Fiorentina
Official Fiorentina website - http://www.acffiorentina.it/
Tickets - Sell-outs do occur, but you should be OK buying in advance from the stadium ticket office or one of the ticket outlets around the city. See here for a list of places to buy from. And remember, due to new anti-hooligan laws in Italy, you'll need some form of ID matching the name on the ticket in order to gain entry to the stadium. Stadium - The 47,000 capacity Stadio Artemio Franchi lies a couple of miles east of the city centre, slap bang next to the Campo di Marte train station. Take the short train ride from Santa Maria Novella station or hop on buses 11 or 17 from the centro storico. Ultra Culture - Viola Ultras have filled both ends of the ground since 1994, but it's the Curva Fiesole that is the spiritual home of Fiorentina's support. There are a number of active ultra groups in both curvas - all of whom are left leaning politically.
FLORENCE
Overview - Famed for its array of renaissance art and architecture, Florence is a compact little city overrun with tourists much of the time. Admire the scenery, then swap the foreign hordes for a few beers on the south side of the river before joining the passionate locals at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to cheer on the Viola. Pop into the Prada outlet next morning and bingo! - top European football travel weekend all round. Airports & Transfers - Amerigo Vespucci Airport - three miles west of central Florence, linked by Volainbuses every half hour (20mins, 4Euros), or public buses for 1.50Euros. Taxi's 15-20Euros. Pisa International - sixty miles west of Florence and served by the budget airlines. Terravision buses leave regularly for Florence at a cost of 8Euros, journey time 70 minutes. Nightlife - Central Florence's nightlife is geared up for the zillions of middle-aged tourists who flock there each year, so don't expect the livliest of scenes within the centro storico. Cross the river to the bohemian Oltrarno district, centred around Piazza Santo Spirito, for a younger, local crowd instead. Shopping - Via dei Calzaiuoli is the main high street drag. Via dei Tornabuoni, running parallel a few streets to the west, is the place to head for designer clobber. Alternatively, hire a car and head for the Prada, Gucci, D&G or Fendi outlets south of the city.
Further reading -
"Time Out" Florence: And the Best of Tuscany (Time Out Florence & Tuscany)
Calcio: A History of Italian Football
|
