[Travel] Reflections on Rome

Coozi · Mar 10, 2024

dwayne said:
Overall Rome was the best I guess. Its easily the best city out of all the others.

I was stunned how seriously they took us and how much respect they had. Bit different to when we go to Liverpool, city or arsenal and half the stadium is asleep. And you get zero respect for supporting a smaller team.

This felt like a massive game for them.

Every game is a massive game for Roma. Seats are always sold out, which is not something to take for granted in Italy, especially in the second biggest stadium in italy, and especially when you end up 6th every year in the domestic league since a few years. As for the atmosphere, this is not surprising for a Roma game in EL.
Brighton had a good reputation because of your last seasons and De Zerbi's reputation (not sure if deserved), but it's the EL that we take seriously, not necessarily the opponents.

Herr Tubthumper · Mar 10, 2024

Brian Fantana said:
In the end, I called our hotel for advice and they sent one for me from the company they partner up with. Probably took about an hour from getting dropped off by the shuttle bus to getting into a taxi.

I’m a bit confused. I thought you said you got a post-match taxi from the Olympic Stadium? This post suggests you first took the bus from the stadium (to the Termini train station) then took an hour to find a taxi ?

Herr Tubthumper · Mar 10, 2024

dazzer6666 said:
I gave feedback to the hotel (Holiday Inn - probably the least apt name for a hotel in any town ever) in Burnley (on their usual post-stay electronic questionnaire) that they should have black pudding at breakfast. Got a personal reply from the manager agreeing with me and saying he was going to take it up with Head Office

You’re responsible for black pudding on the Burnley Holidag Inn breakfast plate….what an amazing legacy.

dazzer6666 · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
You’re responsible for black pudding on the Burnley Holidag Inn breakfast plate….what an amazing legacy.

You mean they now have it now ? I want a plaque.

tstanbur · Mar 10, 2024

Had a great time in Rome. Amazing City. Travelled with my brother and everything went smoothly. Flights, trains, taxis, airport shuttle bus, Sean’s match transfers and hotels.

Did a superb four hour tour on e-bikes on the morning of the game. Supposed to be in a group but we were the only two that booked so had our own private and brilliant guide. Great way to get around so many places, especially with those hills.

Found the city amazingly and surprisingly good value. Food, drinks, hotels and even the big bag of souvenir tat for my kids was a bargain!

Unfortunately something had to give and that was the result.

Herr Tubthumper · Mar 10, 2024

studio150 said:
I seem to have got lucky, having read about the violence, threat of violence and pick-pockets, I never witnessed any of that.

Same.

Hotchilidog · Mar 10, 2024

Absolutely brilliant trip, despite some travel hassle and the result. Had time in both Rome and Florence and it felt like a proper holiday. Food, wine and company all excellent my favourite of the three games I attended just nudging out Athens.

edna krabappel · Mar 10, 2024

We had a great time in the main. Lovely hotel up near Villa Borghese (roughly speaking). Found plenty of decent bars, very friendly locals- even the Roma supporting ones we met- and lots of nice food (far too much nice food, in fact). Plenty of lovely sights to see, good weather in the main, and a day in Florence afterwards.

The Olympic stadium was a bit of dump, and it seemed like quite a surprise people don't get crushed in that concourse, such is the piss poor crowd control (having blokes sitting on the steps up to the seats selling beer is a stupid notion, for example).

The Roma ultras to the right side of the away seats were giving it some and throwing stuff and I'm sure that will get taken up by the Albion. Then again, I don't think I'm being unfair in suggesting that there was definitely a fair few dickheads in amongst our support too...some of whom were giving out the sort of gestures and abuse that they wouldn't dare do in a million years do if not from behind the protective shield of a perspex screen and a line of security staff. Especially not in Rome, of all places.

Beanstalk · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
I arrived home yesterday and been reflecting on this recent trip; I’m of the view this was my favourite out of Marseille, Ajax and Rome. Rome is an incredible and beautiful city where football seems to be a religion. Literally every single person who discovered we were from Brighton (hotel staff, taxi drivers, cafe, bar and restaurant staff) immediately mentioned the game and then declared which side of the Roma football divide they are on. One guy helping me at the airport even told me he will be at the AMEX on Thursday for his first trip to see Roma outside Italy. The city can even sustain a daily sports (football) newspaper which is further testament to their love of the beautiful game. It’s a proper football city.

I loved the bars, the cafes and the restaurants I visited, many of the buildings are just insane eg Victor Emmanuel building and there’s history on every corner. People were super friendly and helpful.

The game itself was disappointing but the stadium is historical and the atmosphere was great, especially a full house of romans singing that song at the start.

All this whilst watching the Albion!

What do others think?

Athens will be near impossible to top for me. Didn’t expect it to be such a welcoming and wonderful place. It was also unbelievably cheap. I’d never been to Greece and just found everything surpassed any expectations I’d had. And the end of the game was just unbelievable, I’ve never been in an away end so full of unbridled joy - it absolutely pulsated with noise.

Rome was a very close second though. What a magical city. I have a few friends who have lived there and despite it not being my first time, I took all of their recommendations and ticked them off the list. The carbonara at Da Enzo 29 was life changing. And in spite of the result, what an experience to be in that stadium on a European night. It really felt like the big time and maybe a step too far for us.

So glad I went fully in on the European tour, what a gloriously lucky thing for us to be able to do!

Wallace · Mar 10, 2024

In this order...

Athens: Amazing city, beautiful bars and restaurants, great food and excellent value. Warm friendly and kind people and nice weather, absolutely loved it

Marseille: I know it's a dump but it was a great piss up, very edgy which I like, hot and sunny, even got to swim in the Med. And the noise...

Rome: Stunning city, amazing Hostel, lots of laughs and another great atmosphere, shame about the result.

Amsterdam: Whole place reeks of stale beer and dope. Pissed down the whole time.

Bodian · Mar 10, 2024

dazzer6666 said:
I gave feedback to the hotel (Holiday Inn - probably the least apt name for a hotel in any town ever) in Burnley (on their usual post-stay electronic questionnaire) that they should have black pudding at breakfast. Got a personal reply from the manager agreeing with me and saying he was going to take it up with Head Office

Herr Tubthumper said:
You’re responsible for black pudding on the Burnley Holidag Inn breakfast plate….what an amazing legacy.

dazzer6666 said:
You mean they now have it now ? I want a plaque.

I think the manager may need a reminder.......

Brian Fantana · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
I’m a bit confused. I thought you said you got a post-match taxi from the Olympic Stadium? This post suggests you first took the bus from the stadium (to the Termini train station) then took an hour to find a taxi ?

Apologies, my first post might have been a bit unclear! I did indeed get the bus back to Termini, from where I was looking to get a taxi back out to my hotel (not that far from the stadium, annoyingly). There wasn’t a shortage of taxis about, but they’d suddenly jacked the prices up to an extortionate rate. It was then I enlisted the help of my hotel.

Guinness Boy · Mar 10, 2024

Wallace said:
In this order...

Athens: Amazing city, beautiful bars and restaurants, great food and excellent value. Warm friendly and kind people and nice weather, absolutely loved it

Marseille: I know it's a dump but it was a great piss up, very edgy which I like, hot and sunny, even got to swim in the Med. And the noise...

Rome: Stunning city, amazing Hostel, lots of laughs and another great atmosphere, shame about the result.

Amsterdam: Whole place reeks of stale beer and dope. Pissed down the whole time.

This is definitely where personal experience comes into it. Absolutely loved the Dam.

Easy transport over on the Eurostar, which was basically a mobile bar full of Brighton. Fantastic meal in a restaurant recommended by @Goldstone1976 . Slightly worried about getting in places we were instead ushered straight into a “coffee shop” / bar by a Scouse bouncer before joining loads of mates in an Irish bar to watch Man U lose to Copenhagen.

Next day was mix of great comedy show by Albion Roar and meeting loads of old faces I’d not seen for years in Dam Square. Got to go to the ground independently just like you would here, won, train back to Centraal, more drinking.

Only the rain stopped it being perfect.

I’ve done a lot of tourist city breaks in Europe though and seen a lot of the continent on work trips, so I’ve taken these games as football trips and not sightseeing trips.

Herr Tubthumper · Mar 10, 2024

I

Brian Fantana said:
Apologies, my first post might have been a bit unclear! I did indeed get the bus back to Termini, from where I was looking to get a taxi back out to my hotel (not that far from the stadium, annoyingly). There wasn’t a shortage of taxis about, but they’d suddenly jacked the prices up to an extortionate rate. It was then I enlisted the help of my hotel.

I understand. We jumped in a metered taxi at Termini to take us to a wine bar. Don’t recall it being any more expensive but I was focused on getting to the bar before it shut. Do the official white taxis use price surging then?

Sirnormangall · Mar 10, 2024

To a certain extent it’s a generational thing. When you’re a certain age, like me, who’s used to rejoicing at getting an away point at Macclesfield, being able to see our team play in Rome ( regardless of the result) was special. Being able to share it with my son and other friends in a fantastic city will stay with me forever - as will Amsterdam and the whole Euro campaign. The club has exceeded my expectations and that’s why I’ll be there on Thursday.

jackalbion · Mar 10, 2024

Won’t be rushing back.

tstanbur · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
I

I understand. We jumped in a metered taxi at Termini to take us to a wine bar. Don’t recall it being any more expensive but I was focused on getting to the bar before it shut. Do the official white taxis use price surging then?

I used Uber out there which had an agreement with the metered cabs. Whatever the meter price was automatically charged to me via Uber.

Worked very well and always had a cab pick us up within a few minutes.

Brian Fantana · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
I

I understand. We jumped in a metered taxi at Termini to take us to a wine bar. Don’t recall it being any more expensive but I was focused on getting to the bar before it shut. Do the official white taxis use price surging then?

They didn’t on Wednesday night, but certainly did from that Termini roundabout on Thursday! Perhaps I could have walked a bit to find one at a normal rate but I wasn’t hugely sure of my bearings in the dark so didn’t want to take a chance.

tstanbur · Mar 10, 2024

um bongo molongo · Mar 10, 2024

Herr Tubthumper said:
This could be a fun idea. Maybe next season I choose an away game, look into the area’s culinary history and report back. I think I’ve gone as far as I can with the offal theme so I need something new.

I think there’s quite a few northern away days where the offal is part of the meal regardless of what you order.

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[Travel] Reflections on Rome

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