Naples Sports & Outdoors

In their history Napoli have won Serie A twice, first in 1987 and then again in 1990. They have also won the UEFA Cup which they achieved in 1990 and the Coppa Italia three times. Historically, Napoli are the ninth most successful club in Italian football and the most successful in Southern Italy.
When Argentine Diego Maradona joined the club from FC Barcelona, in 1984 that Napoli were truly put on the world football map. 1986-87 proved to be Napoli's year, with Diego; Napoli won the scudetto for the first time in their history. Next year Napoli won their first European trophy., the UEFA Cup against VfB Stuttgart.
As of March 2007, the team is proving itself to be one of the top clubs in Italian Serie B. For a significant part of the season Napoli have been in second place, they are currently in the top half of the table fighting for promotion to Serie A via either automatic promotion or through the play-offs.

The Football stadium in Napoli is calle San Paolo and it's where Napoli Football Club used to play and still plays matches.
One of the most significant football players that was part of Napoli FC and that has grown in this team was Diego Armando Maradona.
Walking around Naples you will find here and there something recalling this big football player...all people in Naples still love him...

Every different country/culture has its own way of playing football - the English are aggressive, the Germans are methodical, the Spanish are stylish and imaginative (scoring some of the most ridiculous and incredible goals seen on the face of the earth), the Koreans are great teamworkers, and the Italians, surprisingly are super defensive! In my country, where the English premier league, Spanish league and the European Cup are the most watched football seasons, the Italian Serie A and serie B sometimes elicit groans from football fans alkong the lines of..."i wish they'd get on with it..." For all their aggression and pro-activeness on the roads, in banks, in post offices etc, Italian footballers sometimes play with what seem to be leaden feet. This is not so obvious during inter-country matches such as in the Euro cup, world cup etc, when the difference in two teams' cultures and playing styles often brings out the best of both teams and creates a tension that makes the game more unpredictable and exciting. But watching two italian teams play against each other such as the recent Juventus-I.Milan match in Manchester England can sometimes really induce sleep.

Local sports in Naples include sailing in the bay. What more splendid way to view the city, with all its castles and the towering Vesuvio. For the more ordinary visitor, the boats make for charming additions to the view of the bay.

I watched the Napoli-Verona match and although the stadium was only two-thirds full, due to the rain and cold, it buzzed with excitement from fevered fans. The best part of the match wasn't the goals (there were none); it was seeing and hearing the boisterous Napolitan fans belting out their traditional Napolitan songs paying just before the match, and swearing dramatically and gesticulating theatrically with every miss and bad move.
Later that night, snuggled in bed watching Italian news, I saw footage from after the match, showing people getting violent right outside the stadium. I'd missed all the action! My partner explained we'd left from a safe exit.

The Ippodromo Agnano is the horse track for Naples, and has races quite regularly. It's also quite common to see a horse carriage riding down the street in the vicinity of the track.

Near the track is located the famous Terme, or baths. I've spent a night in the Terme Hotel, and it is a beautiful area. Naples even has a bus stop on the C6 bus to the Terme, which for a Naples Bus means something.

Equipment: Binoculars, Money (if betting), and a camera - for you are sure to see some Napolitan charm come to life here.

The Napolitans are fanatical about their soccer team, and you can often hear screams coming from San Paolo Stadium on Sunday afternoons.

Equipment: Wear blue and white, as those are Naples colors, Wait a minute, or was it Red and Black? just kidding, red and black are AC Milano's colors.

Head out to the stadium if the team still exists... The fans and hooligans can be more exciting to watch than the actual match itself!