What’s up Napoli Nation? I would like to begin sharing my experiences attending Napoli matches in a slightly more formal venue than social media.
I love our interaction on social media, but here I plan to put more beef into sharing these experiences. I will call it Pallon’ e Pizz’. Why “Pizz”? Because how can I not also talk about the food scene during my trips! By the way, Pallon’ is Napoletano for Pallone (calcio). So, here it goes!
As a kick-off to this blog, you can read about my background and how I became such a huge Napoli fan right here on Forza Napoli Press. It was difficult for all of us Napoli fans during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that that has finally settled down, match attendance has returned to almost complete normalcy. I have attended countless matches over the last two seasons, and my experiences have been unforgettable. Last season saw Napoli challenge for the Scudetto up until the final rounds of the season, and this season, they are the clear favorites heading into 2023.
Unforgettable matches that come to mind from last season include the victories on the road against Fiorentina, Milan, and Atalanta. My only memorable home victory last year was against Juventus. Then, the forgettable losses to several mediocre clubs at home, not to mention the all-important loss to Milan. And, the one match where the downturn started was the draw versus Inter at home. I attended nearly all matches, and the emotional roller coaster was a lot to handle in a year where Napoli seriously contended to win the Scudetto. If not for the home losses against clubs that Napoli should have brushed aside, we could well have celebrated (and still would be celebrating) our first Scudetto since the Maradona era.
While last season tested our faith, this season is turning out to be what could be called the “Scudetto” year. Nobody right now can honestly deny that Napoli is the clear favorite to take it all home. But the off-season sure didn’t seem that way for nearly all of Napoli Nation. Aurelio De Laurentiis cleaned up shop and shipped out some of Napoli’s icons from the last decade. The first was then captain Lorenzo Insigne, who, celebrated his signing with Toronto FC in the middle of the season; a celebration that I considered unprofessional. In my (strong) opinion, his departure was overdue, as I believe he often held Napoli back, and his involvement in the mutiny of 2019 confirmed this.
Then, to some fans’ surprise, Kalidou Koulibaly was sold to Chelsea. It was common knowledge that he would take over the captaincy and lead Napoli into the next era. The shock across Napoli Nation was hard to deal with for sure. Then, Dries Mertens, our Napoli son, was let go, not renewing his contract. All this, coupled with the departure of David Ospina, suggested to most that Napoli would be going through a rebuilding phase and that it could be years before they were competing again for the Scudetto. However, once the new signings began to arrive, like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (say that five times fast – oh crap, we can barely pronounce it right!), Giovanni Simeone, Kim Min-jae, and Giacomo Raspadori, I was convinced that Napoli would not only complete for top four, but could even become immediate Scudetto contenders if we signed a new goalie. After that didn’t happen, I was skeptical about the Scudetto. That all changed after the first two matches – dominant performances against Verona (which I attended) and Monza. Now here we are, eight points clear of Milan after dominating Serie A, including staying undefeated through the first 15 rounds.
In this kick-off blog, I will briefly touch on a few matches I attended and try to document the emotional ride it has been. First and foremost, the very first match of the season saw Napoli destroy Verona by a score line of 2-5. Napoli conceded first but quickly displayed that dominant style of attacking their opponent over the full 90 minutes. When Victor Osimhen gave us the lead in the first half, I was confident the match was in our control and that we would easily win. One of the things I remember most about this match was the tense atmosphere and the vile banner that was displayed outside the stadium before the match. The message was for the Ukranian war to send war heads to Napoli.
The next match I attended that’s worth mentioning was against Fiorentina, where Napoli struggled to find the net in a 0-0 draw. Napoli was stifled by the tactics employed by Vincenzo Italiano. Again, the atmosphere at this match was tense. And, as all of us in Napoli Nation saw, a young Napoli fan who was sitting in the home section was forced to turn his Napoli shirt inside out – a symbol of the hatred and utter disgust many Fiorentina fans have for Napoletani. From my experience, this hatred is extremely prevalent, and I have started to become numb to it. But several weeks after this match, we have taken the hatred and turned it into motivation, chanting “Vesuvio Erutta” ourselves. Every time we do, it sends chills down my spine!
I have also attended Champions League matches. The complete and utter destruction of Liverpool, by a final score of 4-1, was special. The stadium was rocking and it reminded me of the passion displayed years ago, when Napoli played in the Champions League for the first time. My favourite player, Ezequiel “Pocho” Lavezzi, scored in the win over Chelsea. Napoli looked like a real contender in the Champions League that night, and they have stamped that belief in me by beating Rangers and Ajax 0-3 and 1-6, respectively. I attended the match in Amsterdam, albeit in the home section. The Johan Cruyff Arena was so quiet from the moment Napoli came from behind to go up by two goals in the first half. It was the first time I ever felt compelled to sit on my hands and stay quiet.
San Siro here I come! The “Meca Meazza” is iconic, and the atmosphere is just amazing. Milan, who was without last year’s MVP, Rafael Leão, struggled to create chances until the second half, when Olivier Giroud tied the contest. But, Giovanni “Cholito” Simeone had other plans, placing a beautiful header into the back of the goal to bring home all three points. I love the city of Milan and respect their club. So, leaving there with a victory was special.
The next match I attended was difficult to watch most of the way but ended with a goal of the year contender. Against Roma, Victor Osimhen reminded us that he is world class and one of the best strikers in all of Europe. He brushed aside Chris Smalling and smashed the ball past Rui Patricio from what seemed an impossible angle. The Stadio Olimpico has one of the best atmospheres in Serie A. The victory was emotional and confirmation for many non-believers throughout Napoli Nation that Napoli are legitimate contenders.
Next came Bergamo! For any Napoli fan considering which road match to attend first, I would say this is the one. The security set-up – busing the away section from a parking lot about 10 minutes away from stadium – contributes to the raw experience. The buses took us through the middle of the city on the way to Gewiss Stadium. I can tell you, this is something I will always remember. We chanted for 10 minutes straight. Dudes were hanging out of the bus doors, jumping off the bus to leave flares behind, then running to catch up and get back on. It was just incredible! Then, the ending of the night! We beat Atalanta 1-2 and sent those fans (with so much hatred in their hearts) packing! Osihmen tied it up and Eljif Elmas finished them off. Oh man, one more thing. I went with a friend from Norway, who happens to be close to Leo Østigård. Østigård came out after match and gave both of us his jersey. That was cool for sure, but, the coolest part was Østigård being forced to strip down to his underwear by the Ultras!
Now, as I said earlier, I will also briefly talk about the food scene in Napoli and throughout Italia during match weekends. To kick this off, let me talk about PIZZA! There is no other place in the world that is more passionate about their pizza. And the pizza scene in Napoli is evolving to not be only about traditional style Margherita and Marinara, but also gourmet pizza! My favorite spots are Pizza 3.0 Ciro Cascella for gourmet and Pizzeria di Napoli for traditional. Then, all the caffe places, pastry spots, sandwich places, restaurants, trattorias, and just about anywhere to get some of the best food in the world is something to behold.
For my next blog, I will cover something specific and if Napoli Nation wants, send a message to my Twitter account (@NapuleDBO) to ask me to visit and talk about a specific place or a specific food/dish.
That will do it for my first blog, FORZA NAPOLI, BUON APPETTITO, e STATT BON!
