ITALY

On the long train journey back from Lugano in October 2024, we stopped off in Bolzano - the home of Serie B side FC Südtirol.

Formerly a part of Austria that was ceded to Italy as part of the post-WW1 Treaty of Saint Germain, it is a bilingual area where street signs are displayed in both Italian and Germany, and many people speak both languages.

Some people wondered online why the first match we had gone to cover in Italy was a second-tier clash hosted by FC Südtirol - but it was precisely the region’s unique historical, political and linguistic background that intrigued us enough to visit.

FC Südtirol were up against Sicilians Palermo, who ran out 3-1 winners. It was the biggest away day in Serie B that season, with the islanders having travelled almost 1,000 kilometres to the far north of Italy for the occasion.