Monday 6th September 2022 – Serie A – Stadio Arechi, Salerno
Naturally, it was a complete coincidence that there was a game on relatively* close by when we were holidaying on the Amalfi Peninsula. Whilst I have been guilty on many occasions of combining work/family trips, on this occasion it was down to the luck of the TV scheduling.
Our trip had been booked long before the 2021/22 season had finished, and with Serie A games spread across four days in each round, there was a 50/50 chance on either Napoli or Salernitana being scheduled after our arrival on Saturday night. Luck prevailed and we would have a game to go to, relatively* close by.
For those who have ever experienced the roads on the Amalfi coast will know that whilst distances may be short, the quality of the roads and the driving means durations are long. So a relatively* short 30 mile drive from our base on the Western tip of the peninsula to Salerno was actually a 90 minute drive, akin to riding a 50 year old rollercoaster, with no safety harness and with a blindfold on.
It doesn’t matter what car you drive, the narrow, cliff-edge roads, with frequent hairpin bends and cars/buses/lorries trying to overtake on blind corners will age any non-Italians by a good 10 years. But with the opportunity to visit Campania’s second city, Salerno, it was worth the ride. Ok, so I wouldn’t exactly be visiting the city itself, with the Stadio Arechi, home of US Salernitana 1919 being some 5 miles south of the centre, but it counts.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the club were formed in 1919, but as we’ve learnt from the parable of Trigger’s broom, the current incarnation exists from the ashes of two previous clubs. The current club, formed 11 years ago, then called Salerno Calcio, have risen from Serie D to the top division in ten years, gaining promotion to Serie A at the start of last season, using a total of 19 (Nineteen) managers along the way. The hot seat in the Italian sunshine is true to its word.
Just like in England, the lower tiers of Italian football are littered with huge clubs, with rich histories and grand stadiums, such as Livorno, Bari and Palermo, who have fallen on hard times, trying to climb out of the dark. US Salernitana’s redemption came in 2020/21, finishing as runners-up in Serie B, and then they defied the odds of survival finishing with just 31 points last season, the lowest ever points total in Serie A history not to have resulted in relegation.
This season a resounding 4-0 victory last weekend over Sampdoria eased the concerns that there could be a repeat of last season after two points from the opening three games. The visit of winless Empoli gave the fans hope of back to back wins for only the second time in the top level since reforming.
Unfortunately, Serie A wasn’t high up on the agenda for the rest of the Fuller’s so I dropped them into the center of the city for dinner and headed along the coast towards Stadio Arechi. A simple plan, let down in the execution by not failing to heed the most important rules of watching football in Italy.
Rule number one. If you are a nervous driver, don’t drive towards a stadium in Italy on a match day. The vast majority of fans head to the Stadio Arechi on scooters and they come at you from all directions, like a swarm of locusts. Going in any direction apart from forwards is impossible. All rules of the road disappear the closer to the stadium you get.
Rule number two. Never, ever think that there will be any parking spaces close to the ground in Italy. The signs are there a mile away, cars squeezed into the narrowest of gaps, parked on roundabouts, two a breast. But I carried on stoically, using the tried and tested English principle that the closer you got, the more likely there was to be a space because everyone thought the opposite. Of course there wasn’t any and so I had to turn around and navigate through the now onrushing swarm of mopeds until I found a parking space a mile away, on a roundabout.
Rule number three. Italian grounds are huge. Make sure you know which stand you are in. Whilst it was printed clearly in my ticket I simply followed the crowd and got to the front of the queue, presented my ticket and was told I was in the wrong stand. I asked where I needed to go, and through a sign language understood I needed to go back the way I came. So I did, but my way was blocked by an armed policeman, who in perfect English told me unless I was an Empoli fan, my way was blocked, despite the entrance I needed being 20 yards away. 15 minutes later I was at the right gate.
A word of warning, despite what you may hear or read about, every ticket is checked against ID at the outer gates. No ID or the wrong names, no entry.
Rule number four. Just because your ticket has a row and seat number on don’t expect to sit in it. I climbed to the top of the stadium and found my seat. Someone was sitting there. In fact the whole row was taken by a group that seemed far more invested (read bare chested, plenty of USS ink) than I was. So I moved to an empty section at the back of the stand, only to be asked to move as I was in someone else’s seat (painted patch on a concrete terrace).
Rule number five. Just because others are standing up doesn’t mean you can too. I moved down the front, wanting to get a better view of the action in and off the pitch. Groups were standing in the front row of the 2nd and 3rd tiers so I thought I’d join them. I was quickly told, in words it doesn’t take an Italian scholar to understand, that I couldn’t stand there and had to move.
Rule number six. Watch the Tifosi, not the game. I found a spot where I could stand and not be sworn at, with a perfect view of the Curva Sud, the packed stand where the Ultras were. Their noise and color was a joy to behold. When Empoli took the lead in the 31st minute, a fine headed effort by Martin Satriano, the ultras did not miss a beat, chanting and flag waving as if their lives depended on it. When the equaliser came, a Mazzocchi effort eight minutes later the flares came out and the choruses of the midfielder’s name reverberated around the Arechi.
Rule number seven. It’s tough being an away fan in Italy. You are assumed to be the most heinous of criminals, and treated as if you are in the FBI’s most wanted list. The 25 or so fans from Empoli had been given their own stand, both upper and lower tier, a police presence on a ratio of 1:2 and little else. But fair play to them – it’s a 350 mile trip down from Tuscany to Salerno on a school night.
Rule number eight. Just because your ticket was expensive, don’t expect much in the way of food and drink. Whilst football in Italy is very social, the concept of anything more than simple coffee or a beer if you are lucky is rare. You are a spectator in the gladiatorial arena. You’ve come to see the battle not indulge in the nectar and honey (unless you’ve got a hospitality ticket then fill your boots).
Rule number nine. Blend in with the locals. Wave your hands around, treat every decision against the home side as a mortal wound, cuss at every loose pass, look your fellow fans in the eye and share the disbelief until the team scores then it’s fair game to hug strangers around you,
Rule number ten. Leave at full time at your peril. I loathe leaving a game before the end. You don’t leave the cinema or the theater early, or skip out of a restaurant before you’ve finished your meal, so why leave a game early? But faced with the prospect of being caught up in the shoal of mopeds, and even crazier than normal driving, I skipped out with 2 minutes to play, found the car (thankfully not blocked in) and located the rest of the family, who had eaten in a bar and watched the whole game on TV.
For the record it ended 2-2, a fair result based on the away team’s first half dominance and the home side’s second half showing. But this wasn’t about the result for me, it was rekindling a love of football in a raw and unfiltered way. There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether to watch a game in Italy, but you’ll always come away wanting more.
About the Stadio Arechi – The 37,800 capacity stadium is a basic affair. Four identical two-tier stands, with no roofs and corner infills, with the Mediterranean to the west and the hills to the north. The Ultras can be found in the lower tier of the Curva Sud and some of the upper tier, whilst the away fans are given the opposite Curva Nord, even if their number is few. Bear in mind where the sun will be during the game when choosing your seats, with temperatures still in the mid-30s in September and April. Avoid the upper tier of the Tribuna Verde if you don’t want to be squinting into the sun.
How to get to the Stadio Arechi – if you really want to age 10 years, then go ahead and drive. Parking is at a premium although you can try Viale Antonio Bandiera which is only a short walk from the Tribuna Verde. Otherwise park on Via Generale Clark and be prepared for a 20 minute walk. Arechi Metro station is a few minutes walk from the East Stand (Tribuna and is a 20 minute ride from Salerno Central Station.
Getting a ticket for a US Salernitana home game – The club sells its tickets via Vivatickets.it. You need to register with the, but there’s no need to buy a fan card unless you are looking for tickets, should they be available for the games versus Napoli and Juventus. Tickets tend to go on sale to members first about 10 days before the game, then to anyone who has registered on the website 4-5 days before. Ticket prices range from €20 for the Curva Sud to €77 for a VIP seat in Tribuna Rossa. The Azzurra Tribuna offers great views, without the issues of the sun for €40.
Around Stadio Arechi – There’s really not much. The Pizzeria Salernitana on Via General Clark is a very popular hangout before the game but most fans meet-up in the bars in the city center before heading down on their scooters. The marina is a five minute walk away and has some bars and restaurants, whilst opposite the Curve Nord is a cinema which has a couple of restaurants.