It is 4.30pm on a cloudy Sunday in March and the Campobasso players are singing, together with their fans, the last chants under the North, to celebrate the important victory obtained against Avezzano (Serie D group F). After taking the last shots I put the equipment in my backpack and quickly make my way out of the stadium. My football day didn’t end here, but taking advantage of the proximity of the Molise capital to Benevento, I decided to score an interesting double, also going to see the challenge between the sorcerers and Messina (Serie C group C), scheduled at 6.30pm.
After entering the Campobasso ring road, I point the car in the direction of Monte Mutria, a splendid mountain, 1,800 meters high, which marks the border between the provinces of Benevento and Campobasso. The journey proceeds quickly and I practically meet no one on the road.
To reach the “Vigorito” I walk along the state road 87 Samnite which connects Benevento with Termoli. Its name reminds us that the territory between Campobasso and Benevento was inhabited, in ancient times, by the Samnites. It is a hilly area, where the last Apennine undulations before the Tavoliere can be observed. In the pre-Roman period this area was dominated by the Samnite Pentri tribe, the people devoted to the god Mars (Mamers), whose influence extended roughly from Pietrabbondante (Old cattle) in Benevento (Maleventum–Benevento). In the Middle Ages, however, it was the heart of the Lombard dominion in southern Italy (Lombardy Minor): il Beneventan leadershipThen Principality from 744, at the time of its maximum expansion it extended from Ortona to the Ionian Sea.
I pass through the towns of Morcone and Pontelandolfo and Lake Campolattaro, then cross the border between Molise and Campania. I am now at the beginning of the Telesina Valley and near Benevento I can see the profile of Taburno: its contours are similar to those of a supine woman, so much so that it is called the “Sannio Sleeper”.
Road signs for Caianello, Rome, Avellino, Salerno, Naples, Caserta, Campobasso, Isernia, Foggia and Bari mi they recall the road and railway importance of the Samnite capitalwhich in ancient times represented the obligatory passage for the Romans to reach theApulia and Greece. L’Appia it reached Benevento in 268 BC, when the Samnite center was transformed into a colony of Latin law. Then, at the time of Emperor Trajan, a detour was inaugurated which began precisely in Benevento: unlike the original branch, which passed through Venosa and Taranto, the variant, which took the name of Trajantouched the Adriatic and the centers of Canosa and Egnatia. The symbol of Benevento is the Arch of Trajan, which celebrates the opening of this new stretch.
Precisely because of its strategic importance Benevento was the scene of two very important battlesknown to everyone from school textbooks: that of 275 BC, the final episode of the war fought by Rome against Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who landed in Italy in support of the Tarantines, and the clash of 12 February 1266 between the troops of Charles of ‘Anjou and those of the Swabian Manfredi, who handed over southern Italy to the Angevins.
Immersed in these historical reflections I arrive at “Vigorito” and park the car. I take a short walk to observe the beautiful ones murals outside, then I collect my accreditation and set foot on the pitch. The home team enters the match second in its class, behind Juve Stabia, while Messina, fresh from the home defeat against Crotone, sails in the middle of the table. Today’s match is the twelfth match on Samnite soil between the Campanians and the Sicilians, who in 1998-99 competed in the final of the play-off of group C of the old C2 in Lecce. Messina lost that match, but in the following season a golden period began for the Strait team, culminating in promotion to Serie A in 2004. Those were the roaring years of the “Celeste”, a stadium that made me dream when I was a child, but unfortunately I never got to see it. Benevento reached the top division in 2017, thanks to the 1-0 victory against Carpi in the second leg final. play-off of Serie B.
While the teams warm up, the stands of the “Vigorito” fill up little by little. With just a few minutes to go before kick-off, the Messina supporters make their entrance, settling in the lower tier of the away section. Messina reminds me of the Greek navigators who founded it in the 8th century BC Zanclethen became Messanaand the story of the Mamertines, a group of warriors of Oscan origin named after Mamers, the Italian god of war. In the 3rd century BC the Mamertines occupied Messina and from their request for help sent to Rome against Carthage, which wanted to place eastern Sicily under its control, the first Punic war began. While I observe the Sicilians settling in the guest sector I also think of the sacrifices of the island fans, forced to face journeys that are always very long and uncomfortable for their colours. However, today Messina is followed by a good group of supporters, as in every away match, after all.
At 6.30 pm the twenty-two enter the field and, at the same time, the cheering competition begins. The Benevento curve is lit up with numerous torches flash, which together with the many waving flags create a very suggestive effect, beautiful to photograph. Today, two historic groups of fans are the protagonists in the stands, divided by a rivalry that has its roots in the challenges of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In the guest sector the Messina fans offer spectacular support for the entire ninety minutes: their support knows practically no pause and I am struck, above all, by the originality of the choirs, many of which are also in dialect. In short, their performance is of a high level, in terms of quantity and quality. In addition to their voices and clapping, they also show off the color they give to the sector with the two poles, the flags and the flags that are always in motion.
Nice display of support in the south of Benevento too: the wizards cheer for the entire 90 minutes, accompanying the choirs with the drum and always waving their flags. The organized groups are compact in the central part of the curve and perform numerous and beautiful clapping. In short, the performance of the home Giallorossi was also really positive.
On the pitch, Benevento took the lead in the 31st minute of the first half with Lanini, on a corner kick. The first half ends with Benevento in the lead, but in the second half the Sicilians don’t give up and find the equalizer with Frisenna in the 90th minute, a goal that causes a heated celebration in the away team. The match therefore ends with the result 1-1.
While the two fans sing the last chants, I arrange the equipment, leave the stadium and reach the car, largely satisfied with what I saw. 200 kilometers await me before returning home. The journey, despite the tiredness and the torrential rain encountered near Cassino, on theA1, flows smoothly between one song and another. When I get home it’s late and I’m devastated but happy having seen two stadiums and four fans in the same day!
Text by Andrea Calabrese
Photos by Andrea Calabrese and Paolo Furrer
Galleria Furrer
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2024-03-16 16:29:55
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