Yesterday morning, out of curiosity, we went to the Como football website to try to see what the availability of tickets was for the match against Lazio. Cartel match, of course: but midweek round, straddling a long holiday weekend: practically, for the Serie A football league, the bogeyman, with an accompanying collapse in television viewers (small aside: Milan-Napoli, free-to-air offer at a maximum of 2,000,000 non-subscribed spectators (approximately 1,800,000, including paying DAZN customers). We therefore thought of a wide possibility of choice. No virtual queue on the website of the agency that manages entrance tickets, in fact: everything as expected… not so much.
Search result: only one ticket available, in the uncovered east stand, but with the possibility of purchasing the pre-match ticket at Villa Carminati Resta. What is it about? The location, close to the Sinigaglia Stadium, located in one of the most beautiful areas of the Como city, normally opens a couple of hours before kick-off: the experience includes gourmet food, with a buffet inspired by the typical cuisine of the area from which team the visiting team comes from and, obviously, a selection of drinks and fine wines, which can also be purchased by those who already have a ticket or season ticket. It must be said: it is not something cheap (we are in the order of a hundred francs spent), and it has limited availability. But, after all, these are the characteristics of every event that wants to be exclusive; and, in the area, there are many tourist offers of this nature, given the target of visitors who land in these parts. In any case, never seen something like this anywhere else.
Obviously, although this possibility exists, even in the ancient stadium there is a lounge dedicated to guests of the grandstand: not very large, certainly not at the level of those we are used to seeing in our latitudes in terms of dimensions. Even smaller than that of San Siro for example; but, in its own way, elegant, and with an excellent buffet, both in terms of quantity and variety of offerings. Another detail that we have rarely found in a stadium: the magazine for spectators, perhaps more similar to those distributed on airplanes than what is normally seen at the gates of a sports facility. Written in Italian and English, with a layout more like a weekly magazine for newsstands than a fanzine, it doesn’t just deal with topics related to football: tonight, for example, we were able to read an article dedicated to Ugo Foscolo and his relationship with these places , as well as a historical piece on the origins of the club and Sinigaglia (originally written in English and then translated), accompanied by several period photos, and a nice report on the relationship between Lario and Hollywood cinema. Little football (perhaps a few more pages on the match and the sporting aspects would be in order: but this is obviously a precise editorial choice), and a lot of promotion of the territory. Sponsors obviously also have space, but without being too intrusive. Another nice initiative: the drink offered by the club in partner bars that broadcast the match live on television, in the event of a victory for the Azzurri.
October 31st, as we know, was the night of the witches: in the (vain) hope of showing them to their opponents on the pitch, the club organized a small corner for children (and parents…) where they could dress up, put on make-up and have a digital photo, to be transferred to the photo gallery of your phone. And, given the circumstance, a small concert by a young Italian artist was also offered before the match, to deceive the anticipation of the many spectators present. In short, Como is increasingly characterized as a place where not just a football match is sold. What can I say: Lugano, in a couple of years it’s your turn.
