Women, young people, and veteran long-distance runners with white hair: three generations united by a common finish line. Once again this year, the Phlegraean Fields road race welcomed more than 120 participants. Once again, the course wound its way around the twin basins of Lakes Lucrinus and Avernus, where the memories of Virgil, the Sibyl, and Aeneas intertwine with the evocative atmosphere of places that still preserve imposing traces of the past.
Among lakeside reeds and historic vineyards stand the Cocceius Cave, an Imperial-era tunnel that linked the city of Cumae to Portus Julius, and the so-called Temple of Apollo, traditionally identified by Renaissance humanists as a sacred building because of its monumental scale, but in reality an extraordinary 1st-century AD thermal complex.
Organized by the Italian Sports Center (Centro Italiano Sportivo) of Pozzuoli, the event—whose many partners include Rotta di Enea and the Municipality of Pozzuoli—is symbolically linked to Book VI of the Aeneid, which is entirely devoted to the Trojan hero’s encounter with the world of the dead.
This 22nd edition, now a regular fixture for both competitive athletes and recreational runners, took place on June 2, coinciding with Italy’s Republic Day. The event was opened at the starting line with the playing of the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani (Mameli’s Hymn).
Organizzata dal Centro Italiano Sportivo di Pozzuoli, la manifestazione, che ha tra i suoi numerosi partner Rotta di Enea e il Comune di Pozzuoli, si collega idealmente al VI libro dell’Eneide, dedicato interamente all’incontro dell’eroe troiano con il mondo dell’oltretomba.
Anche questa 22^ edizione, ormai un appuntamento fisso per atleti e semplici appassionati, si è svolta il 2 giugno, in concomitanza con la Festa della Repubblica, salutata al nastro di partenza con l’inno di Mameli.
