Football Adventures with James Rendall
My football adventures all over the world
Emilia-Romagna is a vast, prosperous region of Italy, famed for its farm produce, fast cars and artisanal cooking oils. Edging closer to the Eastern seaboard, but not actually on the coast, you’ll find one of its jewels, Ravenna. With a population of 156,000, Ravenna is no quiet, out of the way city. Its history includes … Continue reading Mosaic sure it’s Ravenna
The diverse and large region of Abruzzo might not be amongst the hotbed areas for calcio, but it certainly packs a lot in. From mountain ski resorts to lengthy coastal beaches, as well as terrific historical towns, it’s just about got it all. The big fish is the capital Pescara, maybe the only club those … Continue reading Hilltop Teramo
It might have taken a while, 1987 to 2026, but the Coppa Eccelenza Finale in Teramo on 9th May will be my 100th Stadio in Italia. Given I have only visited 412 anywhere in the world (mostly Scotland), nearly 25% is a remarkable stat perhaps. Blame it on Football Weekends and my craving to discover … Continue reading Centenarian
If you ask any visitor to Italy, where is on their “must do list”, the big three, Roma, Firenze and Venezia will immediately trot out. A sub-section might offer Verona, the Amalfi Coast or Pisa as well. That latter name, as quaint as it is, really has only become famous courtesy of a terrible habit … Continue reading Lively Livorno
Heading back across the Straits of Messina onto the island of Sicily by train is always entertaining. Yes, it’s time consuming as they shuffle the engine and carriages on and off the boat, but once all are inside the bowels of the vessel, you can stretch your legs and get a blast of sea air … Continue reading The Elephant in the Stadio
The Campania region is on the rise in the Italian football world. Sitting as kingpin over everything else in this corner of the country is Napoli, not just in terms of recent Scudetto success, but economically too. Its presence looms almost as large as Vesuvius does in this area, with everything sitting in the shadow … Continue reading Milling Around
Forlì, once before featured in FW magazine, part of a region wide overview after my two matches here in April 2017. Emilia Romagna is home territory for Forlì, and one of the most prosperous areas of Italy, especially those cities from Bologna headed north. Here, it is a hotbed of famous Italian exports, from cars … Continue reading Chicken Run
Who would you say is the most famous person you have ever had a wee chat with or shared a selfie? I am sure we have all had at least one such encounter. I guess, post an utterly depressing 1-0 loss for Scotland at Italia ‘90 to Costa Rica (it is why Haiti remains fearful … Continue reading I, Spartacus
Sergio Rachmaninoff, pianist and great composer might seem a curious way of starting a tale about Serie D football, but his famous piece “Theme from Paganini” has been whirring in my mind as I start to write this article, a romantic ditty at its core. The correlation of Paganini and the team from Pagani, Paganese … Continue reading Theme for Paganese
How far back does your love of Calcio go? It seeped into my psyche in Como, July 1982, when Italy dismantled West Germany. That Marco Tardelli celebration still gives me goosebumps. Lago di Como, along with pretty much every corner of Italy, took to the streets in wild celebration. It all left an indelible mark, … Continue reading ….And Green Means Go!
Football Adventures with James Rendall 
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