Students who come to Italian me, in addition to the love for the language of Dante and passion for soccer, have the most different passions: art, opera, food, “la dolce vita”…

Is not possible to come to Italy without having a basic knowledge of the sport passion for excellence: soccer. Many Italians ignore the most basic rules of baseball, rugby, tennis, but everyone knows what is an “offside”, “net”, “rigor”, “sold referee”.

Here is a brief manual to be prepared for a tipical Bar discussion, especially now that the UEFA European Championship in France is starting.

WHO ARE “GLI AZZURRI”: This is the name by which they call the players involved in the Italian national team.

WHERE ARE THEY TRAINING: The players of the Italian national team get their training a Coverciano charismatic area of Florence! A Coverciano there is also a very special museum, the Soccer Museum which houses all the memories that have shaped the history of the Italian soccer.

FRIENDS \ ENEMIES: During the international games such as the European or the World Cup, there are different moods in the fans. Playing with the Spain national team as well as with the South American teams, is definitely a celebration, almost a moment of sports friendship. But things change when Italy plays against with France and Germany. I’m not saying that there is hate flowing in the air but definitely a victory over the Germans or the BLEUS brings much more satisfaction. You can imagine how much happiness there was in Italy in 2006 when the Azzurri won in Berlin, as hosts, the semi-final which would take them to win the World Cup against France!

“FORZA ITALIA!”: for the past 20 years, the fans rarely enhance the Azzurri with these words because Forza Italy since 1994 is also a political party.

…… continues tomorrow ……