O Fiorentina, di ogni squadra ti vogliam regina.
O Fiorentina, combatti ovenque ardita e con valor
Nell’ora di sconforto o di vittoria
Ricorda che del calcio hai tu la storia!
Oh Fiorentina, we want you to be the queen of teams
Oh Firoentina, wherever you are fight with courage
In moments of trouble or of victory
Remember that soccer is your game!
Also during the game the audience chanted:
Chi non salta e un romano!
Anyone who does not jump is a fan of Roma!
So last night I had a chance to go to a Calcio (Soccer) game and watch the two top teams in the Italian Soccer Club to duel. I purchased the cheapest tickets 20 Euro for men and if you were a woman 17 Euro from a local Tabaccii (Tobacco) store. We hopped on the free shuttle to the Stadio and were pushed into the stadium…literally. Entering the stadium was like being packed into a can of sardines. The spectators rushed through security and in order to enter everyone had to single file through an electronic gate. If there were not 47000 Fiorentinans rushing to get into the stadium this would not be a problem, but since it was it was an interesting experience. Throughout the crowd there were cheers and chants and the occasional dose of alcoholic breathe. Once in the stadium we went to our section where it was pouring rain. I luckily brought a rain jacket and three layers of clothing. I stayed dry and warm. The majority of the fans had purple ponchos or for those who were die hard, wore only the Fiorentina’s jerseys or memorabilia.
An Italian soccer game is unlike any American spectator sport. Its full of organized chaos! Our seats were the cheapest and was full of American students and locals. The entire stadium was full. The section opposing us on the other side was where the Roma fans sat. To my amazement their section was surrounded by a 30 foot high glass fence with barbed wire on top. I soon learned that it was for the protection of both sides, the Roma fans and the Fiorentina fans. The actual field was surrounded by barbed wire fences and glass walls. Apparently sometimes things do get out of hand and I guess that’s why we had to record our names, dates of birth and ID numbers to get our tickets.
The actual game itself was a lot of fun. A sold out stadium with numerous songs and chants made this spectator sport way more interesting than Baseball or American Football. The only downside of Italian spectator sports is that the beer that is sold at the games is non-alcoholic….I guess to prevent any soccer hooligans.
O Fiorentina, combatti ovenque ardita e con valor
Nell’ora di sconforto o di vittoria
Ricorda che del calcio hai tu la storia!
Oh Fiorentina, we want you to be the queen of teams
Oh Firoentina, wherever you are fight with courage
In moments of trouble or of victory
Remember that soccer is your game!
Also during the game the audience chanted:
Chi non salta e un romano!
Anyone who does not jump is a fan of Roma!
So last night I had a chance to go to a Calcio (Soccer) game and watch the two top teams in the Italian Soccer Club to duel. I purchased the cheapest tickets 20 Euro for men and if you were a woman 17 Euro from a local Tabaccii (Tobacco) store. We hopped on the free shuttle to the Stadio and were pushed into the stadium…literally. Entering the stadium was like being packed into a can of sardines. The spectators rushed through security and in order to enter everyone had to single file through an electronic gate. If there were not 47000 Fiorentinans rushing to get into the stadium this would not be a problem, but since it was it was an interesting experience. Throughout the crowd there were cheers and chants and the occasional dose of alcoholic breathe. Once in the stadium we went to our section where it was pouring rain. I luckily brought a rain jacket and three layers of clothing. I stayed dry and warm. The majority of the fans had purple ponchos or for those who were die hard, wore only the Fiorentina’s jerseys or memorabilia.
An Italian soccer game is unlike any American spectator sport. Its full of organized chaos! Our seats were the cheapest and was full of American students and locals. The entire stadium was full. The section opposing us on the other side was where the Roma fans sat. To my amazement their section was surrounded by a 30 foot high glass fence with barbed wire on top. I soon learned that it was for the protection of both sides, the Roma fans and the Fiorentina fans. The actual field was surrounded by barbed wire fences and glass walls. Apparently sometimes things do get out of hand and I guess that’s why we had to record our names, dates of birth and ID numbers to get our tickets.
The actual game itself was a lot of fun. A sold out stadium with numerous songs and chants made this spectator sport way more interesting than Baseball or American Football. The only downside of Italian spectator sports is that the beer that is sold at the games is non-alcoholic….I guess to prevent any soccer hooligans.
The divided section in the middle is where the Roma fans were enclosed!The final score of the night was 2-2. A tie game that kept the number one teams tied. It was an amazing experience and I hope to return to another one where I can see much clearer and sit closer.
On a side note, I finally had my Management and Operations classes after having the professor being sick for 7 days. It’s a nice relief. Here is a fun fact that I learned today from that class. Apparently all in one shampoo and condition is made up of the same components as DW 40. The shine on your hair is the chemicals used in DW 40. Toothpaste was originally used as a rat killer. My professor seems like a character and should be interesting.
Yesterday as well, I had my second art drawing class. We had to sketch four drawings of a still life set up. Two fruits and an empty bottle. Next week we get to sketch our first model. It will be a challenging class but should be very rewarding.
On Tuesday I had a chance to attend a film in Firenze. Every Tuesday the Odean Theater ( a beautiful old opera house) has American films. The feature film was Sicko. It was a great film, despite elements of exaggeration by Michael Moore; however, it really made me feel how horrible our health system is. Federica, one of our Italian student life coordinators was amazed at how the American health system is so expensive and very corporate. In Italy everyone is given free health care and the doctors are paid just as well as the doctors in the U.S. The only downside is if it is not an emergency it takes a few months to get care. That’s where most Italians go to private clinics to get simple care instead of the public hospitals. The doctors here also are paid more if they are able to help their patients stop smoking, lose weight or lower their blood pressure. All of it is free and prescriptions are 80% cheaper here than in the U.S.
It was great to compare our health system with an Italian regarding their health system. I think it’s a great idea! Socialize health care and it will work out. Europeans live longer than us despite having a higher rate of cancer! If the U.S is scared of socializing healthcare think of the systems that are already socialized in the U.S…..public education, library system, postal system…etc.
Anyways despite my opinion regarding America’s health system I did not realize that while I am here in Italy I get free health care here as well, however I hope not to have to use it!
Tomorrow 110 of us are heading to the Island of Elba, where Napoleon was first exiled. Its now a very popular vacation spot of Italians. Comparable to Hawaii in the U.S.
The weather here has turned sour. Rain. Lots of it and lots of crazy and wild thunderstorms!
