Last night Syd and I went to watch the game on a huge TV screen (~ 150 inches) in Piazza Castello with several hundred Torinese. Piazza Castello is where Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) is at... Beth, Syd, and I took a picture in front of the palace when Beth first arrived Torino (blog title is 'Beth!'). I wasn't going to go because it was raining but Syd insisted that we check it out. I'm so happy we did because not only the rain stopped, we also get to sharing the passion of soccer with fellow Italians. Trevor joined us later after half time but he only watched the game for 20 min or so. What a soccer pooper! :p
Italians cheered their team at the start of the game.
Palazzo Reale at night.
It was exciting watching the game with Italians. They were cheering, booing, cursing (though the only thing I could understand was the finger gesture), yelling when French players fouled, complaining when their players didn't score, and of course, jumping up and down joyfully when they did! There were these 2 guys who kept walking in circles while their eyes never left the TV screen and their mouths never stopped mumbling. One of them even threw down his umbrella when Luca Toni (Italian Forward) missed his 3rd try to score (so close yet so far). I also saw a young couple who held each other and kept kissing throughout the entire game... not sure if it was the best place for a romantic date. But the most interesting person was a French fan. He was the only person there holding a French flag in the big piazza. He was smart because he stood next to a team of police officers. I bet the police wasn't happy since they didn't want any trouble.
Well, if you think after victory, everyone goes home to sleep, then you are wrong! At least an hour of car honking and people yelling/ singing continued after the game. Syd and I could hear the excitement all the way back and also inside the apartment on the 5th floor. We are going to watch the game against Spain outdoor Sunday night. Spain has a tough soccer team so it'll be a difficult game for Italians. Forza, Italia!
P.S. One thing I'd like to suggest to Torino city government is to set up big garbage cans in the center of the piazza where the TV screen was at. Many people were drinking beer so these empty bottles ended up on the floor.
1 comment:
If Torino is anything like London or Paris, they probably don't put out public garbage cans in certain areas because they are great disguises for bombs.
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