Soccer - Rome Travel Guide - VirtualTourist.com

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...

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!

Soccer, Rome

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Soccer, Rome

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Visiting Rome?

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