There’s really nothing like an Italian’s passion for their football team. In fact, it’s even been said that the true religion in Italy is not Catholicism, but football – calcio, in Italian, by their own clergy. For ‘true’ fans, standing is required for the full 90 minutes of a match, as are insults to the opposition and getting wildly drunk. All of this, as you can imagine, spells for danger not only for players in the field, but also for the fans.
The Best?
That said, there is a reason that Italians laude their team so widely. The Italian soccer team is internationally recognized as one of the best in the world, having won about 5 FIFAs. Italians would likely say it is simply ‘THE best’, make hand gestures, and whack you with their beer if you dared to argue. In fact, they’ll bet on it.
Betting on matches is widely practiced in Italy and there is a wide variety of online casinos that will cater to this. For those lucky enough to win, they can use those bets to do one of the other of three things that Italians are known for. (We’re including food, and football as the first two.) Buy, appreciate, and collect beautiful art. Barnebys.com offers work from old masters, as well as modern, and contemporary art. They also offer sculptures and fashion, which is great, considering that Italians are some of the most fashionable people on the planet.
Different Levels of Gameplay
The matches themselves are broadcast daily on the BBC, where they have daily schedules of all the teams playing as well as matches scheduled for the next few months. There are different levels of games, but there are 20 top teams in Italy, called Series A, and include Bologna, Milan, Florentine, Roma and Lazio, to name a few. Watching in cafes is a typical way to see the games, although many do manage to take the risk and hassle of traveling outside of large cities to see these matches live.
Do be prepared if you go, Italian passions are unrivalled… we recommend packing a helmet to keep from harm.
