GOOOAAAALLL

Yesterday was a taste of true Italian culture. Bonnie, Christina, Sasha, our friend Cara, and I attended the Roma vs. Bologna soccer game. It was hilarious and the best place to people watch. It is concluded that the Italians love their soccer. We knew the Italians took it seriously, we just didn't know how serious. In order to purchase a ticket days before the game you must bring your passport with you and you are only able to buy one ticket. This ensures that scalping does not occur. Once you reach the stadium on game day you have to show your passport and ticket to a police officer after they check your bags. In between sections of seats there are plexi-glass walls to deter rambunctious behavior, however smoke bombs and other items still get thrown over. I guess things tend to get a little rowdy. Luckily the game we attended was not of significant rivalry. If that were the case, we would have only had  the plexi-glass barrier between us and the opposing fans because of where we were sitting. On the other hand our location was enjoyable because we got to see the enthusiastic Roma fans point towards the small Bologna crowd and chant F*ck you cheers with suggestive hand gestures. It was very entertaining. The game itself was a little slow and sloppy, but once Roma scored you would have thought they had won the World Cup. Cannons went off, colored smoke bombs were thrown, and the whole stadium roared in excitement. It was such a great spectacle to witness thousands of fans (not even a full stadium) chant in unison when certain plays occurred. I felt like I needed a guidebook for when/what to cheer. It was very different than any professional sporting event I have attended at home. I cannot wait to go to a game against an actual rival.

Outside the stadium

The stadium is surrounded by statues of Olympians

GOOAAALL ROMA

On each step of each aisle are security guards making sure no one gets in to trouble.