Sunday in Italy is all about calcio football (what we in North America call soccer). Go by any coffee shop or bar and you will see tifosi (fans) sitting or standing having their favourite drink and cheering on their team.
Those that know me know I'm not a fan of the North American style game. When I watch a match I get so frustrated on the kick and run game that within ten minutes I'm done watching. In Europe, each touch of the ball has strategy. The passing skills is unbelievable and watching a match, especially if your team is playing is riveting.
Chris' team is Venezia so we travelled almost two hours on train to Torino Allianz to watch Juventus vs Venezia. In 2013 Gianni and I went to the same stadium to watch world cup qualifier match of Italy vs Czech Republic. The stadium is amazing and has a section enclosed in glass barriers for the away team. Which we were this time. Rules are if you are part of the away team, you have to show up minimum 1 hour before the game starts as they close the gates after that and when you want to leave you must leave 15 minutes before the game ends or you will be confined in the area until 40 or more minutes after the game ends. This is specifically done to stop tifosi from opposing teams having fights at the stadium.
Our trek into the stadium:
The Allianz stadium seats 41,507 people and was built in 2011 where it replaced the existing Stadio Dell Alpi of which part of the structures were reused. It was Inaugurated as Juventus Stadium but in 2017 was changed to Allianz Stadium when the rights were purchased by Allianz a German Insurance and Finance Company.
Once inside our small section, there is one concession stand which sells only 1 type of tap beer, soda pop and some snacks. There are bathrooms, which if you are a woman must bring your own toilet paper, and the section to watch the match. It was the first time I've ever been in an away section of a match so it was really cool to watch the dynamics.
At the beginning of the game Juventus' theme song is pretty powerful. Here is a snippet of it.
Our time watching the game
The Venezia tifosi didn't stop their chants but when they scored boy did they kick it up a notch.
Watching a home goal in a stadium is pretty cool and this one shows the skill of when a play has been set tactfully and hits the mark.
We opted to leave the stadium 15 minutes before the match ended but were lucky to see all the goals. The game ended 2 - 1 for the home team but boy did Venezia give them a run for their money.
When we took the taxi to go back to the train station, the driver told us it was a good thing we got out early, as we probably wouldn't get a taxi when the game ended as they are all pre-booked. Therefore if you go to a game and need to get back for a train, always leave early and miss the mayhem.
All in all a wonderful day in Italy, experiencing the passion of the game.
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