Wales is a country with only one true religion, Rugby. I have been a devout follower to this religion my whole life. I grew up in the 70’s when the players were more well known than any Pope would ever be. I was myself a player as a young man before my sporting path took me in a direction where my body type was more suited. But the passion for my local club and the national team still follows me wherever I am travelling or living in the world.
Last year whilst watching the six nations we thought it would be a great opportunity to watch my first live game after moving to Austria (no quality rugby here) as well as Leela’s first game ever and also combine a trip to Rome in the process. Something I had been harping on about the last 8 years!
Getting tickets was a lot more straightforward than trying to buy a ticket for a Cardiff game and after negotiating my way through the Italian website for an hour we had our seat numbers and the tickets had been patiently sat on the shelf for one whole year. Then finally it was time to be on our way and packing the van for the 5 day trip in a freezing Austria we were both very excited to be on the Road to Rome.
The drive there is very tedious. 800 km of just motorway and as we had only time for Rome and not to detour through the wonderful surrounding countryside we bit of a large chunk on a Wednesday evening, had a very disruptive night in a motorway gas station, and a very early start to arrive at our camp site before 12:00 on Thursday.
Just one word on the driving – Chaos. The Italians in general do not know how to drive and have Zero respect for any other road users. But in Rome it’s a whole new level of absurdness. Overtaking, undertaking, speeding, mobile phone use whilst smoking or doing their make-up, and the use of the horn if they think you are taking just one single second out of their drive is phenomenal.
Camping Village Flaminio is around 8 km from the centre of Rome and with the off season Acsi card is fairly reasonable for what it is. Clean-ish, small pitches, unfriendly receptionists, toilets and showers work-ish, and as a bonus you do get classical music pumping out at full volume whilst you shower! But you are ultimately there for the location rather than the hospitality. And after a terrifying 500m walk with no crossings or pavement to the train station which looked like something from the Bronx in the 70’s. It’s only a 20 minute ride to town.
We had both been to Rome before independently, Leela 23 years ago and me 11 years ago. So we were very much looking forward to sharing the experience together. And on the Wednesday afternoon we set off from the camp site on a 3 day expedition covering nearly 90 km by foot from one end of the city to the other and everywhere in between. We checked out all the famous sites from the Pantheon which is probably both our favourite building, the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, the Colosseum, St. Peters, and nearly every Roman ruin and park that is in the city. Returning to the van late each night hungry and exhausted but yet still full of energy after the amazing days experiences. The only thing we were unable to view was the Vatican as there were no tickets available and on Saturday we were unable to go because it was game day!
And to the game… We were excited to wake on Saturday morning especially when we saw that the weather forecast was over 20 degrees and sunny. And after a large breakfast we ran the gauntlet to the train station and soon we were in town and greeted by a sea of red and a lot of familiar accents. We spent most of the morning just wondering the streets and taking in the lovely atmosphere that only an international rugby match can bring. So many red jerseys, dragons, daffodils and general all round positivity, excitement and laughter. At midday we left the centre, bought a couple of cold ones, and made our way across the bridge to the Castle gardens where we sat in spring sunshine eating our packed lunch and enjoying a cold Peroni.
As the fans started to make their way toward the stadium we joined them for the hours walk along the river. It’s really amazing to see how much support we have for our national team and how many will travel from such a small country and at such expense, it felt like half of Wales were on their way to the game.
When we arrived at the main entry way to the stadium it was clear that it would be a sell-out crowd. The noise was building, the street vendors making a roaring trade and the supporters of both teams mixing together without a single issue. Such a difference from going to watch a soccer match. There is a different mindset in the rugby world.
After some very light security checks we were finally inside the ground and after buying a couple of overpriced beers which just had to be done we were at our quite fantastic seats on the 22 and enjoying the Italian hospitality and sunshine. The stadium, although at capacity of 75 thousand, seemed quite small to me. It was for sure very pretty inside and the blue sky enhanced the experience no end, but it didn’t seem to be that loud either and the noise escaped very easily, not really like a game in Cardiff. But when your home stadium is known as being the best in the world, I guess you are somewhat spoilt.
As kickoff approached Leela was really beginning to enjoy her first rugby experience. She was a little apprehensive at first as she, like me, does not like to be in the presence of large crowds. But it was such a nice and relaxed atmosphere with respect being shown by both sets of fans, so it was easy to enjoy. The game turned out really well, for Wales anyway, and the match went by so fast we lost track. The players walked the pitch at full time and gave the respect back to the travelling fans which is always a nice gesture win or lose. Then we made our way back to town with the thousands and we had a final couple of beers whilst sitting on the fountain of the Piazza del Popolo and talking of such a wonderful Rome experience.
We made our way back to the train and the van whilst the rest of the fans were making their way to the centre for what I am sure was a night filled with singing and maybe a few beers.
Leaving the next day was tough as it was now 23 degrees and full spring sunshine and warmth. This time we were unable to extend our stay, but we knew that soon we would be on the road again.
Diolch yn fawr iawn Rom.
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