I will be in Roma and Napoli from Sept 24 to Oct 2. I was thinking of taking in a game with my boyfriend. Does anyone have any recommendations on where/how to buy tickets? Grazie!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Check out this excellent guide: http://www.roninrome.com/%20entertainment/futbol-in-rome For foreign travelers, it's often easiest to purchase tickets at resale sites like this: http://www.viagogo.com/Sports-Tickets/Soccer/International-soccer/Italian-Premier-League
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
And, FWIW, unlike all the other Romance languages (inc. Spanish, French and Portuguese), the word in Italian for soccer is not some variation of "football", but is instead "calcio" (pronounced KAHL-tshoh), "Calcio" is also the word for "kick." There you are.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
"...italian for soccer is not some variation of "football", but is instead "calcio..." Tell that to Football Club Internazionale Milan, Juventus Football Club, Torino Football Club, Bologna Football Club, Genoa Cricket and Football Club, Verona Football Club, and Parma Football Club Thank You.
Posted by
Wiesbaden, Germany
791 posts
Calcio is the correct word. Many Italian teams have the word "Football" in their name because they were founded by Englishmen, Germans, Austrians, Swiss, etc. In fact, Inter Milan was formed by people who were upset that AC Milan was dominated by Italians so they split and created a new team called Football Club Internazionale Milano which was open to foreigners. What does the "AC" stand for in AC Milan? Associazione Calcio Milan. Ironically, the team (of which I am huge supporter) was founded by two Englishman, which is why they are called Milan instead of Milano.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Many old teams around Europe initially adopted football because translations of soccer terms and the sport's name (in England) itself were not widely known well into the 1940s
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
The point I was trying to make was that if a tourist in Italy approached a local and asked him/her what football team they supported or which tram line gets you to the football stadium, they will know what you are saying. Italian DNA doesn't contain a block on the word "football";)
Posted by
Wiesbaden, Germany
791 posts
If they speak English, sure. When I first got to Italy (from Germany) back in 2000 I was looking for a bar to watch the Euro 2000 matches in but not speaking any Italian at the time and thinking that everybody outside the US called it football (or some variation thereof), I kept saying "Football? Football?" and hardly anybody knew what the hell I was asking. Thankfully I found a bar where a girl spoke a little English and explained to me that it's called "calcio" here in Italy, not football.
Posted by
OP
Burnaby, BC, Canada
22 posts
Thank you everyone for your responses...I think.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
I'm glad you got your question answered, Jacqueline, and I hope you weren't too put off by the discussion that followed. Now I'm off to buy a shirt for our local soccer team - Sounders FC (By the way, "FC" stands for Football Club, but we still call it soccer here in the US, not football.) ;-)
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Speaking of Burnaby Jacqueline, I have some fond Futball memories of the place. Back in 1997 I attended the Canada V USA World Cup Qualifier at Commonwealth Stadium (does it sill exist?). The US was victorious, and cliched a spot to the finals in France. There were a lot of US fans in attendance, and after the final whistle we all ran on the field and congratulated team USA. Nobody attempted to stop us....the Mounties are so laid back:)