Inter
Official website - http://www.inter.it/
Tickets - With 85,700 seats to fill every match, it's never difficult getting a ticket for all but the biggest of games. Buy from branches of Banca Popolare di Milano or other sales points around the city, or online at http://www.inter.it/en/biglietti/acquista.html . And remember, on the day of the match you'll need some form of ID matching the name on the ticket in order to gain entry to the stadium. Stadium - With its three-tiered 85,700 capacity, the San Siro is an awesome sight. To reach it take the red metro line 1 to Lotto station, from where you can either hop on one of the shuttle buses that run to the stadium, or simply follow the crowds making the ten minute walk. There's little in the way of bars around the ground, but on matchdays small kiosks do open up.
Ultra Culture - Inter's "Boys" rule the Curva Nord of the San Siro, holding an extreme right-wing viewpoint and a shared friendship with Lazio and Verona ultras. Clashes come against any ultras on the left of the political spectrum.
MILAN
Overview - Let's face it - if you're into football, clothes and travel, then a trip to Milan is something you've got to do at some stage, it's a rite of passage. For here you can combine two of the biggest football clubs in Europe playing in one of THE iconic stadiums of the world with some shopping at the flagship stores of every major fashion designer on the planet. Chuck in some great food and frenetic nightlife and you can't be far off the perfect football centred European weekend break. Airports & Transfers - Linate Airport - five miles east of the city centre, linked by bus no. 73 which takes 15mins and leaves every 10mins. Tickets are 1Euro. Taxi's 15Euros. Malpensa Airport - thirty miles north-west of the city, linked by Express trains every 30mins, taking 40mins at a cost of 9Euros, or buses every 20-40mins which take 50mins and cost 5.50Euros. Taxi's 70Euros. Orio al Serio Airport (Bergamo) - 35 miles north-east of Milan, linked by regular Terravision buses taking 50mins. Tickets are 7Euros. Taxi's 75Euros. Nightlife - Body-swerve the cluster of overpriced bars in the Brera district close to the city centre, and head south to Navigli instead where you'll find a younger and less pretentious crowd filling the many bars along the canal. Shopping - Designer paradise. From the main square, Piazza del Duomo, head north, past the original Prada shop in the incredible Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II arcade, and onto Via Manzoni, where you'll find a six-storey Armani department store. The flagship stores of just about every designer in the world lie in the surrounding streets and on a Saturday afternoon the crowds are immense. Stone Island and CP Company are on Corso Venezia.
Further reading -
"Time Out" Milan ("Time Out" Guides)
Calcio: A History of Italian Football
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