It is always nice to visit somewhere new, even if I have viewed Pescara from passing train windows on many occasions. This sizeable coastal city (population 118,657 in 2023- Greater area, circa 350,000) is the capital of Abruzzo. This wouldn’t just be my first visit to the city, but my first trip to the region, and by virtue, my first game in the area too.
There are 20 regions in Italy, and this was my 16th watching a game. I now have a new ambition to see a game in the remaining four; Basilicata (Matera/Potenza), Molise (Campobasso), Sardinia (Cagliari/Sassari/Olbia) and perhaps the trickiest, way up in the North West corner, Valle D’Aosta, an area with mere tiddly teams, but I will get there. No Futbology badge will be handed out for that achievement, but that’s not my game. I will never complete Serie A (as I refuse to go to watch Juve), and all Serie C leagues are beyond me completing them too, with U23’s to be avoided at all costs, especially at home, let alone particularly small one season visitors to this level, who don’t inspire me. There needs to be meat on the bones and a story to tell in order to venture anywhere in truth.
The view of Pescara from the train as I shuffled south to Lecce or Bari, and subsequently north to Ancona, or beyond was always a pleasant sight. The stadium was always very visible, as was a very impressive church bell tower. It’s not quite that this constitutes the sum of its parts, but Pescara as a city is a little underwhelming. This is a working city, and despite having a vast beach frontage and port, it isn’t really a tourist town.
Nudging into the last week’s of the year, the beach businesses have long shut down. Indeed, on a glorious day with bright sun, reaching around 18 degrees, the northerner was pretty easy to spot amid winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots. It might get too hot around these parts in the summer, but a drop in temperature is certainly felt by locals too. Coming from a cooler climate, I am sure I am not the only visitor who finds a momentary giggle being stifled at how wrapped up some are, as they walk by chittering, whilst I am enjoying the sun!
The lack of beachfront hotels tells its own story. Further up the road in Pesaro or Rimini, the entire front would be a riot of hoteliers. In Pescara, I counted just three before the river, and two after, both exceptionally handy for the stadium of a post-match trail is too much; Regent and Holiday Hotel are for you. Other places to stay are dotted throughout the city, mine, just 200 metres from Pescara Centrale station, the perfect location for a morning departure.
Perhaps one reason for the lack of the usual array of ancient buildings in Italy cities, and a lack of any signs of the history from valiantly holding off the Ottomans, etc, is best understood from the knowledge that Pescara was pretty much destroyed by the Allies in WWII, looking to break the German bridgehead at the time.
Starting from a devastated canvas has allowed the city planners to concoct a USA style grid of streets. It’s a very easy city to negotiate, save when you want to cross the River Aterno-Pescara. There are only two crossing points for walking, one down by the sea, a spectacular bridge for pedestrians and bikes alone. Neither of these bridges marry up well with a trip to the Stadio Adriatico, meaning lengthy end arounds (as a Gridiron fan would say) are needed.
Delfino Pescara 1936 is the full name of the local football team, essentially Dolphin Pescara, but largely the poor dolphins just get ignored, Pescara it is. They currently ply their trade in the third tier, Serie C, but are going along very nicely, and have clearwater at the top, where staying in that position alone will automatically get them promoted to B therefore avoiding those pesky 28 team play offs.
There are a number of clubs at this level that you could easily say are either underperforming or too big for the third tier. Pescara would certainly put a case forward to be included in that category. After all, they have enjoyed some seven top flight campaigns in five separate spells, surviving for a second term in the late ’70’s and late ’80’s, before a trio of one season appearances at the highest level in 1992/93, 2012/13 and most recently 2016/17.
My own Pescara story starts in 1991/92, when they came to Ancona’s old Dorico stadium in Serie B, with both clubs on the cusp of promotion to A, a potential first visit for Ancona. It was a raucous occasion, as you can imagine, until that is, when the referee awarded Ancona a penalty. It was duly despatched, and briefly, the fans were exultant, but Sandro Tovalieri, who tucked it away, didn’t celebrate. The game was a bogey, the fans sat down, depressed at the knowledge it was an ‘arranged’ draw! True to that notion, Ancona backed off, Pescara dribbled through to equalise, but hilariously to keep up the pretence, having tested each others resolve, they let each other score again! The truly odd thing about this was that it benefitted Pescara more than Ancona. The Delfini clinched promotion the following week, whereas Ancona had to sweat it out until the final game, getting over the line with a hard fought 1-1 draw at Bologna.
The very next season, this fixture was for the first and only time a top flight match-up. My buddy Martin and I spotted an opportunity to watch his side (Udinese) and Ancona twice in a fortnight’s sojourn late in the season, as Ancona would visit Udine. The week prior, now in our new Del Conero stadium, Pescara were back in town. Both were already relegated, leaking goals left, right and centre, so it came as no surprise these two put on a bit of a goal fest show, finishing 5-3 to Ancona, with no ‘arrangements’ in place this time around. This match remains in the pantheon of memorable occasions, not so much for the game, more the post-match departure the next morning when Stefano apologised for the quality of the game. Poor lad, we never let him forget that many years on. Eight goals, some belters, don’t apologise for that!
The Stadio Adriatico is a classic ellipse Mussolini, all sports facility. The seats are in the process of being buffed up, while, as usual, the running track is largely, if not totally redundant, but unusually in very good nick, appropriately Pescara light blue in colour. The stadio has a capacity of just over 20,000 with the seating reducing the numbers, whoever, in the modern world, a figure that will rarely be tested, certainly in Serie C.
Having never seen a game in Abruzzo before, it seemed wholly appropriate that my opening joust in this region should be a derby versus Pineto, just down the coast a slither. I say ‘derby’ but in truth, these two will rarely have come across one another. Pineto is a small town, and a small club, with this fixture doubtlessly meaning more to them than Pescara. Ancona v Pescara was being coined as ‘il derby Adriatico’ and Pescara v Sambenedettese, or Ascoli, despite being from neighbouring Marche too, are both bigger local battles for Delfino than Pineto.
There was almost an inevitability that the wee boy down the road would win this one, but quite how remains a mystery. Well, one thing was for sure, the Pineto keeper had an absolute blinder. A Jan Tomaszewski type performance, but as to whether the Pescara coach called him a clown is unknown. What is for sure is, despite his stunning saves, he more than blotted his copy book in my eyes and thousands of Pescaresi, when after almost every save he followed it up by rolling around feigning injury, a scenario that became endemic throughout the Pineto team.
Pescara created enough to win comfortably, they attack with pace and no little elan, but that one man stood between them and a derby win. As it was, of course, Pineto had their five minutes of attacking prowess, and in the midst of that, the home keeper took down a forward resulting in a penalty, complete with a red card. The gamesmanship momentarily swung the other way, with an outfield player replaced by the substitute goalie, followed one by one, by three further replacements, who didn’t exactly trot off the pitch. Meantime the febrile atmosphere continued to grow hostile. All this time, the penalty taker stood holding the ball, staring at the goal. He tucked it away, and Pineto led.
Despite being a man down, for the next 20 minutes or so, Pescara kept battering at the door in the five minute interludes between pantomime acting. Despite being a man to the good, and with plenty of time still on the clock, the sum of Pineto’s ambitions was on occasion to run from the halfway line not towards goal, but the corner flag! They’d then endeavour to dribble along the line, and in added time, when Pescara had all but given up, the visitors could have added to the goal.
As it was, upon the final whistle, the joy of the visitors was unrestrained. The 75 or so Pineto fans were rightly ecstatic, and so were the players, who largely avoided normal post-match protocols of shaking hands to run to the small, merry band. This was a big moment for them.
Smoke spewed from the Pescara Ultras, who take two positions, in the Curva Nord, and the Gradinata opposite the mainstand. This unusual arrangement meant the normally sedate seating along the touchline became full of said smoke and anger, too. The linger after effects of that nonsense was, the morning after, my jacket was still stinking of smoke bombs.
One curious thing, largely most clubs have a club song. Pescara is no different, but what a ridiculous and annoying tune it is. Imagine something akin to the Birdie Song! Initially, I thought the squeak involved in the tune was a mouse, but then it dawned, it was a dolphin, doh of course! It was still an uncomfortable listen, pre-match, and regrettably, at half-time too.
This loss would have been celebrated in Terni and Chiavari, whose teams are back within striking distance of Pescara. They will have to quickly dust themselves down and go again. Meantime, I can imagine everyone in Pineto just feels that little bit taller, you can’t beat rumbling a big boy, especially when it’s your rivals just up the road.
GETTING THERE
From Pescara Centrale station, it is around 3.5 kilometres to the stadium. Bus 10 will take you directly, it even says Stadio on the front. If you want to walk, it’s not a difficult hike, but the river crossing needs to be factored in, as well as potential road closures for away fans etc. If you walk towards the immediately noticeable church tower in front of you when you exit the station, staying just to its left, keep going until you reach the coast. Take a right there, with another straight as an arrow walk, interrupted only by the spectacular pedestrian bridge and keep going straight. The floodlights will soon start to be visible on your right, and at the second small roundabout, turn right, and you are less than 500 metres from the ground.
CATERING and SOUVENIRS
There are a few food trucks outside the stadium, selling altogether more tasty bites that inside, where water, beer, and crisps seem to be all they have on offer. The kiosk is small and wholly inadequate for the numbers at such a game. However, cinema style vending of old, with trays around the neck, sees young lads move amongst the throngs, selling the aforementioned trio of treats, but disappointingly, no albatross!
Pescara have a club shop, nowhere near the stadium, in fact it is near the beaches and the city centre. Shirts, T-shirts and jackets is your lot, but if you pitch up on match day, at lunch time as I did, expect a lengthy queue for garment purchasing, as it doubles up as the ticket office, and all that info on any ticket takes time you know!
Outside the stadium, a stall, unofficial, of course, sells scarves, hats, and flags.
Football Adventures with James Rendall 