“Once you’ve done the outward journey, you also do the return journey”: thus goes an old motto in vogue among the “partitellari”, so, after having seen the challenge of the “Colavolpe” between Terracina and Teramo, first round of the quarter-finals of the Italian Amateur Cup, I decide to also follow the return to the “Bonolis”. I find myself, therefore, in the heart of Apennine Italy just three days after a nice double in Sannio, where I witnessed, on the same Sunday, the Campobasso-Avezzano and Benevento-Messina matches.
When I start the car for my umpteenth solo trip I realize that the time margin is not abundant, so, in the next two and forty hours of driving, I am unfortunately forced to give up my usual photographic stops (I am passionate about mountains and road signs…), not being able to allow myself the luxury of wasting precious minutes. Even though it is a midweek day, traffic on the motorway is flowing and the journey proceeds quickly, so, almost without realizing it, I find myself at the Torano branch, where the motorway for Chieti and breaking latest news branches off from Rome-Teramo. In front of me appears the snow-capped mass of Velino, the Lord of the Lake, so called because the waters of the Fucino once shone at his feet, a lake basin that was finally drained by the Torlonia family in the 19th century, after a first attempt by the Roman emperor Claudius.
In a few minutes I leave Marsica behind and I reach the L’Aquila basin: the landscape is dominated by the Gran Sasso massif, which then disappears from view once you enter the tunnel of the same name, leaving which you enter the province of Teramo. During the journey I gained a few minutes: I could stop in the usual lay-by towards Basciano to photograph the impressive north face of Camicia, the Corno Grande wall and the magnificent Franchetti refuge, but the Apennine peaks are covered by a veil of clouds, so I head straight for the stadium.
Now I see Teramo, a beautiful city located in an enviable position, being located a short distance from the sea and the highest peaks of the Apennines. In these parts, on the sunny days of late May or early June, in the morning you can ski in the basin of the (former) Calderone glacier, while in the afternoon you can swim in the waves of the Adriatic: very few places in the world offer all this !
Interamnia it was the capital of the Prescription (against), one of the many Osco-Umbrian speaking peoples of pre-Roman Italy. From intermediate forms Interamne e Teramne the current name was derived, which means “city between the two rivers”, being located at the confluence of the Tordino and Vezzola. More precisely, Teramo was called Interamnia Pretutius to be distinguished from Interamnia Naharstoday’s Terni, founded by the ancient Umbrian people and also bathed by two waterways.
I am therefore in the heart ofPraetutian fieldterritory subjugated by the Roman general Curio Dentatus in 290 BC. Following this annexation, the inhabitants of Teramo were enrolled in the tribe Tissue (those of Anxur-Tarracina they were, however, part of theOufentina). The tribes, in ancient Rome, were territorial districts at the basis of the tribute comitia, the assembly that elected the magistrates without command
In the early Middle Ages the territory of the diocese of Teramo was called Aprutium. Flavio Biondo, fifteenth-century humanist who authored the work Illustrated Italy, derives the name Abruzzo from this word, which the scholar connects to the ethnonym Pretuzi. The term Aprutium appears for the first time in a letter from Pope Gregory the Great (6th century AD) a An opportunity from Aprutiumbishop of Teramo (bishop of Aprutinus or Interamnensis).
From the Middle Ages until the Risorgimento, the Teramo territory followed the events of the Kingdom of Naplesof which it was, for centuries, the northern frontier (beyond the river Tronto the lands of the Church began): its rulers were, in chronological succession, the Lombards, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, the Spaniards, the Austrians and the Bourbons.
While I review some history I finally arrive at the San Nicolò a Tordino exit, where I leave the ring road for Giulianova. The “Bonolis” is right next to the motorway. After parking the car, I take a photo at the box office with the murals “Sacrifice and passion”then I gain the playing field and start preparing the equipment.
I turn my gaze to the guest sector and notice that the people of Terracino are present in large numbers: around three hundred supporters have come from the Tyrrhenian town, a significant figure, especially when compared to midweek, which demonstrates how the Biancoceleste is a place worthy of higher categories. On the other side, in the central area of the Curva Est, the boys from Teramo take their seats. There are no banners in the sector: as known, i Sixteen Steps eh Teramo Zezza have decided to temporarily fold their banners, while the groups they follow with their away banners, present in the first leg at the “Colavolpe”, have not entered the “Bonolis” for some time.
Between one test shot and another 2.30pm arrives and twenty-two line up on the green surface. The people of Terracino give life to a choreography: they lower a white and blue tarpaulin, with the writing Sea Curve and the image of the tiger, then they open a banner with the Latin expression “Take heart”, which can simply be translated as “Courage!”. This motto recalls verse 641 of book IX ofAeneid by Virglio: Apollo observes Iulus, son of Aeneas, fighting against the Rutuli and says to him: “Be brave with your new strength, boy; so we go to the stars…”, that is, “Long live your new value, child: this is how you go to heaven…”. The flags and the two poles accompany this splendid scenography, whose soundtrack is the choir “Wherever you go we will be, we will always support you”. In the EastIn the meantime, the people of Teramo get together well and sing dry chants for those who have been warned.
During the first half the two sets of fans offered a nice cheer: the people of Teramo clap their hands a lot, sing prolonged and dry choruses and wave the flag with the writing Interamnia. Even the people of Terracino opt for a mixture of prolonged chants and in response and wave the numerous flags incessantly. Both in the home corner and in the away sector the choirs are accompanied by the drum. Also in the first forty-five minutes the Tyrrhenians display a banner for those who have been banned, applauded by the red and whites, and carry out a scarf attack.
In the 9th minute Teramo, in the green jersey, takes the lead through Oses, who puts the ball into the net after a post hit by Santirocco. There Mare, in away format, continues to cheer and Terracina tries to react: Curiale beats Negro with a header, but the Tiger striker’s goal is canceled out by the referee. In the 47th minute the Abruzzo team scored their second goal with D’Egidio, who beat Martinelli with a lob. At the referee’s double whistle the two teams then head to the locker rooms with Teramo ahead by two goals.
In the second half the cheering script is the same as in the first half, with the two sets of fans singing constantly. The people of Terracino make themselves heard with many prolonged chants, showing off the color they give to the sector with the flags, flags and banners always open. At regular intervals you can see the regional trains passing behind them that connect Teramo with the Adriatic railway. In the home corner the people from Teramo also cheer continuously, throwing lots of punches and always showing their flag. The red and whites also pay homage to friends who are no longer with us.
In the 77th minute the home team closed the score with Cangemi, who pierces the Biancoceleste goalkeeper with a volley. Terracina closes the gap with Sossai in the 84th minute, but the goal is only valid for statistics, considering the 1-1 draw in the first leg. The people of Terracino sing “3-1, 3-2, 3-3”but after five minutes of injury time the final whistle puts an end to the games: Teramo reaches the semi-final, where they will face the Sicilian side Paternò.
Once the match is over, the teams bid farewell to their supporters, while I set up the equipment and get to the exit. My afternoon in Teramo doesn’t end here: I decide to go and see the exterior of the legendary and glorious “Comunale”, the old home of the Devil, the scene of epic and unrepeatable challenges, today an architectural memory of a football that no longer exists. Walking through the narrow streets around, I try to imagine the atmosphere that could be felt in those streets and in those stands during each match, and I think back to my years in middle school, when I already loved the Italy of the bell tower and the provinces, that represented by the championships from B downwards, up to the Interregional: every Monday I couldn’t wait to come home from school to watch “C Siamo”, my favorite programme.
I also think back to my first trade magazines, which every Saturday, during my adolescence, I bought at my local newsstand to see photos of the banners that have made the history of Italian cheering, such as that of Devil’s Corps. Immersed in these thoughts, time passes quickly, so I go to the historic center: I visit the magnificent Cathedral, the amphitheater and the theater from the Roman period, the remains of the domusthe arcades, the narrow alleys and the pretty little church of San Getulio built in the Byzantine era. I find this town on a human scale very nice and rich in Roman and medieval antiquities.
Between one photo and another it’s now eleven: it’s time to get back in the car and go home. The motorway is deserted and the journey goes smoothly, except for the L’Aquila-Tornimparte stretch, where I am forced to divert via a winding mountain road. There is no one around me and I am alone on the asphalt. The arrival is scheduled for two, but traveling at night is always magnificent, even knowing that the wake-up call the following day will be traumatic. I listen Years by Max Pezzali and I think about how beautiful a Teramo-Terracina would have been at the old “Comunale”!
Andrea Calabrese
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