It ended with plenty of cheeky banter in the freezing temperatures of Turin but began with warm Roman pasta dishes and a drop of wine made locally in Lazio. 

Yes, the Calcio Weekender series is back, this time a ferociously fast double-header that featured four of Serie A’s top five – Juventus, Lazio, Inter and Napoli. And we did it all in 60 hours, including flights from London.

Lega Serie A scheduled two blockbusters over consecutive nights, beginning with Lazio-Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Derby d’Italia (as Gianni Brera coined it in the sixties) was situated 400 miles away in Piedmont, a Sunday night late kickoff at Allianz Stadium.

Joining me was Emmet Gates, seasoned Italian football traveller. Here’s a glimpse of our weekend in the Tricolori theme.

I admit, no motorcycles were ridden – we’re not that cool – but I can confirm we attended matches. The pizza was demolished in record time.

Planes, trains and automobiles were required to complete our mission. Football aside, the taxi journeys alone added a special twist, with some of the most opinionated characters getting us to and from the Olimpico. And who would argue the point with an uncompromising Roman taxista charged with transporting you to your destination safely?

Si signore. There was lots of nodding and smiling on our part.

Weirdly, I’d booked Hotel San Valentino on Valentine’s Day weekend. Therefore, specifying that I wanted two separate beds at check-in was an awkward anticlimax. (I could only imagine what Emmet was thinking).

Nonetheless, the staff were top-notch throughout our stay. An added bonus, there was a sought-after restaurant on the ground floor – Trattoria da Aldone e Giacomino – which doubles up as the hotel breakfast bar, selling capuccini and cornetti (coffee and croissant) combos for €2.50. Beat that, Covent Garden! 

I’ll also admit that Emmet and I sat across from each other during dinner there with every other table booked out by couples celebrating Valentine’s. I gently moved the candle away before he noticed. Fortunately, we share a passion for remorselessly feeding our faces.

On a side note, if you’re ever having trouble convincing your other half to accompany you on a ‘romantic’ weekender in Rome, these next two pictures could be an arm-twister:

Rome: Ottavio, Prati and Lepanto Districts

Those visiting Rome with a football-first agenda should book accomodation in the Ottavio or Lepanto districts. Both areas are close enough to walk to the Stadio Olimpico (25 minutes) and are littered with restaurants.

Better still, you’ll need no more than 15 minutes to find world-famous sites such as Piazzo del Popolo and Piazza Cavour, and the Spanish Steps are two scoops of gelati beyond those.

Given it was Valentine’s night, I decided to splash out €5 on this sexy little number, bought from a souvenir vendor near the Lazio Style Official Store.

Who can resist Diego socks? Accordingly, my love for El Dios is perpetual. And the mood was perfect, just before his beloved Napoli side would take to the Olimpico. Luckily for Emmet, I decided to wear more than just the socks around the San Valentino.

The hotel concierge kindly booked us our taxi to the stadium, and what a lesson in Italian football history it turned out to be. Our driver, Marco, a former Roma Ultra, expressed concerns we might be Lazio or Juventus fans.

“For me, Lazio is unthinkable, but Juventus are Italy’s biggest shame,” Marco explained. “To go to that many European Finals and show nothing, they are the embarrassment of the nation, just above Lazio.”

I didn’t get too many words in – a recurring theme for me since my ethnic childhood began – and with police blockades diverting traffic, we had no choice but to walk the last part of the journey.

With the Olimpico filling up quickly, Emmet and I caught up with Alasdair Mackenzie, the Scottish, Rome-based Lazio expert who writes about Italian football for Total Italian Football and TNT Sports. I’m happy to announce he’s now a contributor to Destination Calcio’s Europa League coverage.

Stadio Olimpico: Lazio-Napoli 2-2

The magic of the Olimpico parallels that of the San Siro, both unique, distinguished and steeped in history. Napoli fans squeezed into their away section allotment, and the Laziali never stopped singing and waving flags. The Gustav Isaksen screamer set the tone for one of the best matches of the campaign, a thrilling draw where even Giak Raspadori got in on the action.

Being a freezing February night, we were happy to regain feeling in our fingertips during the post-match press conference. By chance, we later found a cabbie lurking with intent at the front gate. And Claudio (as he called himself) was more than happy to filibuster about Italian politics for the duration of our trip back to Prati for dinner. No football chat, just policy and solutions, as if we’d been seated on the set of Porta A Porta. Disappointingly, not even a mention of Cicciolina.

The best thing about a 18:00 PM kickoff is that you’ll still find dinner service around town until the late hours. After the cliché pizza-pasta-vino formation, Amaro Formidabile (Sicilian-made) was suggested by our waiter, just in time for Joe Fischetti’s arrival. Here’s a shot of what it helped washed down:

Napoli fans know Joe well. The host of the Forza Napoli Podcast had travelled to Europe from Toronto alongside his brother Gian Michele. Together, the Fischetti’s allocated three nights to Rome, with the Olimpico the main priority.

You can listen to Joe’s podcast here: Forza Napoli Podcast

Meeting the voices of Italian Football is always a pleasure, and the four of us could have babbled until the first bell sounded at the Vatican, if not for our hectic schedule.

Our mid-morning train to Turin meant Emmet and I had to get a few hours of rest or risk wasting our €90 train tickets to Piedmont. The Derby d’Italia was at stake, and our commitment to Calcio is unwavering, even when faced with the temptation of delicious, affordable wine. Uomini forti, destini forti…

Expect a train journey of just under five hours on the Frecciarossa (yes, they sponsor the Coppa Italia) when going from Roma Termini to Torino Porta Nuova. You can even book on Trainline. You’ll go through Bologna and Milano on the way up. In my humble opinion, it’s way easier to go by train than by plane, especially on a Sunday.

If you ever need a hand with getting to the match, read our Juventus Stadium Guide for tips. Another piece of advice for those going to Turin solely for the football: there are very few AirBnb and hotel listings when searching for accomodation close to Juventus Stadium, which is situated on the northern outskirts of the city.

Without blowing the budget, the modest Hotel Galant is quite affordable. There’s a restaurant next door, a shopping centre nearby, and it’s just a 15-minute walk to the game. However, those with high expectations should consider staying in the historic centre, particularly if you have more time to see Turin.

Allianz Stadium: Juventus-Inter 1-0

Juventus can proudly boast it has one of the finest and newest stadiums in Italy, and it’s almost always packed out for Serie A and European fixtures. The sound system ensures your pre-match experience is upbeat. The music never stops, and you’ll hear Daft Punk when Juve scores. Francisco Conceicao’s cheeky finish ensured the DJ came through with the goods, and we caught all of that during our live podcast recording. 

Images of Alex Del Piero, Roby Baggio and hoards of Bianconeri legends are displayed everywhere, meaning that win or lose, Juve fans leave the venue on a nostalgic high. On that note, Adam Summerton reminisced with us about the golden era, as well as Juve’s transition under Thiago Motta, available on the DC YouTube channel. 

Monday morning flights from Turin to the UK are regular, even in low season, with the Aeroporto di Torino no more than a 20-minute cab ride – ample time for one last epic session with our driver. 

Michele’s story is a familiar one: searching for a better life with more work opportunities, he moved from the outskirts of Bari to Turin in ‘90s. As a dedicated driver, Michele has transported Juve royalty for decades, with Pavel Nedved, Leonardo Bonucci and even Sami Khedira gracing his back seat.

And then, on that freezing Monday morning, there were David and Emmet who sat in that same cab – two fanboys happy enough to have planted their arses on the very same fabric as some of Calcio’s finest.

There’s the climax to our frantically arousing Italian football excursion.

Travel, food and calcio. What a time to be alive.

Our Travel itinerary:

Flight from London Gatwick to Rome Fiumicino
Train from Fiumicino to Roma Termini. 
Metro from Termini to Lepanto.
Cabs/buses to and from the Stadio Olimpico
Metro to Roma Termini for the train north
Frecciarossa train to Turin
Cab from Torino Porta Nuova to accomodation
Cab to Torino Airport
Flight to London Gatwick