Forza Italia!

One of the great fortunes of our time in Italy was that it coincided with Italy's run to the finals of the European soccer tournament. As their rather unlikely series of victories gathered steam the boys got more and more into it. Really they didn't watch too much actual soccer, but it was more the experience that they enjoyed. We got in the habit of walking to the square in front of the Pantheon to watch the games at night. The bars and restaurants turned the TV's outward so we could sit and watch the game with a beer while the kids ran around nearby in the square with no fear of cars. There were guys selling these rockets that shoot up in the air and then float back down, so the boys ran around with seemingly boundless energy trying to catch them. One night, someone with a laser point in one of the rooms above the square found Connor and there commenced the most hilarious game of tag in the world, first with the pointer following Connor and then with him trying to catch it. This went on for probably 15 minutes with Connor just laughing hilariously as he ran around. Really we were all laughing and by the end so were most of the people nearby in the square.

While there we could also walk back to Giolitti's, home of delicious gelato. The on the way back after victories they also loved all the beeping cars and flags being waved and people singing in the street and yelling "Forza Italia!!!!" One of Jamie's friends is in Germany and after the Italians eliminated the Germans, Jamie was particularly pleased thinking of how quiet it must have been in Berlin at that same moment. Granted we got paid back when Italy got demolished by Spain in the final, but still it was a great run.

It helped us integrate a bit too, because we got the boys Italia shirts which they wore proudly and to good effect with the Italians.  Sometimes we needed to proclaim our allegiance too. When we were in Assisi we were getting an English language tour. It happened that this was the day before Italy's quarterfinal against England, so at some point a Franciscan monk came over to the guide, gestured gruffly at us and asked where we were from. When told the US, he lightened up considerably and smiled and said to us all...wait for it..."Forza Italia." Connor's blonde hair aroused some suspicion at times. The weekend before the final we were in Florence and our hotelier started eyeing Connor closely. Finally, he gave me a sideways look at said "Tedeschi?" (Are you German?). No, no I said, Americani. He kept looking at Connor though as though he wasn't convinced, so the net day we made sure they wore their allegiance proudly.