Handball: Mascalucia celebrates, National team for young Gabriele Somma

When you say handball in Mascalucia, you think of Libertas Mascalucia. A winning combination since over 40 years this Etna center has produced great champions in this discipline thanks to the club founded in 1979, Libertas Mascalucia, which starting from C climbed to the top reaching the national A2 men's league and continues now in the years with Th Mascalucia and Aetna Mascalucia of Piero Pistone where two young talents have emerged like the twin brothers Diego and Gabriele Somma.

The Mascalucia brothers Diego and Gabriele Somma

These two extraordinary brothers who now play in Serie A Gold with the multi-champions of Italy Junior Fasano, are sons of art with their father Giovanni who together with Piero Pistone grew up at Libertas Mascalucia which had as player-coach the unforgettable Croatian who passed away prematurely in 2025, Zeliko Vidakovic who, in addition to enchanting on the field, forged talents.

The great and unforgettable Zeliko Vidakovic next to Marcello Fonti, TuriTropea, Cesare Galvagno and Piero Pistone

One of these is Marcello Fonti, born in 1968, a true Mascalucia native, who thanks to Vidakovic made an international ascent as a player wearing the blue jersey 350 times (1000 goals scored), in addition to winning championships and playing in international cups with Bologna, Prato, Bressanone, Teramo, Ascoli and Trieste.

The Mascalucia native Gabriele Somma (Junior Fasano)

Now history repeats itself with the first call-up to the senior national team of Gabriele Somma, born in 2006, a wing of Junior Fasano (this year he has already scored 59 goals in Serie A Gold), who starting Monday will participate in the training camp in Merano to prepare for the upcoming international challenges.

ALBATRO SIRACUSA AZZURRA CON FILIPPO ANGIOLINI. Gabriele Somma is part of the blue team called up by German coach Bob Hanning, which also includes the Tuscan Filippo Angiolini, who with his goals contributed to the historic achievement of Albatro Siracusa, winner of the Coppa Italia 2026 by defeating Trieste in the final. It is a real shame not to see the Syracuse winger Gianluca Vinci, captain of Albatro Siracusa, in blue, where he is having a remarkable season.

The Tuscan fullback Filippo Angiolini (Albatro Siracusa)

Gianluca Vinci (Albatro Siracusa)

TOWARDS THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. Italy will hold its first training session at the Pala Karl Wolf in Merano on the evening of Monday.

Among the activities of the training camp, a visit to the Museion in Bolzano is also scheduled for next Wednesday for the exhibition of the collection of Olympic torches made available by the president of the Italian Handball Federation Stefano Podini.

On the 20th, the blue team will move to Tatabanya, where the following day they will face Hungary in a friendly match.

The national team will return to official competition between May 13 and 16/17 against Switzerland for the playoffs for qualification for the 2027 World Championships in Germany.

The blues have secured the right to play the third round by virtue of their victory against Poland in the group stage of the European Championships on January 20 in Kristianstad.

The blue coach Bob Hanning