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Sport
If you are at all interested in the game, it would be a shame to leave Italy without attending a partita or football match; calcio is the national sport and is followed fanatically by millions of Italians. The season starts around the end of August, takes a break during the latter part of December and primeval part of January, and finishes up, with the Italian Cup final, in June. The Italian League is split into four principal divisions, Serie A, Serie B, and Serie C1 and C2; matches are normally played on Sunday afternoons, occasionally Sunday evenings, and there is a good chance that on any weekend there will be a team from one of the above divisions playing not too far away. Serie A, is of course, the most prestigious division, comprising eighteen teams; the bottom-placed four are relegated apiece season, to be replaced by the top four from Serie B, although there are some clubs whom it would be unimaginable to see in Serie B - teams like Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan.Inevitably, tickets for Serie A matches are not cheap, starting at about £30,000/¬15.49 for “Curva” seats at apiece end of the ground, where the tifosi or hard-core fans go, rising to £50,000/¬25.82 for the Distinti or corner seats, and up to £70,000-150,000/¬36.15-77.47 for seats in the “Tribuna”, along the side of the pitch. We’ve given details of where to buy tickets for the major clubs and how to get to their grounds in the “Listings” sections at the end of major city accounts. Once at the football match, get into the region of the occasion by knocking back borghetti - little vials of cold coffee with a drop of spirit added.
Italy’s chosen sport after football is basketball , introduced from the United States after World War II. Most cities have a team, and Italy is now ranked among the foremost in the world. Other stateside imports are baseball and American football . In a country that has produced Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat, it should come as no surprise that motor racing gives Italians such a buzz. There are grand prix tracks at Monza near Milan (home of the Italian Grand Prix) and at Imola, where the San Marino Grand Prix is held.
The other sport favourite with participants and crowds of spectators alike is cycling. At weekends especially, you’ll often see a club pack out, dressed in bright team kit, whirring along on their slender machines. The annual Giro d’Italia (tour of Italy) in the second half of May is a prestige event that attracts scores of international participants apiece year, closing down roads and creating great excitement.
Tags: ac milan, alfa romeo, american football, cold coffee, core fans, distinti, football match, inter milan, italian cup, italian league, italians, juventus inter, major clubs, national sport, principal divisions, serie c1, sunday afternoons, tifosi, vials, world war ii