The older I get the more and more I’m sure that Italy is my footballing home. My history with the sport started as a six year old watching Italia 90′ and falling in love with Calcio.

Working in retail means it’s never easy getting the time to get to a game in Scotland never mind everything marrying up and allowing me to catch a Serie A encounter.

I went to the San Siro for my stag do in 2015 to watch Inter beat Roma 1-0. Earlier this year my brother took me across to catch a thrilling tie between Genoa and Monza at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris stadium for my 40th birthday. During that trip we flew in and out of Bergamo. We spent a night there on our way home. I just loved the vibe around Bergamo. It was easy to get around, the people were very friendly and the food was exceptional. I visited the Gewiss Stadium, which was finalising the rebuild to the two curves, and fell in love with the ground which had managed to combine the architectural brilliance of the past with lovely new modern stands on either side. I had a strong feeling that I needed to return to the city and try and catch an Atalanta game at the Gewiss.

I looked at the November fixtures and assessed which weekends I would have off for that month. The weekend of Matchday 12 stood out as a good possibility. I then needed to check what, if any, flights could get me from Scotland to Italy. For instance Fiorentina’s game against Verona was ruled out as British Airways stopped flying from Edinburgh direct to Florence a few weeks prior. I wasn’t entirely happy that my Ryanair Saturday flight didn’t get into Italy till 9pm but at least it was direct into Bergamo and the fixture gods were in my favour as Atalanta were hosting Udinese at the 12.30pm Sunday kick off time. The flight home was set at 9:50pm on the Sunday, so it was essentially giving us 24 hours in Bergamo.

Getting tickets from Viva Tickets via the Atalanta home page was pretty easy. The price of the tickets are a bit more expensive than what they were in 2015 but let’s not forget the home side are now one of Italy’s best performing sides and are the current Europa League champions.

Our hotel was right in the middle of the city centre with a balcony looking up to the Citta Alta which was a beautiful view. It was about a leisurely 20-25 minute walk to the Gewiss.

Walking to the game was special as everyone in the city seemed to be heading in the same direction towards the stadium. The closer you got the more people you would see with the club’s colours all happy  that they were about to watch their team. My wife Diane was with me and I was wondering if their would be many women at the game. Turns out it was a huge family affair for those that support La Dea with plenty of women, kids and families going and when I say family I mean extended family including grandparents, the parents and the children. It was amazing seeing what felt like the whole town out together for the football.

It was uncomplicated getting around the stadium and entering the ground. You show your ticket, get a quick security check and then scan the ticket at the turnstile. From start to finish you are only waiting 10 minutes max.

It was wonderful to entering into the stand and seeing the glossy pitch for the first time. It was already busy, by kick off I couldn’t spot an empty seat. The Curva Nord Pisani was in full voice as they welcomed their gladiators onto the grass.

An extremely friendly local sat beside me and asked where I was from, welcomed me and wished for us to enjoy the game and hopefully watch a home win. Fingers crossed.

The first half was a very tactical affair with both teams feeling each other out. Each side had a goal chopped off. Udinese then created two chances, which were both brilliantly saved by young Italian goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. As the opening half marched on Atalanta started to become disjointed and struggled to get a proper foothold in the game. They certainly weren’t as fluid as they were in their previous fixture which was a 3-0 away win over current league leaders Napoli (Match Report via BBC Sport). The team missed the exciting talent of Charles De Ketelaere. Berat Djimsiti then hobbled off injured and Davide Zappacosta also pulled up just before half time. Things then went from bad to worse for the hosts as Hassane Kamara scored an absolute belter with a stunning strike with his left foot from outside of the box. My new friend beside me yelled bastardo and Mamma Mia multiple times, he was clearly an unhappy camper.

Halftime brought a lot of discussion between the Atalanta faithful with the hope that manager Gian Piero Gasperini could inspire his footsoldiers into something better in the second half.

Interestingly subs Ederson and Raoul Bellanova were two stars that impacted positively on their team. Brazilian Ederson was a calming influence who excellently and continuously recycled the ball. Italian full-back Raoul offered more pace and directness on the righthand side.

It was an overlapping run and then a fine pick out from Bellanova that found Mario Pasalic free inside the penalty area and the Croatian swept the ball home! The passionate Italian beside me screamed with joy into my face and embraced me with a bear hug.

Only four minutes later and Raoul Bellanova was again found on the right wing. This time his low cross was steered into his own net by Udinese defender Isaak Toure. The stadium erupted and all was right with the world again. The drums were pounding and the voices of the ultras echoed around the arena.

Atalanta managed to see the game out without much fuss. They were a very different and far more efficient outfit in the second period, the sign of a team that know what they’re doing. There was no panic and ultimately their self belief helped them turn the tide.

The sky was still a beautiful blue as we left our seats, headed through the exit door and back onto the streets. Only in Italy will you see an army of supporters whizz past you in vespas all tooting their horns, scarves flailing behind them as they celebrated their triumph!

I hope the Italian game never changes. The crowds are loud and super passionate but also very welcoming. The players are technically brilliant with crisp passing, astute defending and creative maestros pulling the strings. It might bring some nostalgic pangs but the current Italian game is currently riding a new wave and it should be celebrated.

Bergamo I loved you and I will be back!

Ciao Bella x

Posted on November 14th, 2024 by scott
Filed under: Article