Calcio, A Way of
Life
Before you cross the border into Italian
territory you should be aware of a very important fact: soccer does
not exist in Italy. We apologize for being blunt, but it is
nothing but true. If you are to speak the word “soccer” you will
receive glares of confusion, mocking laughter, and you may be at
risk of hearing your first Italian curse words. We are only telling
you these truths to save you from humiliation. Soccer does not
exist in Italy, but “calcio” does.
What is
"Calcio"
Simply translated, “calcio” is the Italian word for
soccer. Calcio is more than just a sport in Italy. Calcio is a
way of life. It prescribes happiness, tears, anger, frustration,
love, and a vast vocabulary of curse words.
Who will you
choose?!
Italians become devout fans of calcio from the
moment they are born and continue to root for the same team until
they are six feet underground.
There is no such thing as being a fan of more than one team- and
usually Italians don’t have a choice in who they will root
for. As an Italian, if you are not a fan of the same team as your
family, you might as well change your last name.
Rivalries
Sports teams that share a city in the U.S. are
typically able to coexist quite easily with only the occasional
knock down fight. The same can’t be said in Rome. Romans are
born into being die-hard fans for one of the two teams; AS Roma or
Lazio. There is a huge rivalry between the two teams, and nothing
will ever convince someone to change their loyalties. Both teams
hate the arrogance from the Northern teams like AC Milan and Inter
Milan, but they hate each other more. The political differences
between the fans used to be the founding reason for the rivalry.
Lazio fans in the past, generally had right-wing ideas while the
Roma fans were more left-wing orientated. So before you arrive in
Rome, you should have planned out which team you will root for. And
whatever you do, don’t change your mind!
What to Expect at a
Game
When you attend a game, look around to find the “Ultra” section.
This a section where the most die-hard fans sit during games, and
it’s sure to be a point of entertainment throughout. Fireworks,
flame throwers, and massive flags are only a few of the oddities
that are normal occurrences at Roma games.
AS Roma
Anthem
Before you attend your first Italian soccer game,
you should try your best to learn the team’s anthem. Since
it’s a St. John’s Rome Campus tradition to root for AS Roma, we’ve
included the lyrics here so you can start practicing!
AS Roma Soccer Anthem
By. Antonello Venditti
Roma Roma Roma
core de sta città
unico grande amore
de tanta e tanta gente
che fai sospirà
Roma Roma Roma
lasciace cantà,
da sta voce nasce un coro
so centomila voci
c’hai fatto innamorà
Roma Roma bella
t’ho dipinta io,
gialla come er sole
rossa come er core mio Roma
Roma Roma Roma
nun te fa incantà
tu sei nata grande
e grande hai da restà
Roma Roma Roma
core de sta città
unico grande amore
de tanta e tanta gente
c’hai fatto innammor
Where do I buy
tickets?!
Purchasing tickets for an AS Roma or SS Lazio
game is pretty simple. If you go to an official AS Roma store or SS
Lazio store, you can purchase tickets directly from the store. A
list of store locations can be found by going directly the each
team’s website. Speaking to the on-site staff in Rome is also good
idea, seeing as they will be able to recommend the best matches
that will ensure a true calico experience.
Recreational
Calcio
Part of immersing yourself in the calcio culture is
to actually get out there and play! Lucky for you, St. John's Rome
campus offers a weekly soccer game where you can sign up to play
against your classmates and friends! Be sure to ask the
on-site staff about the details once you arrive!
If once a week isn't enough, head over to Villa Borghese where
you're sure to find plenty of open space to start a game.