With Jen still away in America I thought I might as well head off abroad again and planned a trip that would enable me to tick off San Marino and Albania as countries where I’d seen a match. As San Marino doesn’t have an airport of it’s own, I flew into Bologna on the Friday night and then drove to Pesaro. It was all cheap enough as not many people holiday in Pesaro in January. Or, I suspect, any other time of the year.
Next morning I drove up into the hills for a fixture in the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio, which is the top tier of domestic football in the principality. I forget what town the game was in, but there were some spectacular views from the windy roads as I gained height. Interestingly, there were no border posts, so presumably everyone who lived nearby had unlimited tax-free shopping opportunities.
I tried to get some lunch in a bar, but it was one of those places where everyone stares at you when you enter. As there were no chairs available, I turned around and walked straight back out. There was a café in a small shopping arcade nearby and they had some giant ravioli that I think may have come out of the fryer. I couldn’t fault it.
The game was down the hill on the other side of town at the Campo Sportivo di Fiorentino, home of AC Libertas. I had to park a few hundred yards further down the hill and walk back up.
It was free to get in and I took a seat in a small, covered stand. There wasn’t really any choice as spectators were only permitted on one side of the pitch. The only other option was watching from outside the ground, from the road. I had a wander out there in the second half and it, too, was a decent view. There were probably around sixty spectators in total, in and out of the ground.
Visitors La Fiorita were top of the league and in line for Champions League qualification. They took the lead after half-an-hour with a scrambled effort that had the home fans grumbling.
As befitted their status as league leaders, La Fiorita were the better side. Their captain, Gasperoni, who sounds more like a brand of Italian cigarettes than a footballer, ran the show.
The floodlights came on at half-time and as the sun started to disappear the temperature dropped. Once the last remnants had slipped below the horizon it was cold enough to see people’s breath.
By that time La Fiorita had added another two goals to take the points in their quest for that Champions League spot.
Tags: Italian cigarettes, San Marino
Trail of the Lion King 
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