It starts with an amateur historian, Luigi La Rocca. He was on the hunt for Herbert Kilpings grave for years. Trying to find the resting place of a man who moved from Nottingham due to a job offer then founded AC Milan. Kilpin died 1916 under uncertain circumstances was then forgotten - there are claims he smoked like a Pennsylvanian chimney and drank booze like an Alabaman moonshiner - which might be a fair historical account. But at only 46 he died and was lost as far as records goes. No one knew where his grave was, until La Rocca found it at the municipal cemetery in Milano. Kilping has since then been moved to Famedio where all the most famous of Milan rest in... pieces.
1999, when Milan celebrated their Cento, they built a monument for the lad from Nottingham who based the shirt of Milan on those Notts County wore when he left England for Italy.
Forward a bit. Not many months ahead of the day when it would be 100 years since Kilpin died, a Robert Nieri decides to release a book about Kilpin.
And now things start to happen.
The book is released. In Nottingham, one of the bus lines is named after Kilpin. The house where he grew up in Nottingham is restored, painted red and black on the outside, a Milan crest is put up, inside there is a mural of Kilpin.
And then, a group of people decide they will crowdfund a documentary about the man who might very well be the founding father of Italian football, for sure AC Milan.
That documentary has already been shown in Nottingham and London but not yet available digitally, because it's been booked by several film festivals, among them Robert de Niro's Tribeca which started on the 18th April and ends tomorrow.
I'm impressed. And now I love Nottingham even more.
The bus
The house where he lived, front the now bus stop
Inside that house
That book
And that documentary I want to see, pronto
1999, when Milan celebrated their Cento, they built a monument for the lad from Nottingham who based the shirt of Milan on those Notts County wore when he left England for Italy.
Forward a bit. Not many months ahead of the day when it would be 100 years since Kilpin died, a Robert Nieri decides to release a book about Kilpin.
And now things start to happen.
The book is released. In Nottingham, one of the bus lines is named after Kilpin. The house where he grew up in Nottingham is restored, painted red and black on the outside, a Milan crest is put up, inside there is a mural of Kilpin.
And then, a group of people decide they will crowdfund a documentary about the man who might very well be the founding father of Italian football, for sure AC Milan.
That documentary has already been shown in Nottingham and London but not yet available digitally, because it's been booked by several film festivals, among them Robert de Niro's Tribeca which started on the 18th April and ends tomorrow.
I'm impressed. And now I love Nottingham even more.
The bus
The house where he lived, front the now bus stop
Inside that house
That book
And that documentary I want to see, pronto
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