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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →