“Wat-chu-doin” Napoli Nation? This edition will not be all “happy thoughts,” as I witnessed insulting, if not extremely disturbing, chants at the Spezia-Napoli match on Sunday. It was a match in which Napoli had some difficult goings in the first half, but, within seconds of the restart, they exuded their dominance on the lower-half-of-the-table side.
Since last edition, I also attended the match at the Maradona against Roma. Napoli has continued their win streak and each matchday gets us closer and closer to that trophy some of us will only refer to as the “S” word. During my travels I also stopped for a pizza and a burger in Napoli, and while in Cinque Terre, near La Spezia, I stuffed my face with a Pizza Genovese.
Let me begin with the match against an in-form Roma side – a match I knew would be difficult, as I mentioned on Napoli Nation TV, Episode 3. Jose Mourinho had his men ready and has thrived on preparing his team to play big clubs, especially when he has a soft spot for the opposition’s coach. And prepared they were! Roma had one of their best performances of the season. But Luciano Spalletti was also prepared!
The match was neck-and-neck, up until our Mister made a huge move by subbing in Giovanni “Cholito” Simeone for Victor Osimhen. Our world class No. 9 was beat up throughout the match and was cautioned midway through the first half. But, before that, Victor scored the goal of the season, delivering on a lob pass from Khvicha Kvaratskehelia (or who I like to call “K-Town”). It was a “Euro” goal, with the ball touching nearly every part Osimhen’s body, from chest to thigh to foot, and then BOOM! He blasted it into the top-right corner.
If that wasn’t enough to raise the decibel level at the Maradona, the match winner for sure did the trick. After Roma tied the match on yet another Stephan El Shaarawy equalizer, Cholito made his way into the area, received a beautiful lay-off pass from Piotr Zielenski and picked just about the same area of the net as Victor did earlier. The stadium absolutely exploded and what I remember most was I screwed up by NOT getting video of such a golazzo! I thought I was recording, and when the chaos calmed, I looked at my phone and realized I never hit record! Needless to say, I was not happy! Another unforgettable moment was during the pre-game when the stadium lights went out, and majority of the fans had white and blue lights glimmering about. It was a beautiful sight. The singing made the atmosphere downright emotional!
Next match was on the road against Spezia, and for different reasons altogether, a match I will never forget. Not for Victor’s brace, or Spalletti finding his penalty kick dude in K-Town, but for the disgusting display of down-right racism spewed from the Spezia ultras in the Curva section of the stadium. This even after Victor made his way into the stands on the other side of the pitch to apologize for striking a Spezia fan with a ball during warm-ups.
I was appalled (to say the least) about the constant chants throughout the match. But, when I heard a chant making light of the late Diego Armando Maradona’s passing, it just seemed unbelievable to me. As if the chanting about wishing Mount Vesuvio would erupt and wash away the people of our great city wasn’t enough. These barbaric buffoons thought it was normal to bash the death of man, even if he wasn’t perfect.
This is the problem with the FIGC and Italia! These acts of racism, as I like to classify them because Northern Italians do not consider Southern Italians to actually be citizens of this country, are not normal. It is simply uncivilized and has no place in the world which our God created. If there was any consolation, it was that Napoli sent them packing with a 0-3 victory, which I also predicted on Episode 4 of Napoli Nation TV. My son, Mario, not only picked the scoreline, but also that Victor would bag two goals.
During my visit to the Liguria region, I had to stop by one of my favorite places in the world: CINQUE TERRE! This span of five towns which are all reachable by hiking the rim of the area is just astonishing. I built up the courage to go on a two-hour hike from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza.
But, before that, I stopped at one of the very few spots open during the off-season in this tourist area. The place is called Ristorante Pizzeria Da Ely. And how could I not get anything with Pesto! This area is worldly known for having some of the best pesto. I ordered a Pizza Genovese, but told the waiter to add a few pomodorini. The unique thing about this location, other than the fresh pesto, is their focaccia style pizza. I have to say, I was skeptical about it…but, DAMN it was simply delizioso!
Now, you may be saying what about your visit to Napoli, the pizza capital of the world? Well, of course, I devoured one there too! This time, I got a table at 50 Kalo and went with Pizza Fritta. I gotta say, it was very good, even if I am not a Pizza Fritta dude.
The ricotta was perfectly complemented by the Marrazzo red and yellow pomodorini. But, during these two trips, my favorite “Chop” had to be the Tartufo Burger at 50 Panino! It was perfectly seasoned and topped with a sliver of tartufo and an over-easy egg. The flavor was out of this world! MA MAMMA! CHE BUONO!
If you want me to cover something specific, send a message to my Twitter account (@NapuleDBO). Let me hit a spot you miss, or one you have heard about!
Until next time, FORZA NAPOLI, BUON APPETTITO, e STATT BON!
