Travelling for Passion

(Distance from home 850 km). The fuel for our journey was a great passion for football. Seven friends, a beat-up van, freedom to decide where to settle, the atmosphere of the European Championship: an excellent prelude to these three days to attend the Italian national team's opener at the European Championships in Switzerland and Austria. After an endless journey, we decide to stop at Hergiswil in a campsite on the shore of a pretty little lake. Time to pitch the tents and prepare, like good Italians, a plate of spaghetti, inviting two curious Swiss people, and tiredness forces us into our sleeping bags. The next morning we decide to visit the beautiful city of Lucerne: what struck me most was the obvious cleanliness and the equally obvious Swiss tranquillity. A spectacular match with some Swiss lads on a parish pitch ended in a draw: a great atmosphere of friendship.

The following day is the day of the fateful match: Italy-Netherlands in Bern. Spectacular stadium, parade of Dutch fans worthy of a 10 out of 10: not quite so spectacular the match for us, with a resounding 3-0 that earned us the mockery of the Dutch on leaving the stadium. The next morning a train takes us to Geneva, where we have to catch the EasyJet flight that will take us back to Rome. Three of our friends continue the journey to Zurich, where they'll also follow the next match. The last straw: at Geneva airport the gates for Rome and for Amsterdam are right opposite each other, with a resulting feast of jeers for us Italians.