Several weeks back, Kate, Siri and I went to an AC Milan game at San Siro Stadium here in Milan. We had wanted to get to a game before Kate and Siri left, so Siri bought our tickets while she was in the US. Funny that you can't buy tickets online from within Italy, it seems, so this was an easier option. Also to be filed under strange, but true is the fact that your tickets must have your name and birthday on them and you must present them with a passport or identity card to get into the game. Since we bought our tickets second hand they came with name change forms. I think the security is tighter to get into a game than to get into the country.
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| Siri, me and Kate |
We arrived at the stadium right before the game was to start so we rushed to the proper entrance, past the police in riot gear and over the ground covered in broken glass from the day's tailgaters. This site is one I'm sure would've indicated to my father that this event wasn't one we should classify as inherently safe.
We found our seats, buried within throngs of native Italians and die hard Milan fans. They were playing Napoli that night, who, at the time, was in 2nd place in the league while Milan was in third. A win was important for Milan to make up ground on Napoli.
The Milan fans sit at one end and the fans from the visiting team at the other. Thank goodness for this. I'm not sure if every game feels so aggressive, but the tension was palpable. The Milan fans had come with large quantities of huge signs that they changed and displayed about every 10 minutes. The Napoli fans had some large cannon sounding device that scared the crap out of us every time it went off. And, just for fun, each side brought a handful of flares to set off in their sections too.
In the end, the game tied at 1-1.
A little video to allow you in on the noise and excitement. Listen for the cannon and look for the smoke!
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