FIORENTINA 1 V ATALANTA 2 - STADIO ARTEMIO FRANCHI - SERIE A - 8th FEBRUARY 2020

Only 4 clubs have spent more time in the top division that Fiorentina. They were founded in 1926 following a merger between CS Firenze and PG Libertas, a union brought together with the aim of challenging the bigger clubs in Italy. They have won the top division twice and have the unfortunate record of being runners up in all the UEFA Cup competitions although did win one, the Cup Winners Cup in 1961. Their distinctive purple kit was first worn in 1928 which is thought to have been a mistake in the washing process of their red and white shirts, white shorts and black socks which created a shade of purple. 

Getting there - Florence does have an airport but you are probably more likely to arrive at Santa Maria Novella, the main train station, via Bologna. From there its a fair hike to the stadium in the north east of the city. Im sure there are buses and taxis but it was a spring like day, the sun was out and with some amazing sights from this Renaissance City , it was worth the amble around town and on to the afternoon game.  At the ground there are not many bars nearby but there are pop up bars, food outlets, and souvenir stalls on Viale Manfredo Fanti so decent enough to grab a bite and have a swift one.

Our visit was about 5 weeks before the UK Covid lockdown  and even less before  Italy locked down . The  arrival procedure at the airport  included forehead temperature checks from people in hazmat style suits. Little did we know we would soon be waiting with anticipation  for live German football to kick off on the tv to get our footy fix and wouldn't be travelling for a while.

Getting in - Fiorentina use the Vivaticket system. On this occasion we emailed the club and they arranged direct. As we learnt from then on, no one seemed to sit in their seat so first half view was taken nearby but not in our allocated seats and second half nearer to the away 'ospiti' section.

What its like - A mid to near top of the table clash in a fair sized home crowd in a great atmosphere. The ground has been in existence for almost a hundred years and despite a facelift for  Italia 90 could do with an upgrade. Essentially a large concrete bowl with one main stand, a little crumbly and a bit like the one on offer at Pisa just bigger. Fiorentina went into a 1-0 lead in the first half following a great strike by Chiesa outside the box, but Atalanta showed their superiority and dominance by scoring a couple of second half goals, one a tap in the latter from also outside the penalty area.  Afterwards the stroll back took in a few bars and restaurants as we headed back to the station for the fast train (40 odd minutes) back to Bologna. Florence and Fiorentina well worth a trip.