la Mia Prima Notte con il GialloRosso

This post is going to be half compare/contrast, half story, half "How to go to an AS Roma match."

Me and my friend Grace at the game

I've been in attendence at a "European" football match.  (Chelsea v. AC Milan), but it was a summer exhibition in Baltimore with mostly American fans.  That game was nothing like this.  That game wasn't even a taste of European football, it was a sniff to allow you to imagine what a European match would taste like.

Buying tickets is easy only if you know what you are doing.  Tickets are sold at every AS Roma team store, you need a valid, original, legal identification to buy a ticket (your name goes on the ticket to prevent third party markets), and if you want tickets together everyone has to be present at the time of purchase.  My ticket was 13 Euro, and girls are 6.  After the debacle that was getting everyone to buy tickets from the unfriendly Italian man, we split up and were going to meet at the stadium.  Stadio Olimpico is about 10 minutes from my house, and I knew generally how to get there, but I just turned north and followed il giallo e rosso.

One does not simply walk into Stadio Olimpico.  First, one walks up Viale delle Olimpiadi, flanked by ancient style stadiums from the 1960 Olympics and 20 foot statues of ancient Roman athletes.  Then comes the modern checkpoint to enter the park around the stadium where I had to present my ticket with ID and could have been chosen for a random search by the Carabineiri, but wasn't (I just look so trustworthy). From there I had to find my section specific gate.  It's not like the US where you can go into any gate and walk around the stadium inside.  Each area of the stadium (3-4 sections) is separated by an 8 foot glass wall.  When I found my gate (Curva Nord 47,47,48), I had to scan my ticket in an NYC subway style turnstile (bars and all), present my ticket and ID again, then have it ripped.

Pleasant surprises of the evening included my seat being in the secondary home section, the area behind the goal Roma shoots first, only 15 rows from the field.  (The famous/infamous home section is Curva Sud directly across from us.)  Also a beer and a water only cost 6 Euro.  #vabene.

Curva Sud

I am a sucker for the pregame festivities.  I have been in attendance for the "Nightmare" and "We are One" intros at Caps games, and starting defense introductions, complete with Hot in Herre, at Ravens Games.  But they have NOTHING, on Roma.

I have included links to two videos of what I am about to talk about just so you can get a good idea (though not from the game I attended)  First the opposing team is introduced.  In the first video that team is Inter Milan, and you will here the boos.  Then the home side is introduced and the announcer says the player's number and first name and the crowd follows with his last name.  Francesco Totti is the last player to be introduced.  AS Roma player introductions.  Then everyone stands, holds their scarves in the air and sings ROMA ROMA ROMA.
Basically what ever is illegal in American Stadiums, Romans do in Stadio Olimpico.  I'm surprised they haven't accidentally burned that place down yet.

 

My view of ROMA ROMA ROMA

Action Shot!

The game was great.  Totti scored for Roma on his first shot in the first minute (right in front of us), then followed it up with another in the fourth, and suddenly Roma was up 3-0, 9 minutes in.  Final score was Roma 5-1 Cesena.

I think I will go to every game I can while I am here, and I can't wait to take my brother Michael when he comes to visit, and maybe my parents if they are feeling brave.

Next up is Roma v. Bologna on Sunday.

More photos can be found at josephvphoto.com/asroma.  Email questions and comments to krzyskoj@gmail.com.