When Italy is in the Championship Soccer Match

The other day, Italy competed against Spain in the Euro Cup 2012 soccer tournament.  They made it all the way to the final championship match after fierce bracket-play and success in the quarter and semifinals.

Not having television here, I stayed at home enough times during these earlier games.  The evenings are beautiful in Rome and once the blazing sun gets out of the way, the 75 degree (F) weather makes for a perfect chance to sit on the patio and write an article or two. During the normal soccer season, AS Roma fans (or maybe Lazio fans - if they dared) were heard a few floors above from my apartment.  Whether the team scored or missed a goal, the cheers and jeers were noticed.  Even through a couple floors of concrete, a yell can be clearly identified.

But when the national Italian team games were played, the most fantastic aural spectacle occurred.  When Italy scored in the exciting Semifinal match against Germany, first I heard my neighbor above scream in excitement. But then my head twitched a millisecond later to my left.  Apparently the building next door had a few fans watching as well.  As we all know, sound is slower than light. Well just a tiny bit later, the surround sound eruption from the rest of Rome's watching community made its way to my patio where little old me sat taking in the VASGO-worthy ambiance of Italians and their love of calcio.

Hearing the repeated cheers throughout the game, first of all, really made me wish I had gone to a pub or had television at home since I always enjoy watching a good game.  But after finding out that Italy beat Germany 2-1, it meant there was a Championship game to be held a few nights later.  Sounds good, I thought to myself.  I should definitely go to a pub for the game.


And then I found out what happens when Italy is in the championship soccer match.

Everyone goes to the ancient arena.  The place where horses pulled chariots round and round, people piled in on the steep steps for a spectacle of their own.  Circus Maximus, Circo Massimo in Italian, was transformed into a multi-speaker, multi-big screen soccer watching festival. The site is honestly HUGE if you've never been to Rome to see it in person. And when there is not the hundred thousand people (reportedly) walking down the hillsides piling into the lower tiers to get a good look at one of the 4 or 5 screens, the vast and empty, ancient site inspires thoughts of the culture-shaping events that changed history here. 


But immersed with the people, blending with the masses helped me gain a deeper understanding, a truer historical perspective. Everyone walked by with a beverage in hand, usually a lager beer. Cameras flashed, people chanted. The entire mass stood to sing their national anthem, so different from what I'm used to.  The person behind couldn't hold a pitch for the life of him. Smells drifted through the air in invisible torrents, those of a unique mixture only a massive group could conjure and yet mask all at the same time. Sweat, musky body odor, burnt tobacco, sometimes cannabis. I couldn't help but wonder -  was this experience at Circus Maximus all that different from the chariot races of the ancient days?  

Without a doubt, even though Italy lost 4-0 against Spain, going to this match was a highlight I'm proud I attended.  To walk through Circo Massimo when it's empty is one thing.  To go when it's full is entirely another.  To feel truly Italian is being with the masses. Don't miss the opportunity if it's ever presented.