Il Partita di Calcio (the soccer match)

Readers, do you remember my anxiety about my risky, on-line soccer ticket purchase from a re-seller? Well, the match was last night and I was there! Here’s how it panned out:

As promised, I received an email from the reseller a comfortable 10 days before the match. It included a link for me to download a .pdf of my digital ticket. The ticket bore my name, as well as my specific seat and had a bar code that presumably would be readable from my phone. However, the email included many admonishments to print the ticket and make extra-sure that the bar code was readable – not crumpled or whatever. I downloaded the .pdf to my laptop and transferred it to a thumb drive, then walked to a copy/print shop. Parlate Inglese? I inquired as I held up the drive, which the young man clerk just grabbed and stuck into his computer. He quickly pulled up the file, printed my ticket, and charged me 40 cents, no Inglese required. Awesome.

In the meantime my fellow traveler, Teri, bought herself a ticket online using the same service. Her magic email didn’t arrive until Saturday evening, the day before the match. But we managed to get hers printed too so we were both all set.

On the morning of the match, we received emails from the reseller that said, roughly, Buongiorno! We hope you enjoy the match! <some logistical stuff here> Then,

If a stadium steward asks how you obtained your ticket, it is best to say you were given it, free of charge, from a friend. If you have any issues with your ticket, do NOT go to the ticket office or contact the soccer club or your ticket will be immediately voided.

WTF. Just when we thought we were in the clear, this introduced a whole new layer of anxiety. I prepared myself a cover story just in case; my sister-in-law lives here in Florence so I was going to say she gave me the ticket, and I memorized the street she lives on to provide some additional credibility.

It turned out fine, of course. The Italians don’t seem all that rule-driven, unless you are visiting a tourist site in which case they are all about waiting in multiple long lines, just because. We made it through several layers of entry checks, including security in which they merely asked us if we were carrying lighters or cigarettes. Later, I discovered that plenty of people flouted the cigarette/lighter rule.

Ok, sorry for that long prelude to the match itself, which was really fun! We had low expectations for excitement since Fiorentina is low on the table and Bologna is nearer the top. Sure enough, Bologna scored 25 minutes in and the first half ended 0-1. In the second half, Bologna netted twice more, but one goal was taken away for off-sides. Fiorentina scored twice on penalty kicks from Bologna hand-balls, and a Bologna player got red-carded. The match ended tied at 2-2 after lots of excitement after all, and the fans around us engaged in plenty of passionate yelling and hand gestures.

One last thing: we were seated in the Maratona section of the stadium (and this is the first thing anyone asks when you say you’re going: are you sitting in Maratona or Fiesole?) The Fiesole curve is the short side at one end where the super crazy fans all sit. They wave flags and sing and chant in unison THE ENTIRE GAME.

Here are a few photos: