal count in Paris.
From a broader sports-policy angle, the event underscores Italy's ambition to remain a competitive force in aquatic disciplines. Minister of Sport Andrea Abodi emphasized the swimming community's "marvelous" cohesion and capacity to "improve further," while CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio struck a harder tone: "We cannot afford to be extras. We are condemned to win."
That pressure is not abstract. Italy's six swimming medals in Paris 2024—golds from Ceccon (100m backstroke) and Martinenghi (100m breaststroke), silver from Paltrinieri (800m freestyle), bronze from the men's 4×100m freestyle relay (Miressi, Ceccon, Conte Bonin, Frigo), bronze from Paltrinieri in the 1500m freestyle, and bronze from Ginevra Taddeucci in open water—marked the strongest Olympic showing in the sport's history for the country. Repeating that success at the European Championships, even on familiar Parisian ground, will require athletes to peak precisely during a compressed summer calendar.
Paris Europeans: What to Expect
The European Aquatics Championships will unfold across multiple venues from July 31 to August 16, with pool swimming taking place August 10–16 at the Saint-Denis facility that hosted the 2024 Olympic swimming events. Italy's team selection hinges on performances at the Riccione Nationals (April 14–18) and the Settecolli (June 26–28), with athletes needing to hit time standards or finish in the top two nationally in their event.
The open-water program remains the wildcard. Scheduled for the Seine from August 4 to 8, the races will test not only endurance but also athletes' willingness to compete in water that, despite €1.5 B in infrastructure upgrades, fluctuates between marginal and hazardous depending on rainfall. A backup plan involving the rowing basin used during the 2024 Olympics exists, but organizers have yet to publicly commit to water-quality thresholds that would trigger a venue change.
Looking Ahead to LA 2028
Several Italian swimmers, Ceccon chief among them, are already recalibrating for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics (July 22–30, 2028). The Games will introduce six new 50m events—backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly for both men and women—with qualification slots determined via the 2027 World Cup circuit. Italy's national team structure, overseen by technical director Cesare Butini, emphasizes converting fourth-place finishes into podium results and developing a pipeline of young talent capable of sustaining success across multiple Olympic cycles.
Before any of that, however, the immediate task is simple: deliver in Paris. The Settecolli will reveal whether Italy's swimmers are on track or need urgent adjustments before the European Championships begin in five weeks.
Friday's opening session at the Foro Italico kicks off at 09:00, with evening finals scheduled for 18:00. On Thursday, the Italian delegation will receive a traditional blessing before major international competition. Whether that spiritual lift translates into medals in the Seine and the Saint-Denis pool will be clear by mid-August.
