Ancona and the Marche

Ancona; A city guide, club history and Marche guide

My 50th article for Football Weekends takes me home to Ancona.

I am sure I am not alone in becoming interested in certain clubs courtesy of that bastion of yesteryear, Subbuteo and especially the team catalogue that named clubs from elsewhere with the same kit. The 1974 World Cup Final teams were purchased, but somehow West Germany v The Netherlands soon became a dull encounter. Hereford v Blackpool was another possible match up with the same teams, or if you were drawn to the more exotic clubs on the bottom of each listing, names that meant nothing to me at the time, Cesena v Volendam was even better! These days were long before the Internet would bring you chat about any club, or immediate minute by minute updates on the score, as well as potentially a live feed of action. The legacy of those innocent Subbuteo days has left a lasting enthusiasm for these clubs, especially Cesena. 

I plotted Cesena’s struggles on a weekly basis via Guerin Sportivo, the Italian football magazine which arrived in my hands from an International Newsagent in Edinburgh’s High Street, a week late. The younger generation wouldn’t understand how hard information was to come by back in the eighties, it took dedication. I finally got to a game in Cesena in 1987, my first anywhere outside the UK and it was an amazing experience. But the very next day, something odd happened. If I had chosen Cesena from a Subbuteo catalogue, my Monday destination was about to choose me, a city that is now my second home, and for my 50th article for Football Weekends, it’s about time I brought Ancona to the table! 

It was a wet Monday that greeted the post Cesena trip. It was no weather for the beach, so we decided to take the train down the coast to Ancona. The rain abated and gradually the clouds broke allowing the sun to greet the view of the city across the bay as we left nearby Falconara. Ancona immediately started to strike a chord with me, a feeling that reached a crescendo high above the port at the Duomo, the city’s main church. The view from up here is absolutely amazing, especially if you like port cities like I do, it was a life changing moment, Ancona had chosen me. 

Upon returning to Scotland I found myself searching back through old Guerin Sportivo magazines chartering Ancona’s footballing escapades (Google wasn’t an option), and when the start of the 1987/88 season came around they had been added to my small roster of teams. It was a fabulous season to get onboard as for the first time since 1950/51 they stepped up to the second tier. I was already dreaming of being on the Curva Nord at Stadio Dorico, the club’s city centre ground. Somewhere during the next 12 months Guerin Sportivo’s “pen pal” section had an advert from a lad in Ancona wishing to exchange with fans of a certain Scottish team! Okay it wasn’t my club, but in those days who in Italy would have known about Meadowbank Thistle, but he was from the city that had become dear to me and so I decided to write. Thirty one years on I can report that one of life’s great friendships is alive and well, and we have shared many games here, and in Ancona as well as in 4 other countries now. Right from the start of our friendship, neither of us could have known the amazing journey that Ancona Calcio would take the biancorossi fans on for the next decade or so, these would become the days to remember. 

Ancona is the capital of the Marche region with a population of 102,000. It is a city that hugs the eastern seaboard of Italy halfway between Emilia Romagna’s beaches and Abruzzo. The city was founded by Greeks in 387 BC, and it has witnessed a ton of turmoil and history since. It isn’t necessarily on everyone’s tourist map, but if you like a real life Italian feel with a huge working port, Ancona is worth checking out. It has some absolute gems of architecture in the Arco di Traiano and il Porta di Ancona, also known as Arco Clementino down in the docklands. Il Passetto a stunning war memorial on the far side of the city centre overlooks the Adriatic looking south, where a host of beach resorts await. The city is festooned with some cracking Piazzas, the obligatory Piazza Cavour is here as everywhere in Italy, but especially Piazza Del Plebiscito, an intimate old square that became a venue for a Richard Ashcroft concert one night when I was there. 

Visitors shuffle through the city as Ancona is the gateway to Split in Croatia and further south towards Greece, as well as being an avenue for an extraordinary number of Turkish and Albanian trucks to board these vessels. I have always been drawn to port cities, a legacy of a grandfather who was a lighthouse keeper and his fascination with dock life rubbed off on me. I would regularly accompany him on his walk around Leith docks in his retirement, it had a profound effect on me, and this was one of the reasons why Ancona struck an immediate cord. I can’t walk out to the end of the harbour wall in Ancona by all the fishing boats, ferries and the shipyard without the Simple Minds song “Real Life” playing in my mind! 

The city has buffed itself up immeasurably in the last three decades, none more so than the Opera Theatre, now a magnificent auditorium looking resplendent away from its previously shabby chic facade. Such alterations came at a time of a greater sense of civic pride which seemed to correlate in line with the rise of the local football teams fortunes on the pitch. 

In April 1990 I was back in Ancona for the first time since ‘87, meeting Stefano for the first time and about to get my first taste of Stadio Dorico. Stefanio’s letters describing the action, the paper clippings and accompanying photos had added not just a sense of wonder about the stadium, but the Curva Nord and its fans were already legends to me. Dorico still exists, sadly only as a facility for minor games, but the essentials of the old stadium are there, and it was both an amazing and nostalgic walk close to the old Curva on my last visit in 2016. The day after relegation to the fourth tier was confirmed with a home loss to Teramo, but demotion that ended up as a four league drop as the club went bust once more. 

Interestingly, in the summer the club bought the Stadio Dorico, and it will be used for training, youth games etc. In its heyday, the close proximity of the apartment blocks must have been fabulous for any biancorossi (white and reds, the club colours) tifosi to wake up and see, or better still, get your mates round for an eagle eye view of proceedings, and believe me many did. When I see some of the older stadiums when watching Serie C online these days; Reggina way down in Reggio Calabria, Bisceglie or Paganese’s stadiums always remind me of those cherished Dorico days in Ancona with full balconies overlooking the action. 

Allow me to paint a snapshot of my Ancona days with recollections of my first two games in Ancona, but if you are curious about the clubs more momentous days of glory in Serie A and Coppa Italia, complete with the obligatory failures, obviously, feel free to visit my blog, where you will find a four part “My Ancona”, the story from 1987 to 2020 at “Football Travels with James Rendall”. 

It was on Easter Saturday and a home fixture with Reggiana from Reggio Emilia that I made my Curva Nord, Dorico debut. Both teams were going well in Serie B and both were close to the promotion places, so a big crowd was on hand to witness an entertaining 1-1 joust. It is a game forever burned into my mind by an horrendous miss by opposition striker Andrea Silenzi, “burro, burro” was the unforgiving and passionate Anconetani chant every time he went near the ball thereafter, although he had given his side the lead before the unlikely scorer of my first ever Ancona goal from Alessandro Chiodini who headed us level. Having researched clips on youtube to remind me of the occasion, Silenzi’s miss was equalled by a Franco Ermini header in front of the packed Curva Nord that should have won it for Ancona. Ironically, if anyone asks me who was my favourite Ancona player, Franco was without doubt my biancorossi hero. A draw was no use for either, and Ancona finished 5th, but it was the highest league finish in the clubs history at that point, and we were just three points behind fourth placed Parma in the last promotion place, a club who were about to go on their very own remarkable journey. 

Vincenzo Guerrini had arrived as the coach at the start of that season, a Lombardian by birth, who played and coached at Brescia amongst others, but if his appointment was considered low key in Ancona at the time. Little did we know Vincenzo was about to become a legend in the Marche capital. He slowly set about putting in place a consistent line up full of all the necessary defensive qualities to succeed in Serie B. 

I was back again in Ancona 13 months later for a vital derby with arch rivals Ascoli. Everyone will be familiar with the big city derbies in Italy, with the Roma version perhaps the highest security alert game of them all, but the lesser known derbies have rivalries than run deep and are always high police alert fixtures; Livorno v Pisa and Atalanta v Brescia are renown, less known but equally angst ridden is Triestina v Udinese, where a Trieste lad died amid one of their clashes sadly; Bologna v Cesena is a rivalry of yesteryear certainly, and calcio fans might remember the farcical chaos surrounding Salernitana v Nocerina a few years ago. Indeed, I could keep listing feisty wee derbies, but I am making a note to myself on this subject, there could be merit in getting behind the facade of some of these rivalries and writing about it further, when chance allows! Ancona v Ascoli falls into that “feisty” category, a fixture that hasn’t been played that much at all, indeed these ‘90/91 clashes were the first league encounters between the two since 1953/54, but oh boy that doesn’t matter, when these two clash it’s a spicy occasion and it was a privilege to be there.

Stadio Dorico has probably rarely rocked as much as it did that May afternoon when Ascoli came to town. Both clubs were vying for the promotion places, and with just five games to go it was without doubt the most important Marche derby in history. The first game in Ascoli Piceno just ahead of the Christmas break had seen a share of the spoils, with big Brazilian centre forward Casagrande thumping home a penalty for Ascoli before Sandro Tovalieri rescued a point for the biancorossi fifteen minutes from time. Five months later with the Ancona fans displaying magnificent banner choreography as the teams took to the field, the Ancona players surely couldn’t have helped be inspired by the passion and noise. If any of them had any doubts what this game meant, the pre-game atmosphere would have doubled down on coach Guerini’s words of inspiration in the dressing room.

The Curva Nord, a solid concrete terrace, was shaking and it rarely let up. Casagrande and Cvetkovic were the big threats for Ascoli but Fontana and Bruniera coped admirably in a full blooded, never dull encounter. Right on half time, Signore Luci, il arbitro awarded Ancona a free kick just outside the penalty box, right in front of the Curva Nord. Massimo Gadda, the mercurial midfielder with a magical touch set his sights and whipped a wonderfully swerving shot up and over the Ascoli wall with speed and accuracy, it was flying in, we could see it. Celebrations started almost before the ball hit the net, but it never did bulge the back of the goal as somehow the visiting keeper Lorieri had miraculously got a hand to it and kept it out, but no!! The linesman signalled that it had crossed the line and bedlam broke out, 1-0 Ancona. That night’s TV debates were swirling on whether it had crossed the line or not, and it was a brave call, long before video assistance, you just couldn’t tell! But we gladly took it and ran, and watching that goal on Youtube now, it still gives me goosebumps! Ascoli needed to get level and the game became more and more end to end. Yes we rode our luck at times in the second half, but with a minute left a lovely sweeping move from back to front through many a pass at speed, opened up the right flank for Messersi to thump home the second and lift off, Dorico went wild! 

Ancona’s new stadium is well outside the city and has many negative points, especially regarding its distance from the city, around 10 kilometres. However, it does have its own railway station on the route south, Ancona Stadio, meaning it is easy for the police to contain visiting fans and get them to buses or the main station without encountering the locals. At Dorico, with three sides of the stadium in tight streets surrounded by apartments, the only way to get the Ascoli fans to the station was out into one of the city’s main boulevards and walk them in the direction of the buses to transport them to the station. After this encounter some baying black and white clad Ascolani, smouldering for a fight, broke the police line which resulted in Stefano and I, as well countless others running down the street trying to get away from them. Trouble inevitably broke out, it happened once too often in those days, but thankfully we didn’t get caught in it. 

Having secured the win and bragging rights of Marche, it was as if the season’s high had been achieved and sadly in the remaining four fixtures only 3 points were gathered from a possible 8, as we are still in the days of two points for a win. We slipped down the table to 10th, five points off promotion by the final reckoning. The final ignominy for Ancona was that while Ascoli only managed 5 points themselves in the run-in, a seesaw 3-3 at Reggiana on the final day, coupled with a surprising home loss by Padova 2,1 to Lucchese, meant that Ascoli slipped into 4th spot and got the final promotion place to Serie A by a point to make sure that they had the last laugh! 

Many dramas have come and gone with Ancona since. The club moved in 1993 to the 23,967 capacity Stadio Conero in Passo Varano, which is a long way out of the city as mentioned. The stadium uses the natural hillside to create its slopes, and farmhouses can be seen further up the hill. The regional train service going south from Ancona will stop at Ancona Stadio after a few minutes, but the only other ways to get out here are on a local bus, taxi (expensive), or blag a lift. There are no amenities outside the ground, save the odd catering caravan, so if you want good food ahead of a game, make sure you have a meal in the city, where you will be spoilt for choice. 

Covid caught Anconitana out like many others, as finishing second when the league was halted wasn’t good enough to get us back into the fourth tier. The club has reverted to its original name following the most recent bankruptcy issue four years ago. They stepped up to the regional Eccellenza following two promotions, but I guess the hope is to guide the club back to Serie C or maybe B if we are lucky in the coming seasons without stretching the club too far, but given the current circumstances of no fans allowed, it’s a worry, but not just here in Ancona. 

The Marche region is one of the best kept secrets outside Italy as an area of outstanding beauty, with sumptuous beaches, as well as distinct regional culinary delights and wines. It’s football clubs largely fly under the radar, and aside from Ancona reaching a Coppa Italia final, the rest merely have one Anglo Italian final at Wembley to show for all their efforts, and that was the aforementioned Ascoli. However, if you are looking for football and passion in slightly more relaxed surroundings, unless they are playing each other, then Marche has a fine array of clubs throughout the leagues to tempt you, with Ancona a great base. If you are thinking of staying in the city and using the excellent railway services, be warned that the station is a good three kilometres from the city centre, albeit a relatively flat and straight route leading down and along the edge of the port. 

Ascoli Piceno is the inland home of Ascoli, and not Porta d’Ascoli nearer the coast which is a separate place. It is 122 kilometres from Ancona. The town has the region’s sole Serie B representatives, and it has been the case for a few years now sadly, especially following the latest demise of Ancona. Ascoli tend to hang around near the bottom of the division. The town has an absolutely stunning centre, and it would tick boxes for a cultural and calcio day out. There is a regular train service from Ancona, and with a journey time of around 2 hours you can easily do a day trip. The curiously named Stadio Cino e Lillo del Duca is named after two brothers who started up the regional newspaper Il Giorno. It has undergone significant renovation in the last few years, and now is a very fine looking arena albeit with a modest capacity of 12,461. They have graced Serie A on five occasions, the last time spanning 2005 to 2007, with the longest stay a 7 year period from 1978 to 1985. As money continues to guide success, it becomes increasingly hard for provincial clubs to get established in the top flight anywhere these days. 

In the third tier you will find five Marche clubs, the biggest of which is Sambenedettese from the fabulous beach city of San Benedetto del Tronto. The trains heading down the coast towards the deep south of Taranto, Lecce or Bari will largely stop here, so your journey time could be an hour or two depending on which speed of train you pick. The beach and the waterfront bars/restaurants are an immediate attraction, with the stadium a good walk of about 3 kilometres from the railway station on the edge of town, but it is a real gem. Stadio Riviera Delle Palme is one of my favourite stadiums anywhere, with it’s “San Siro-esque” corner swirls that act as walkways to the higher level. The capacity is 13,708, bigger than Ascoli, and the second biggest in the region. As a club, Samb, as they are known, have the support base, the passion and the enthusiasm, but they have rarely even troubled Serie B let alone higher up the tree. Yet, the fans of Samb have a sense of grandeur that leaves you scratching your head as to exactly why, but the stadium does help add to that myth, as it’s fabulous! I have a soft spot for them, the blue and red halved shirts appeal to the ICT fan in me, as well as the stadium of course. 

About halfway between Ancona and San Benedetto is Fermo, having changed trains at Porto San Giorgio on the coast. Fermo is a delightful hilltop town, and home to Fermana, a club who merely popped into Serie B for one season twenty years ago, but it was a great story at the time. They have had financial issues in the intervening years, but having steadied the ship they are back in the third tier. Stadio Bruno Recchioni is very well appointed and with a 9,500 capacity, which is more than adequate for the club from a town of just 35,000 people. 

Further into the rolling hills of Marche behind Fermo are two more football towns, Macerata and a little further inland Matelica. I saw Maceratese play a few seasons ago in Forli in a third tier joust before going bust, and are now one of the bigger regional league sides, presently a level below Ancona. Matelica however are the third of the five Marche Serie C sides this season who are living the dream making their debut at this level. It has certainly started brilliantly, an opening day away win in Trieste was a real show of intent. Back on the coast, a little south of Ancona, Recanata and Civitanova are both lovely towns that host 4th and 6th tier football presently with Recanatese and Civitanovese if you’re looking for a lesser light fixture to enjoy. 

North of Ancona on the rail line towards Rimini and Bologna are the two missing Serie C sides. Both were on my proposed travel roster for March 2020, but we all know why that didn’t happen sadly. First up is Fano, 70 kilometres north of the capital, and home to Societa Ginnastica Alma Juventus Fano, a rather grand full title came for a club, but it was named by a professor, albeit shortened to AJ Fano these days. They are almost solidly, and reliably a Serie C team, and the clubs only real excitement was dotting between C1 and C2, but now with the fourth tier being the expansive D leagues instead of C2, it’s a level everyone is keen to avoid, and Fano have been flirting with D a few times, most recently dodged by winning the end of season relegation play-out last term against Ravenna to stay up. With clubs going bust or not meeting the C criteria, Ravenna ultimately ended up back in the third tier too, so the whole exercise was a bit futile. Stadio Raffaelle Mancini is inland away from the sea in Fano, and with an 8,800 capacity, again it is more than adequate. 

On the most northerly border of Marche, twenty kilometres north of Fano you’ll find perhaps the most well known of the region’s beach resorts, Pesaro. It has a very successful basketball team, as well as being home to the last of the C gang, Vis Pesaro. Having had 39 campaigns in the third tier, Vis like Fano, and Samb, it’s a level that all three are most comfortable. Pesaro have just been back at this level for three years having been expelled in 2005/06, and they’ve had to work hard through a raft of tough amateur and local leagues to claim that “we’re home” title ahead of starting back in Serie C once more. They are off and running on the 40th campaign at that level this season. 

Two final names to add to the list, are both closer to Ancona are rivals of the capital team this season. The first is from Senigallia, home to Vigor Senigallia. The town is a fabulous beach resort, complete with fishing port and the striking as well as imposing Rocca Roveresca Fortress across from the railway station. Vigor have already been at Conero this season coming away with a commendable 2-2 draw. A little further south of Senigallia off the coast a little is the charming town of Jesi, famous for its wine, Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio, although Matelica would claim the Verdicchio grape too. Roberto Mancini, the national boss is a Jesi boy. Jesina are the local football team, and were relegated last term from D, joining Vigor and Ancona in the Eccellenza. On the first weekend of May next year Jesina will host Anconitana, a match already red circled in my diary as a game I would love to see. I keep pushing back the date in my mind when we can all go about life freely to an extent once more, but surely by May 2021 the worst of this hideous passage of life will be behind us all, and we can all get back to stadiums, and travels. You could do worse than consider Ancona and the Marche region for a 2021 trip.