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Harbaugh family, football, Italy: Why Michigan is in Rome this week

ROME – This is a story about a family.

And football.

And Italy.

It’s the tie between Jim Harbaugh and Rome.

A blood connection on his mother’s side.

Jim Harbaugh’s grandfather, Joe Cipiti, was born in Sicily and moved to Italy as a child.

“There was a great picture (Joe Cipiti) at the Super Bowl, when John and Jim played each other,” said Jack Harbaugh, Jim’s father. “The day before the game, they had a press conference, and they brought Joe up on the stage. He had this smile on his face.”

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And now, Jim Harbaugh has brought his football team to Italy, back to a part of his roots, to tour Rome and practice three times at the end of the week.