Saturday, June 14, 2008

Italy vs. Netherlands in Euro 2008

On Monday, June 9 Italy faced the Netherlands in group play of Euro 2008. My roommates and I wanted to get a taste of the atmosphere surrounding this sporting event so we went the local bar in Trastevere. We showed up just before the start of the game and were lucky to snag the last available table. About 10 minutes into the game, the bar was packed. I found it neat how before the game, when they played the Italian national anthem on the T.V., many of the people in the bar loudly joined in to sing the anthem. I can’t remember this every happening in a bar or restaurant before an U.S. sporting event. Unfortunately, the initially rowdy atmosphere in the bar was subdued after the Netherlands got out to a 2-0 halftime lead. We decided to compare this atmosphere with that of Campo de Fiori. On the way to Campo, we passed a Netherland bar that was so packed that there were fans watching from the outside the bar. There was a giant banner with Dutch writing on it hanging outside the bar filled with orange clad fans. Once at Campo, we were unable to grab a seat and were resigned to watching the game from the outside. Despite to 2-0 deficit, the Italian fans seemed more animated than at the Trastevere bar. When all was said and done, Italy lost 3-0 and the Campo was filled with disgruntled fans that were staggering their way home.

No comments: