The World in Motion

It was fully my intention to give a total boycott to Qatar 2022. It was relatively easy whilst in Istanbul with my girl, but occasionally we’d be in a restaurant or a coffee shop where someone was watching. A one man crusade seemed futile, and I became conflicted that this hideous event was increasingly going … Continue reading The World in Motion →

Virtuoso Mantovani Times

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 →

Criss-Crossing Taranto

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 →

Chasing Heroes

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 →

Viva La Spezia

If you have made it through the four levels of calcio to this point, and made it to La Spezia, well done, thanks for staying with me! The journey has been nudging north, significantly at first, but between Carrara and La Spezia, Parma is a bit of a diversion, although a direct train heads across … Continue reading Viva La Spezia →

Savaging the Coppa Italia

Having ran out of recollections of Wick encounters in the Scottish Cup, for the clubs third home match in the competition this season versus Falkirk at the end of the month I was asked to write a piece about the Coppa Italia, but I couldn't resist comparing it with a similar ladder layout in Uruguay. … Continue reading Savaging the Coppa Italia →

Laziale Thinking

I guess not many from outside Italy, maybe even Roma have seen five teams from the Italian capital, but without even trying that forms part of my Calcio legacy. Those who merely have a passing interest in Italian football are probably thinking, there are more than two teams in Roma! Every city, even one team … Continue reading Laziale Thinking →

The Marble Men of Carrara

I finally made it to Carrara! Four years ago I thought I was headed to the Stadio Dei Marmi, only to discover on the day of the game, it had been moved to Pontedera due to upgrading work at the stadium in Carrara. Thankfully Pontedera was doable too, but Carrara remained elusive. My Eleven Sports … Continue reading The Marble Men of Carrara →

Perfectly Parma

I have been to Parma a few times, and always enjoyed it immensely, but oddly this was the last major Emilia Romagna stadium for me. I can now follow the train route through the region headed north from Cesena (5 games, first 1987); Forli (2); Bologna (2); Modena; Reggio Emilia (3), and now Parma. Parma … Continue reading Perfectly Parma →

Bouncing Back in Bisceglie

I recently had to completely redraw a trip to Italy when it became apparent Finland was following Estonia in closing its borders to Russia, thus precluding my girl from getting a land exit, and that time, the alternative of a flight via Istanbul had reached the realms of silly money. There are a lot of … Continue reading Bouncing Back in Bisceglie →