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Throughout the past week, all of us had become aware of the local excitement that was brewing over the upcoming professional soccer match between the local favorite, Forza Napoli (a team from Naples), and a rival team (Salernitana) from the nearby city of Salerno. Many shops, storefronts and apartment balconies began to sprout banners and flags with the team's name and checkered-blue logo emblazoned upon them. Sorrento city workers even strung streamers on top of the streetlight poles, crisscrossing the streamers from one side of the street to the other.
We decided to have lunch at La Maison Douce at around 1:00PM, two hours before the scheduled start of the match that was to be played in Naples. This was the first time John and Cindy had accompanied us to this restaurant on the Corso Italia, which has become one of our favorite spots in Sorrento. The pedestrian traffic seemed heavier than usual today, and we were not sure we could find outdoor seating, but a table for four was available on the terrace when we arrived. The head waiter, Nello, with whom Dee and I have established some rapport, greeted us with his usual beaming smile and cheerful demeanor.
Both John and Cindy have been less than impressed with the pizza they have sampled during their stay, but the one John ordered today earned favorable reviews. Cindy ordered a Caprese salad, Dee had a mixed salad with a side order of roasted potatoes (which were outstanding), and I chose the scallops dish. After Nello (belatedly) brought the customary basket of bread to our table, and John sampled both the dark and white varieties, he agreed with our rave reviews from previous visits.
In fact, after John made a point about the outstanding bread, Nello brought out two take-home bags filled with almost half-a-loaf each! However, the
pièce de résistance of today's lunch experience had to have been the enticing dessert tray the waiter brought to our table after we had finished our meals. How could we resist temptation, you say? Well, we didn't...we totally caved!
After lunch we returned to the apartment. As game time approached, fans could be seen scurrying about, some heading into a sports bar across the street from us. Suddenly, about a half-hour or so into the match, all hell broke loose! Screaming fans with flags, bells, whistles, horns and hand-held smoke
bombs (spewing blue smoke) ran outside, apparently to celebrate a goal scored by the Napoli team.
Cindy was able to connect with a game update site on her phone, and she confirmed the score was 1-0, in favor of Napoli, at the end of the first half. Sadly, however, the Salerno team scored a late goal in the second half, so the game ended in a tie. Soon after the match ended, the disappointed Napoli fans began to disperse from the bars where they had watched the game; but the noise-making, chanting and flag-waving continued for hours afterward. This was followed by ear-splitting explosions of high-powered firecrackers, like cherry bombs on steroids, that continued sporadically until late into the evening hours.
Dee's Comments: Today was a laid-back kind of day, with our friends stepping out around noon to find the meeting point for their guided tour to Pompeii. We met them at our favorite place, La Maison Douce, for lunch at around 1:00PM. The streets were busy with people anticipating the soccer game later today. Balloons, signs and the blue-and-white flags of the Napoli team were everywhere. After lunch, from our apartment balcony, we watched all the
activities on the street below; smoke, fireworks and cheering like it was our 4th of July or New Year's celebrations back home. The noise and merrymaking did not stop until well after midnight!
Sad that we must say
arrivederci to our travel buddies on Tuesday. They were great company, and we shared many memorable moments during their stay...they even slowed down when I needed a break! We'll miss them, and wish them a safe journey home!
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Jeni
non-member comment
Don’t let them hear you call it soccer, that is football, lol! You got to witness the deep love and craziness of the sport and the fans. The food, the food and oh the food, all looks amazing and I would have said just drop the whole dessert tray on the table, I need to taste them all! I can’t believe John and Cindy are heading home already, it went quick! Safe travels home.