In the last year I have been taking my Italian tales further and further south, predominantly as the north and central areas had been well rinsed. Albeit I still have loads of stories to tell in more northern reaches. It all started in Taranto last October, a first ever game for me in the southern … Continue reading C,C Signore! Calcio along the Appian Way →

I am sure we all have a favourite novel. Perhaps elements of the narrative resonate with you, and normally it is something personal within the text that adds to why we are drawn to any given book. My favourite novel, The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles has one element that ticks that box for me, … Continue reading Dulce Lecce →

I love Italy, and I love its Calcio (football), but dear goodness it can sometimes be like the most strained relationship. Perhaps similar to a football daft fan bored in the summer without his/her team, they find themselves home too much for his/her partners liking. It is like that in those June to September months … Continue reading II Lupi di Cosenza →

I am celebrating 40 years of closely following Calcio this season, where back in the day, come round 6 of the 1983/84 season I had found a regular source of getting my hands on Guerin Sportivo magazine (the Italian bible on football). It used to be a weekly magazine back then, now monthly, and despite … Continue reading Catanzaro on High, literally! →

Anyone familiar with the Isle of Man flag will know it has a three legged symbol in the centre, and while not exactly identical, the angles are all different, Lake Como has three legs too, the Larian triangle as it is known . It was on the shores of this magnificent lake that I first … Continue reading Lecco Land →

A little vignette of this piece will form part of FW editors tales from the magazine's trip to Milan, but I have buffed it up as my recollection of a day that will live long on my memory. The Football Weekends magazine 10 (the number in our party) left Milan Centrale on a misty, drizzly … Continue reading Ospiti views from Fiorenzuola →

Tucked in on the Eastern edges of Lombardia, Mantova is one of the unsung gems of the region. That said, Lombardia, and neighbouring Veneto are both teeming with sumptuous cities (as well as every region of this beautiful country), but while Mantova might not be amongst the most well known, it is truly a fabulous … Continue reading Virtuoso Mantovani Times →

Within a few hours of my arrival in Taranto, having sat down to enjoy an outdoor meal in the baking heat of mid-October, I found myself posting some photos of the city on my social media with the addition of, “someone take this man’s passport away for goodness sake, Taranto is A-MAZ-ING, and in my … Continue reading Criss-Crossing Taranto →

The last couple of years has seen a great number of wonderful footballers pass away. None were bigger than Diego Maradona and more recently Pele. Aside from these giants of the game, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Paolo Rossi and Gianluca Vialli all struck a chord with me. All taken by cancer far too young, and everyone of … Continue reading Chasing Heroes →