S.S.C. Napoli

On Sunday morning, we took the high speed train an hour south to begin the second, and final, leg of our trip in Naples.  Rome was a good time, but I'm happy to be in Naples now. Being so close to the sea always makes me a happy camper.

We took no time at all diving into the Neapolitan way of life, including going to see S.S.C. Napoli soccer game.  It was the craziest sporting event I have ever been to in my life.  Granted, they were playing for a spot in the Champions League, so emotions were running extra high.  Mike and I agreed that no sporting event in the United States even comes close to this by comparison.

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Ticketing for the game is a little funny. You are assigned a ticket with your name on it when you purchase it, and you have to bring a photo ID with you in order to get in. Sometimes they are lax about checking IDs at the entrance and you can sneak in with someone else's ticket, but they were checking everything at this game since it was the last one of the season. Once you enter, you just pick a seat. Forget the one printed on your ticket; it's pretty much a free for all. The only place that's off limits is where the hooligans sit. That's probably for the best anyway.

Photo credit: Fabio

Once the whistle blows, you stand up on your seat for the duration of the game. It's a little uncomfortable, but you get used to it.  The only time that gets exciting is when Napoli scores and everyone starts going nuts. People are cheering, jumping up and down, and hugging each other.  I almost fell a few times when they scored.

The game was chock full of drama: Napoli being down 2-0 at half, then evening up the score, red cards, a penalty kick for Napoli to take the lead (they missed), and unfortunately, losing the game.  But man, the atmosphere was something else.  Emotions were running so high that after Napoli tied the game, a guy near us started to cry tears of joy.  Also, anytime Lazio got the ball, the stadium erupted into the loudest whistles (Europe's equivalent of booing) I have ever heard in my life. I have never been somewhere with so many people whistling at once.  It was deafening.  We also ended up losing our voices, even though we didn't know the cheers.  Even though Napoli lost, it was a fantastic way to start our time in Naples!