Filippo Mondini is in his mid-20s and hails from Cremona, in Lombardy. He follows his local team, Cremonese, and for Destination Calcio’s My Town, My Team series, he told us about the place he calls home – where to eat and drink, sights to see and top tips you won’t find in the tourist guides.

Why Cremonese?

They are my hometown team and my dad supports them, so I grew up following them too. A lot of people outside Italy’s main cities tend to support the big clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, but most people in Cremona are Grigiorossi fans.

Tells us about the Stadio Zini

It’s not flashy by any means but we like it that way. It’s nice and compact and a short walk from the old town, with a couple of bars just across the road where most fans tend to congregate before kick-off.

The atmosphere may not be on par with the San Siro or the Stadio Olimpico, but the Zini was absolutely rocking when we won promotion in 2025 and back in 2022. And I’m told it was a great place to be during the 1980s and early 1990s.

And what about the city?

Cremona is an industrious and proud city but it’s never been particularly good at showcasing its own talent.

People in Cremona have almost always been inward looking and insular, but that is slowly changing. You walk around town and you see a lot more tourists now, most of whom are attracted by the violins. Cremona was home to Antonio Stradivari, the greatest violin maker in history.

As for the football, Jamie Vardy’s arrival lifted the profile of the city beyond its usual boundaries and is attracting a whole different set of tourists. There are plenty of English visitors keen to watch a Serie A game here and see Vardy in action.

It is a quiet and relaxed town to live in but there is more to Cremona that violins and football. The old town is stunning and the food is great.

Tell us more about the food

The marubini ai tre brodi are an absolute must. They are a kind of tiny stuffed pasta, similar to ravioli, filled with braised beef, pork, and Grana Padano cheese, seasoned with nutmeg. But what really sets them apart is the fact they are cooked and served in three broths (tre brodi), a soup which is made by combining broths from beef, chicken and pork.

If you like sweets, Cremona is the home to the torrone, Italian for nougat, a crunchy or soft confection made from honey, sugar, egg whites and toasted nuts.

And make sure to try Cremona’s typical salami too, which contains garlic and must always be cut thick enough so the slice can sit upright on the chopping board.

If you want good local food, try Trattoria Granatieri and Trattoria Alba, which are not too far from the ground, or Liberty Bistrot close to the old town. And for a pre-match drink, Bar Vigno right by the stadium is a must.

Tells us something we don’t know about Cremonese

We are the only team in the world to have grey as one of our primary colours. A number of clubs have used the colour for away kits, Liverpool most notably, but to my knowledge no other team wears a home with kit with grey as one of the main colours.

I should know this as the agency I work with designed the kits for the past three seasons. We created the design for the home and away shirts in 2022 and the third kit the following season and last year we designed the away shirt and the third kit.

As a fan, to design the shirts for the club I grew up supporting was incredible. When my daughter was born this year, I asked the club for a personalised kit with her name on the back using the design we produced. It was a special moment.

Cremonese also won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1993, beating Derby County in the final at Wembley.

What about Jamie Vardy?

It feels like a dream to sign someone like him. Yes, he’s at the end of his career but this is Jamie Vardy we’re talking about. A Premier League winner and former England international signing for Cremonese, are you kidding me?

I never thought we could pull this off, it’s absolutely incredible. My father’s generation grew up by watching the likes of Gianluca Vialli, but my generation never had an icon to identify with. When you think about it, we were without Serie A football for 26 years between 1996 and 2022 and now we have just signed a player like Vardy.

His arrival is a huge milestone for younger fans because statement signings and hopefully a good run of results capture the imagination like nothing else. I didn’t have that and still love the club, the excitement and the feelings that surround it. So you can imagine younger generations will grow up to be Cremonese fans because of the likes of Vardy.