Football Trip to Naples, a world of its own!

Context

Talking about the Napoli vs Juventus match I experienced in 2014 means talking about the match of my life. For me, it was the beginning of stadium adventures all around the world. Eight years and dozens of stadiums later, I still haven’t experienced anything quite like it.

Discovering Naples during this football trip…

Naples is an incredible city, truly disorienting. Full of flaws (cleanliness, dilapidation, transportation). Those who don’t live there tend to dislike it. Italians even go so far as to say that Naples is not Italy! It’s true that at first glance, Naples does not immediately charm you. Upon arriving at the airport, my stadium companion and I boarded the shuttle to the city center, and the sight was rather off-putting. The streets and neighborhoods we passed through to reach the center were quite dirty (to my humble knowledge, waste management in the city is difficult for various political reasons, but I couldn’t tell you more). Having lived several years in South America, you can find similar scenes in many remote neighborhoods of major South American cities. Then we reached our destination, our tickets for the next day’s match were waiting for us at the hotel reception, and our discovery of Naples could finally begin.

As Naples is a very ancient city, it is full of an incredibly varied architectural heritage (churches, medieval castles, Renaissance buildings…). We explored the ancient parts of Naples before venturing into the Spanish quarter of the city. Enchanting walks where the charm gradually begins to work. Naples has many flaws, but Naples doesn’t cheat — it’s authentic. We then arrived at Piazza del Plebiscito, which I interpreted as the city’s central point. This square is immense, surrounded by colossal and sublime buildings, including the Royal Palace and the splendid Basilica of San Francesco di Paola. Naples is a shock of contrasts and this square illustrates it perfectly. Let me explain: we found ourselves in this magnificent square, bordered by monuments that could make the most beautiful cities in the world blush… yet when you look closely, many columns are covered in graffiti, and let’s just say it’s not great street art. Culturally speaking, it’s a disaster, but here in Naples, you can almost understand it… I think you either accept the city as it is or you hate it. We had already chosen our side and we weren’t going to be disappointed.

Vesuvius, symbol of the city and of SSC Napoli…

For our second day, we decided to head east of the city, directly toward Mount Vesuvius. As it was our last day before match night at San Paolo, we had to skip exploring the Bay of Naples and its paradisiacal islands on foot — also an economical choice that we did not regret. Highly motivated, we began the ascent to the summit of Vesuvius, which is not a major athletic exploit but offers exceptional views over Naples — a must-do! Especially when you know the symbolic connection Napoli supporters have with Vesuvius, often comparing their stadium to the famous volcano in their chants. As soon as we descended, the ruins of Pompeii awaited us. Without hesitation, we bought our entry tickets and spent the afternoon there. Some areas are incredibly well preserved considering they were buried under lava after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD… especially the amphitheater and the arena. The ruins of Pompeii are a journey through time not to be missed during a football trip to Naples. Without diving into more details about other small visits or the delicious pizzas we ate, let’s move on to the football:

Napoli Juventus 2–0 March 2014

The sun set over Naples as we returned from Pompeii by train. Having spent the entire day away from the city, we realized Naples had changed color, now dressed in sky blue. We planned an early arrival at the stadium to enjoy it as much as possible. That evening, Napoli hosted their Turin rivals, comfortably leading the league, while Naples stood in third place, quite far from AS Roma, Juventus’ runner-up. Not much at stake in terms of points, but the rivalry between the clubs made it one of the most important matches in Italy throughout the 2010s. For all these reasons, Napoli supporters would be there in full force.

Leaving the metro, we found ourselves at the foot of Naples’ San Paolo Stadium, a stadium very much like the city itself. A large structure of concrete and steel, with no striking architectural elements to remember. But the Partenopei accept their stadium (as they do their city) with all its apparent flaws. Here, you need to look beyond appearances to understand what Naples truly has to offer.

Fascinated by the videos of the San Paolo’s stands regularly shared by Decibel Bellini, the official stadium speaker, we chose seats close to the Curva A to experience the Neapolitan fervor up close. Entering the stadium was easy enough, but once inside, things became more complicated. There was no clear signage, and a steward explained that in this section of the stadium, people sit wherever they want (or wherever they can, since the stands were packed that night). No doubt, we were indeed in Naples (laughs)! We watched the warm-up, then the line-ups were announced by Decibel — and it was a true All Stars Game that awaited us. Both squads were at full strength. The Juventus team list was booed by the entire stadium, then each Napoli player’s name was chanted enthusiastically. Our first taste of the Neapolitan atmosphere: the much-awaited Marek “HAMSIK!!”, Lorenzo “INSIGNE!!” and Gonzalo “HIGUAIN!!” roared through the San Paolo — the atmosphere was officially on!

A total celebration in Naples…

It was a beautiful night and SSC Napoli outplayed their rivals, giving them nothing. A bad day for Juventus. Callejon opened the scoring in the first half — the entire stadium erupted into a deafening roar, celebrating the scorer as the speaker shouted “José… CALLEJON!” seven times, like his jersey number. We were ecstatic. The power of the CURVA A was impressive — they never sat down and they never stopped singing. The CURVA B, their younger sibling, also gave everything, but was too far for us to fully appreciate. Near the end, Mertens sealed the fate of the Turin side (2–0), who would leave with their tails between their legs…

A memorable moment of the night occurred when Andrea Pirlo — a player I admire — approached to take a corner in front of Curva A. He couldn’t proceed until Napoli players themselves asked the curva to stop throwing bottles toward the Maestro. We had wondered why the entire stand was buying water bottles, until we realized they were being thrown, caps removed, onto the net protecting the away fan section… causing water to pour over the Juventus supporters. Only in Naples (laughs).

We flew back the next morning on the first plane, carrying unforgettable memories of what remains to this day our greatest stadium adventure.

Thank you Naples.