Football Adventures with James Rendall
My football adventures all over the world
Reginald Rose probably didn't have a small town in Campania in mind when he wrote his seminal classic courtroom drama "12 Angry Men"! For a start, he pitched his novel with one too many players. Sydney Lumet raised the bar on the text with his powerful cinematic adaption. It sits in the pantheon of 'must … Continue reading ELEVEN ANGRI MEN
The most southerly city of mainland Italy is Reggio Calabria, tucked right around the base of the toe, looking across the Straits of Messina on Sicily. If you have ever taken the train across this stretch of water on the boat to the largest island in the Mediterranean, you were mighty close to Reggio. The … Continue reading Reggio Sud
Perhaps, given the volume of calcio tales I have brought to the Football Weekends table over the years, it is a great honour to write the ‘26/27 preview of Italian football. In order to look forward, first we should recap on last term, a season that in many respects was Italy’s “annus horribilis”. The failure … Continue reading Recensione e anteprima
CONIFA, the association for the unaffliated lands is back. After a period in hiatus, they have re-launched, and ready to go with this mini Euros competition. New regions have signed up, adding a diverse flavour to the recipe. With more members (they currently claim 50 plus worldwide), it all bodes well for the longevity of … Continue reading CONIFA Time
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
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