Four days drinking in Prague and a stag do in Lisbon the following weekend left me needing somewhere to regroup in between. Rather than heading back to Manchester, I took the opportunity to check the European fixture lists. Full midweek schedules in Spain and Italy provided plenty of options, cheap flights from Prague and to Lisbon meant Rome was the city of choice. Which team to watch was at the mercy of the fixture list and Lazio it was, taking on the mighty Sassuolo.
In need of a breather it was lovely to check in to my nice Airbnb for a few days. Located perfectly next to the Vatican with a view of the Pope’s living quarters. I spent a tranquil evening in a American Football themed bar watching Everton battle it out with Leicester for a point apiece. James Maddison’s missed penalty at 2-1 being the most crucial turning point, not just for the game but for Leicester’s fate come the end of the season.
Time for a stroll
Day 2 and it was time to explore Italy’s capital and largest city, having visited 17 years earlier – not feeling old at all – I had ticked off the main sites so I set off around the city on foot taking in the surroundings at a leisurely pace. What to say about Rome, its sites and history? Striking beauty around every corner. Simply incredible. Impossible to even cover 1% of it here.
Capital of the Lazio region, founded in 753BC by Romulus and Remus, legend has it the twins were abandoned by their mother on the banks of the River Tiber. They were suckled by a wolf until found and brought up by a shepherd and his wife. Eventually they helped to overthrow the king who had previously ordered their death. They decided to build a new city but discussions as to where led to a falling out and subsequently the death of Remus. Romulus went on to name the city Rome and lived on long as the King.
The Mighty Roman Empire
Various kings and leaders ruled until the beginning of the Roman Empire in 27BC. An empire that at its peak covered swathes of Southern Europe, North Africa and even parts of Great Britain, however they didn’t quite manage to tame those lively Scots. After roughly 500 years of rule, the empire began to crumble, leaving an indelible mark on the world that still has huge significance to this day.
The world’s largest religion is still led from this city, 900 million people still speak Romance languages and 70% of the world uses the Latin Alphabet, all legacies of the Roman Empire. As well as the cultural legacy, many of the buildings such as The Colloseum (72 AD) and The Pantheon (128 AD) date back from this era. Just some of the stunning architecture that brings around 10 million tourists to the city every year making it the 4th most popular in Europe. One of my favourite legacies of ancient Rome is the constant supply of fresh water from the aqueducts to hundreds of fountains. Dotted around the city, they are still in use to this day so if you see one, don’t be afraid to get stuck in.
Over the following centuries, remarkable architecture continued to appear in Rome; The Sistine Chapel (1473), St Peter’s Basilica (1506), Spanish Steps (1726), Trevi Fountain (1762), the list is endless. The next great historical moment for Rome and Italy was ‘Il Resorgimento’, the unification of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Significant to Rome as the first 9 years of this unification excluded Rome due to resistance from the Pope and the Catholic Church. In 1871 the people voted that Rome was to join Italy and usurp Florence to become the capital of the Kingdom as it has remained to this day. In 1929, the dispute between the Kingdom and the Church known as ‘The Roman Question’ was finally resolved and The Vatican was declared an independent state. I tried in vain to see if there was any game to watch there but sadly not.
World Cup heritage
Next up was game day, first though, a small pilgrimage. One goal of mine is to visit all stadiums that have hosted a World Cup Final. What better city than Rome having hosted the 1934 and 1990 World Cup Finals.
A little caveat for the first one though sadly as it is a rebuild in the same location but it’s as good as I’ll get. The Stadio Nazionale del PNF, or the National Stadium for the National Fascist party, lovely, went down in history as the venue of for the first of Italy’s 4 World Cup wins when they defeated Czechoslovakia back in 1934. This was controversially demolished and replaced by the Stadio Flaminio in preparation for the 1960 Olympics where it hosted the Final. Sadly this historic stadium has fallen into disrepair and dereliction.
There is certainly something special about an abandoned stadium, thinking of all the fans through the years, the stories and memories that have occurred here but also seeing the decay gives an air of sadness, however in this case there are intentions to rejuvenate this stadium and restore it to its former glory, a very long way off given what I’ve seen but I’d love to return again one day to see it in action.
A little bit of Tennis
Next on the list was the Olympic Stadium but first a little bit of Tennis. I was gutted to realise my trip would be one week too early for the ATP Italian Masters in Rome, but a consolation was to find they had some qualifiers the week before.
The Fora Italico, or Fora Mussolini as it was originally known, is a sporting complex constructed in the 1930’s in hope of promoting the Fascist Regime of Italy by hosting the 1940 Olympics and we all know what went wrong there. As well as the 14 elegantly decorated Tennis courts there are arenas for both Swimming and Athletics which eventually hosted Olympic action in 1960. The whole complex is covered with elegant statues giving a very Roman feel.
Pre-match entertainment
After a lovely afternoon at the Tennis I popped up the road to enjoy the pre-match build up. The Beer Company provided a perfect spot to enjoy the traditional Roman dish of Amatraciana while taking in the vibes of a lively and optimistic Laziali, going into the game hoping to retain second place and guarantee Champions League Football after a 3 year absence.
Back at the Fora Italico and the ‘piece de resistance’, Italy’s second largest stadium behind the San Siro with a capacity of over 70,000, the venue of World Cup Final of Italia 90, as well as the finals of both Euro 68 and 80. ‘Lo Stadio Olimpico’.
Lo Stadio Olimpico
25 years after a war interrupted construction began, the inaugural game was in 1953 vs the Mighty Magyars of Hungary. As well as the aforementioned International tournaments, it is also a particularly happy hunting ground for Liverpool, having won the European Cup here in 1977 and 84 they also had the pleasure of their biggest rival Manchester United losing here in 2009 to Pep Guardiola’s irresistible Barcelona.
Tickets were easy enough to come by using Vivaticket, though not being a Lazio member I could only find tickets for 70 Euros, although tickets can be as low as 20 Euros in the Curva’s behind the goals where the atmosphere is truly at its best and most passionate. A fan base with a chequered past, the infamous fan group Irriducibile were renowned for their fascist views and racist choreography. In 2020 just a year after their leader Diabolik was assassinated, the group disbanded bringing an end to 33 years of the organisation. A dramatic story that – amongst others – is captured brilliantly in James Montague’s book 1312, well worth a read.
History of Lazio
Societa Sportiva Lazio, formed in 1900 as an amateur side, they were the only team to resist the merging of all major Roman teams under the Fascist Regime in 1927 which led to the formation of AS Roma, and so began the rivalry that is stronger than ever nearly 100 years later. Silverware didn’t come for the Biancoceleste until a Coppa Italia win in 1958 and then their first Scudetto in 1974. Darker days followed in the 80’s with a series of betting scandals leading to relegations and points deductions, how very Italian.
The 90’s proved to be the golden years for Lazio under the guidance and investment of new owner Sergio Cragnotti. Initially sparking great interest from English fans with the purchase of superstar Paul Gascoigne. Over the years Cragnotti continued to add further stars to the roster including a world record purchase of Hernan Crespo for £35 million back in 2000. They were a key part in making Serie A the richest, most exciting and desirable place to play in the world, winning 3 Coppa Italia’s, bringing their total to 7, the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and finally their second Serie A title under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2000.
Back to reality
Unfortunately for Lazio, the money eventually ran out, there was a steady decline and involvement in the Calciopoli scandal lead to further point deductions. Over the last 20 years Lazio have struggled to consistently challenge for the Scudetto with a few 3rd place finishes until this season under the tutelage of Mauricio Sarri where second place looks a very strong prospect. Next up trying to halt their route back to Champions League Football is Sassuolo.
The Neroverdi were coming into the game comfortably in mid table and therefore a great opportunity for Lazio to return to form after two defeats. After the Eagle had landed and a rousing rendition of ‘My Way’ we were good to go.
Lazio started the stronger, a narrow offside cancelled out record goal scorer Ciro Immobile’s effort before Felipe Anderson broke the deadlock. There wasn’t a huge amount between the two teams but the incessant support from the Curva Nord was rewarded with an injury time goal from Toma Basic to secure the 3 points.
Potential for more
A midweek match at the Stadio Olimpico was a strange affair, whilst half of the stadium was empty, the other half made an incredible noise. I was sat close enough to observe first-hand the passion of the Laziali which was a real joy to watch. Both Roma and Lazio have intentions to build their own stadiums which would no doubt have a much reduced capacity to improve overall atmosphere but I left the stadium thinking that I would pay good money to return for a Derby della Capitale. To see Lazio vs Roma with both ends supporting like they do would be one of the great experiences for a any football fan.
The next day consisted of a nice jog around the city, a great way to take-in the wonderful architecture. The run culminated randomly with a bottle of Tenants Super and relaxing views over Rome from on top of one of its many hills. That evening I watched Napoli seal the deal on their title success while enjoying a few beers in Campo de’ Fiori and that was that. Another successful footy trip completed.
A truly unbelievable city that should be on anyone’s list of places to visit. But how does it compare to others for a footy trip?
Using scoring out of 100 over 10 categories, let’s see if Lazio is worth it as a footy trip…
Rating
Team Ability – Second place in one of Europe’s great leagues which is currently undergoing a bit of a renaissance – 8/10
Atmosphere – Cracking atmosphere on the Curva Nord, sadly not matched throughout a half empty stadium – 7/10
Stadium Quality – A wonderful stadium full of history, unfortunately with a pitch surrounded by an athletics track but imagining the Rome derby there would be something special – 8/10
Beer/Food at stadium – Peroni and decent looking food was available but not the cheapest – 7/10
Tourism – Impossible to sum up the magnificence and history of this city, so many things to see – 10/10
Accessibility – Really good value flights running every day but pretty expensive once you get there – 8/10
People – Generally seemed a pretty friendly bunch, no experiences to make me think anything else –7/10
Stadium Surroundings – The Fora Italico is well worth a visit, a nice spot for a stroll along the river and quite a few local bars, pretty sweet area all in all – 8/10
Club History – 123 years playing at the highest level in Italy but barring their glory days of the 90’s and early 2000’s, not a whole lot to show for it – 7/10
Ease/Cost of ticket pricing – Tickets were easy to get hold of given the size of the stadium but I struggled to get anything cheap due to not being a member – 5/10
Total – 75/100
Overall a majestic city, one of the greatest in the world and no doubt somewhere I’d recommend as a footy trip
And in terms of personal accomplishments for this trip
Accomplishments
Serie A teams visited 2/20
Stadiums in the top 5 leagues visited 14/96 (16%)
World Cup Final Stadiums visited 10/21
Until the next footy trip, take it easy