Sunday 23 October 2011

Sunday soccer game

Milan's San Siro stadium

Since we arrived in Italy, my husband has been talking about going to see a soccer game at Milan's famous stadium, San Siro. Today my father-in-law was visiting and he thought it was going to be the perfect moment. I was a bit reluctant at first, but then we discovered that there was one of the two child-friendly games of the year, so we decided to go. It turns out that two times a year one of Milan's home teams, Inter, schedules games in the early afternoon so that kids can attend as well.

Even though I am from Milan, I had never been to the stadium. In fact, my parents do not follow soccer regularly, and I have grown up getting excited only about the World Cup. My son was born the year that Italy won the title and I still remember, while pregnant, watching the last game with my mom at the beach.

Tales of violence at soccer games are endless, so the first thing I was impressed about is how civilized the event was. Security was impressive. You needed an ID to buy your ticket. In addition, the ticket was nominative and ID were thoroughly checked at the entrance. My father-in-law correctly pointed out that it would have been easier to get on a plane!

Overall, the game was bait boring, but the whole experience was quite interesting. We got really good seats, so close to the field that, while it was being fixed up for the game, I could smell the freshly cut grass.

Fixing up the field before the game


We also got a good view of the children that paraded through the field during the intermission.

Growing up "interisti"

I thought it was also interesting that here they do not play the national anthem before the game (Italians feel quite ambivalent about it anyway). Inter's theme is a light pop song: "Crazy Inter, gotta love her!", which everyone around us seemed to know by heart, especially the children.

I was educated that ladies do not go to the stadium. Yet modern moms seem to like to take their kids there, and they do so in a range of outfits: from the die-hard fans showcasing their team's paraphernalia to those in fur coats and Luis Vuitton bags.

There were two things I did not like. First, smoking is allowed and several people puffed away for the whole duration of the game. I am not used to the smell of smoke in public places and it really bothered me. Second, I did not know women's pay a reduced admission ticket, together with kids and people over 65. I have not yet decided whether to feel offended about this.


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