May 7, 2006
This weekend I stayed in Florence for the Fiorentina game versus Reggina. There were seven of us that ended up going. We sat in the section titles "Maratona Laterale" which is opposite the team benches and up just off one of the corners. The "Maratona" section was then to our left running the length of the sideline and to our right was the "Curva Fiesole" on the end of the stadium. All of the crazy soccer fans sit in the Fiesole section and it was pretty apparent. There wasn't a moment during the game when the section stopped chanting or yelling. They have quite a large repertoire of songs and chants. Overall, I've never seen a fan section more excited or energized about watching a game. More importantly, they did not slow down even when Fiorentina went up 5 - 0, which in a soccer match is absurd. Reggina did come back and score two goals (one on a penalty kick), but the lead was too large for them to even attempt to catch. It was a pretty exciting game to go to since it isn't often that there are 7 goals scored in a match.
We were also pretty lucky since it was supposed to rain in the morning. It did rain, however, but not until an hour or so after the game had finished. God clearly loves soccer too.
Looking down at the other end of the field. Apparently this is the 80th year that Fiorentina has been around.
The whole Fiesole section with colored flags. It says "Let's Go Viola". I still haven't figured out why it is in English.
The teams lined up before the beginning of the match.
A free kick on our side of the field. You can see the ball in the air. Unfortunately, this one missed high.
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A short victory celebration. The players linked arms and went to each side of the field to thank the fans. Then they threw their jerseys (and some even threw their shorts) to the hardcore fans in the Fiesole section.
This is a short (and small video) showing what the game sounded like for 90 minutes. You can hear the Fiesole section chanting the best near the end of the video, but it did not stop for a moment during the game. They went a whole 90 minutes and didn't stop once, puts the 6th Man Club to shame.