Lee's Tuscan Odyssey: 79. Fiorentina old vs new

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo

Well can you believe it, my first visit to the Artemo Franchi stadium to witness first hand football Italian style... We are in a strange situation in Florence at the moment as the Fiorentina football club went bankrupt at the end of the 2001 season due to some dodgy financial dealings by president and film producer, Vittorio Cechi Gori. The club were thrown out of the first division, serie A, refused entry into serie B and therefore effectively ceased to exist. In 2002 the club was re-established by shoe entrepeneur, Diego Delle Valle, entered into serie C2, effectively the 4th division and given a new name, 'Florentia Viola'. The only player that stayed was ex Juventus midfielder, Angelo Di Livio, helped by striking sensation, Cristian Rigano. In their first season they won the serie C2 championship, easily and by-passed serie C1 going straight into Serie B which is where we are now! Complicated or what?

This match is a friendly between newly promoted 'Florentia Viola' and the glory team of 90's that won the Italian cup and supercup, got to the semi-final of the UEFA cup, beat Arsenal and Man Utd in the Champions league and garnered a third place league finish in 1999.

Some of the players who lit up those historic matches are here tonight and I get to witness the Florentine public paying tribute to some of their old heroes...

Argentine phenomenen and symbol of that era, Gabriel Battistuta is here. Ex national goalkeeper, the giant Francesco Toldo is back, Lorenzo Amoruso, super sub Anselmo Robbiati, but no Rui Costa. It turns out to be a great evening of celebrations and goals! A 5-2 scoreline to Rigano and the new boys, proving that young legs are better than old! An entertaining evening and violence free... hopefully happier days ahead?

(Original journal entry 19/5/03)

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