Soccer, Rome

Hi, you can buy tickets for AS Roma games from official AS Roma stores. I have bought them from

Piazza Colonna n°360 - Roma Tel. 06.6786514 and

Via Appia Nuova n°130 - Roma Tel. 06.77590656

other stores listed on the AS Roma web pages are

*Via Vincenzo Cesati n°76-80 - Roma Tel. 06.25204327

Via di Torrevecchia n°126 - Roma Tel. 06.35506460

Piazza B. Cairoli, n°119 - Roma Tel. 06.68.809775

*Via Sestio Calvino, n°26-30 - Roma Tel. 06.71072033

*Centro Commerciale "DIMA" - Roma Tel. 06.87133905

Via G. Govone, n° 25-27 - Roma Tel. 06.43252466

Via Valsesia, n° 9-11 - Roma Tel. 06.88644969

Via Santa Maria n° 95/A - Nettuno (Rm) Tel. 06.9882800

Centro Commerciale "Le Palme" - Tivoli Terme Tel. 0774.374304

Stazione Trastevere - Roma Tel. 06.5836761

You need ID to buy the tickets.

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Despite what I wrote under the "Warning/Danger"-section watching a football game in Rome is still an incredible experience. If you're just able to cope with the ticket problems, the useless organisation and the stupid new security laws - you'll have a great time at Stadio Olimpico.

In Rome there are two clubs in the first division (Serie A), Roma and Lazio. Both have had their share of both victories and losses. Lazio won lo scudetto in 1999/2000 (when swede Sven-Göran Eriksson was their manager) and Roma won it the next year.

After that both clubs have had economical problems, huge ones, and both still even have. Lazio will pay back their tax debts during the next 23 years, while Roma has been close to be sold plenty of times during the last years. Now it seems though as if the owner family Sensi has decided to keep the club.

Roma's big son is Francesco Totti, the man the italians love to hate or hate to love. Or just love to love, if you're a Roma-supporter.
The Lazio substitute for him was Alessandro Nesta, but he took off to Milan in 2002, mostly due to the economical problems in the club. After that came Paolo di Canio, who is more crazy than Totti loves to fall to get easy free kicks... After last season he left the club and now plays for another Rome club in the lower divisions.

Roma is the team with the biggest support. They have around 40 000 season ticket holders and the supporters in the Curva Sud always gives the team a fantastic support.
Well, at least as long as their are winning. But then the support is great.
Roma supporters are probably those in the world who mostly changes after the result. If Roma is in a winning period, they can bring 10 000 people to an away game in Milan. If they have had a string of bad result they are hardly 100 supporters in Siena...

Equipment: The Lazio supporters, led by the infamous group Irriducibili, stands in the Curva Nord. The amount of supporters are less than Roma, and they have also a lot less season ticket holders.
Despite this the atmosphere at the Lazio games are mostly really really good, specially now since the curva has decided to start singing again.

During 3/4 of the season they have sat down silent, in protest against the Lazio president Claudio Lotito. They still don't support him, but now at least they sing for the club again.

There are unfortunately quite often crowd troubles in Rome, so the first thing you shouldn't wear is something in the same colour as the away team has.
Be as neutral as possible is always a good tip.

Tickets are no longer sold at the stadium on matchdays (thank you, stupid italian politicians...), so to get one you have to be in the city at least a day before the game is played. You can either buy a ticket in a Lottomatica-machine (which I still haven't been able to figure out what it is...) or in a Roma/Lazio store.

You need to bring your passport, as tickets in Italy nowadays are personal and with your name on.

At Via Farini, close to Termini, you'll find a Lazio store. And I'm quite sure there is a Roma shop close to the station too.

Ticket prices goes from 100 euro down to 15. My tip is, if you aren't used to seeing games in Italy, is to get a ticket at Tribuna Tevere (the long side of the stadium) or Tribuna Monte Mario. There you'll be as safe as possible, but still be able to take in the fantastic atmosphere.

Games against Milan, Inter and Juventus are the biggest, except for the derby between the two teams of course. Often sold out to all these games, so make sure to get your ticket far in advance!

After searching for hours for a Lottomatica kiosk to buy tickets we found one around the corner from the hotel we were staying (Starhotels Michelangelo). Its situated on Via Di Porta Cavalleggri with the junction of Via Delle Fornaci and tickets for Laio V Samporia in the curva nord cost 15 euros each (you will need to take your passport for ID).
To get to the stadium take the number 32 bus from Piazza del Risorgimento and after 5-10 minutes you'll see the stadium on your left hand side.

Pick up one of the free papers outside the stadium as you'll need something to sit on as the seats are scruffy.

Rome football fans have two teams to rout for: Roma and Lazio. Formed in 1927 by the merger of various local sides (Lazio opted out), Associazione Sportiva Roma traditionally draw most of their support from within the city. Thus while surrounding areas are staunchly blue-and-white, Rome itself frequently gives the impression of being a one-team city. Gruff wrinkled market-traders and bartenders carefully pin up pictures of hero Totti, while middle-aged and elderly women recently mobbed Batistuta and Roma colleagues at a theatre in the city.

Since the team's creation Roma have won the scudetto three times, the most recently being the 2000-2001 season when the partying lasted weeks and the entire city turned giallorosso. The mass celebrations around town and in the ancient chariot arena, Circo Massimo, have already passed into legend.

Lazio was founded as an athletic club in January 1900, and Lazio fans are immensely proud of their heritage, which pre-dates many of the other modern clubs. With accuracy as well as pride Laziali call their team 'the first team of the capital.' The golden seasons, 1998-2000, saw the celebration of Lazio's centenary. Led by local hero, captain Nesta, the team suddenly saw the shelves fill with silverware. Best of all, they won their coveted second scudetto in 1999/2000.

If you get a chance to go to the Olympic Stadium in Rome, be sure to go! It's a chance not to be missed. I had the opportunity to go and watch a match between Rome and Siena. Although it wasn't the best match....at least I got to finally see Totti play LIVE and spend a day with the best boy ever!

Equipment: Don't bring any extra stuff with you because it might get confiscated or you might not be allowed entry into the stadium.

A.S. Roma is the most important soccer team of Rome. It has more than 2 millions supporters in Italy and its most representative player is Francesco Totti. They play every other week-end (Italian Serie A matches) at the Olympic Stadium of Rome and during the week (European Cups matches) from late August to late May.
To go and watch these matches its an incredible event, wether you are an A.S. Roma supporter or not. Its supporters are super hot and funny.

Equipment: To go watch games you have to go to the Olympic Stadium and you should buy tickets (online also) with a good advance. Costs between 10 and 200 Euros. You can buy scarfs or t-shirts or flags everywhere. It's a safe place, but 80.000+ people go to matches everytime, so, just don't bring a fortune with you!

We went to see Lazio v Atalanta at the Olymipico stadio. Its in a lovely area.

Its easier to get tickets for Lazio than Roma, the good thing is one of them will always be playing at home, so if you really fancy some footy, then you should have no problems.

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Italians are football crazy and Rome has some of the most passionate fans . There are 2 football clubs in Rome and they share the Olympic stadium. Roma who play in Dark red and Lazio who play in sky blue.