Superstition is an ugly beast that forces us to replicate the most bizarre habits step by step in the irrational hope of attracting good luck for ourselves or someone dear to us.
This is well known by those who, in view of the start of the European Football Championship, are organising themselves to watch Italy's matches in the exact same way as the last continental tournament they won three years ago, trying to recreate the same situations with the people of that time.
If, however, you are not among these madmen (or dreamers), you should know that there are different ways, home or away, to cheer on the Italian national team, which starts its European journey on Saturday 15 June at 21:00 facing Albania.
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European Championships at home
For those who are fond of the ritual of the match on the couch at home with pizza or pasta and beer flowing, the dear old Rai will of course broadcast all the matches of Luciano Spalletti's team free to air.
Watch out in this case for offers from delivery services that will surely accompany the Azzurri evenings. Online you can also find discounts for some projectors for those who want to do things on a big scale, perhaps on their terrace at home.
However, summer also calls for shared and outdoor viewing of matches, in the sign of the famous magical nights of Italia 90 and the more recent ones of Germany 2006 and Wembley 2021.
Sport in the square in Rome
In Rome Cinema in Piazza, an open-air event promoted by Cinema America, proposes all the matches of Italy in the arenas of Parco della Cervelletta at Tor Sapienza and Parco di Monte Ciocci at Valle Aurelia. Admission is free, but chairs or towels to sit on must be brought from home, along with plenty of mosquito repellent.
In the capital, the Testaccio Estate festival at the Città dell'Altra Economia also offers an experience of shared vision, with craft beers and table football. But those staying in Rome this summer will also be able to watch open-air matches in Piazza Vittorio and on the roof of the Casilino Sky Park.
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Casa Azzurri in Milan
In Milan, in addition to the many pubs and bars that will be showing the national team, the matches will also be broadcast on a big screen from Casa Azzurri, the sports village set up for the first time in Piazza Duca d'Aosta, near the Milano Centrale station, on the occasion of Euro 2024.
Casa Azzurri will not only offer fans the chance to watch the national team's matches together, but will also provide a wide range of sports and recreational activities for fans young and old, with themed exhibitions and a skatepark.
Big screens from north to south
From Turin to Catania, via Florence and Bologna, there are many cities that will show the national team matches on big screens.
In the Piedmontese capital, the Le Gru shopping centre has set up a Summer Village for the occasion, as well as in Padua Arcella Bella, the summer garden open in the Milcovich Park, will provide live coverage of the Azzurri's matches. Even in Bologna, at the Sequoia Music Park, inside the Parco delle Caserme Rosse, a big screen will make it possible to watch the European football matches. Many are the venues in Florence proposing a shared vision, from the Limonaia to Fico Bistrot, while in Catania, the summer of sport will be centred in the Galleria di Porte di Catania.
Italy will also be cheered on (a little) abroad. In particular, in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, live broadcasts are planned in Lugano, Bellinzona and Giubiasco.
The matches
If you had forgotten the three matches scheduled for the group of reigning champions Italy, here they are.
Group B
15 June: Italy - Albania (21:00)
20 June: Spain - Italy (21:00)
24 June: Croatia - Italy (21:00)
The hope is that as many as possible will be added to these. And how will you see the national team?
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios