Tour Italia for me next weekend

Having got the OK from the wife I am now looking forward to a football overload next weekend! and a chance to practice my Italian.

I am off for a long weekend and will take in the following games:-

15 Feb - Milan v Parma
16 Feb Roma v Juventus
17 Feb Napoli v Sampdoria

I will be shattered come Monday but should be worth it (if I survive Naples that is)?

One night in Milan, and two in Rome (thought twice about staying in Naples) and back to blighty on Monday. Some long rail journeys but hey, it could be worse!....I could be watching the Blades!

Sounds good. Enjoy!

What price is your wife going to exact from you FS?

ancient milanista wrote:

What price is your wife going to exact from you FS?

Well she is out tonight and I am babysiting

Extremely jealous. Enjoy mate!

Seatwave have not delivered my ticket for the Napoli game........barstewards!

Anyone know why I can buy one on the day in Naples?

I'd imagine there'll be stalls near the stadium (or maybe a club shop in the city?) where you can get tickets. But I'm not really sure at all, would be best to try and find out more before you get there somehow?

Great weekend enjoyed in Italy; but very tiring!

First of all I was off to Milan to see the Parma game on Friday, Milan was sunny for once but very cold, there was still some snow on the ground in places. I have been to the San Siro many times before, the last being in November to see Milan’s demolition of Chievo.

The stadium was possibly the most baron I have seen it, maybe 45,000 there or so which seems empty in such a large stadium. The Curva Sud was not its usual wall of noise; perhaps they have resigned themselves to another season of trophy less football? They will be back against Barcelona no doubt!

Milan played well in patches, Ballotelli linked well the midfield and he looked sharp from the very first minute. Great free kick from Ballotelli, which was worthy of the win.

Parma had come for the draw and was really poor, they were lucky to get their goal with one of the last kicks of the game, their adventure over the Milan half way line was rare indeed, even less so after their own goal.

I was so tired with the early drive to Luton and then flight to Milan that I gave my usual 3 of 4 glasses of Vino Rosso in Piazza Mosova a miss and headed back to the Hotel.

Another early start on Saturday to go back to Malpensa and catch the flight to Rome. Great journey along the med coast, I never realised that there were so many Islands along the coast from Genoa down to Rome lying just of the Italian coast.

Rome was sunny, and I was looking forward to visiting the Studio Olympico, I had been once before back in 2007 for Roma v Cagliari but never managed to see the game as it was called off only an hour before the game when a Lazio fan travelling to another game was killed by the Police. All games that weekend were called off. The Lazio fans rioted around the Manchini Station and the Police left then to it from what I can remember.

This time however I was to see the game, and what great stadium the Stadio Olympico is, not as towering as the San Siro but in my view far more impressive when inside the ground! Great atmosphere also, the Roma fans turned up in their numbers (as did the Juventini) and no netting between the fans (that is a first for me in Italy). Great goal from Totti, he turned back the years with that one!

Next morning off to Naples on the 9am train from Roma Termini (I had forfeited another drink on the town for the early start) – 2 hours later I arrived in sunny Naples, what a contrast from Milan Naples is! I have to say I like Naples, it has an edge and the people are very brash, in your face, but I kind of like that!

Seatwave had called me the day before to say be outside the Bar Imperial in Naples at 12 noon and someone will be there to meet you with ticket with your name on! Meet with someone with whom I don’t know on some back street in Naples I thought!!!!........what they hell in did it anyway, and sure enough he was there waiting......with a ticket and a handshake. I must look very English as he spotted me before I even got outside the bar! So much for the blending in and not looking like a tourist advice when in Naples hey!

The stadium was like something from the end of Soviet Union; monolithic concrete spalling at every seem, rusting steelwork and a perimeter fence that would not look out of place around many South American prisons! The inside was even worse, I was unlucky enough to be on the lower tier of the Curva A, sitting on the broken seats, under the concrete soffit; no one dared go any further as the stand above containing the majority of the Naploi Ultras reined spit, bottles and cans and cigarette stubs down on their own fans – nice! No wonder hundreds climbed the 3m high fence to make it to the tier above!

I could not see very well the goal on the far side as I was so far away. The small group of around 40 Samp fans were shielded from my view with a combination of excessive netting, bollards and riot police. They cheered at the end and the Samp players celebrated; 0-0 was maybe a good result, but I wanted to see Samp score having come all this way. In fairness we did not deserve to win, a couple of half chances were Napoli let us in first half was all we really put together, second half was not so pretty, the crowd sensed it would end 0-0. I have to say that we defended greatly. Delio Rossi has set a game plan away from home and although not pretty, it is effective.

So back to Rome on the train (late and standing for most of the way) and at least I enjoyed a few beers on Sunday night at last.

Great report FS, you should get it published. Glad you got to see all the games and I'm sure you will have repaired the alcohol levels by now.

Has your wife presented the "bill" yet?

I got a good stream for the Milan match and connected the laptop to the tv, so it was almost as good as watching it on ESPN!

Thanks for that FS. It sounds like you had a good time.

ancient milanista wrote:

Has your wife presented the "bill" yet?

I got the misses a good pressie in Rome!

Mi piace calcio wrote:

Thanks for that FS. It sounds like you had a good time.

Yes mate I enjoyed it, long time before I go again though I suspect now!

Sounds great forza samp. Must have been awesome to see Totti's goal live, what a hit. Where abouts were you in the Olimpico?

forza sampdoria wrote:

Meet with someone with whom I don’t know on some back street in Naples I thought!!!!........

Jesus I'd be terrified!

forzaitalia wrote:

Sounds great forza samp. Must have been awesome to see Totti's goal live, what a hit. Where abouts were you in the Olimpico?

forza sampdoria wrote:

Meet with someone with whom I don’t know on some back street in Naples I thought!!!!........

Jesus I'd be terrified!

I was on the Curva Nord at the opposite end to the goal where Totti scored, so not a great view of the goal but I could still tell it was an awesome strike.

I was lucky on Sunday.....more so than Hamsik!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/feb/18/marek-hamsik-napoli-robbed-gunpoint