Travel Guide: Inter

Date: 22nd November 2017 at 8:00pm
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My uncle bought me an Inter shirt when I was 6 years old. I am an Everton fan and solely because Inter play in blue and black stripes; it was the Nerazzurri and not AC Milan or Juventus for me.

On the 19th October 2014 I finally got the chance to experience the mysticism of the San Siro first-hand, going with a friend to watch Inter play Napoli. This travel guide offers my tips on everything from tickets, accommodation, flights and food based upon my trip to Milan.

Tickets
First things first you need a ticket for the game. I was concerned that we may have to risk trying to buy tickets in Milan or miss them arriving in the post, but we ordered online from the official Inter site and were emailed the tickets to print off. Easy.

Tickets were priced between €25 and €180 although Gazzetta dello Sport claimed on the day they were going for up to €360. We went for €45 seats in the corner of the Secondo Rosso (red stand, second tier) near the Curva Nord to experience the atmosphere of the Curva with the comfort of not actually being in it, and we weren’t disappointed.

Hotel
To make the most of the trip we stayed from Friday to Monday. We found a great 4-star hotel of a popular international chain on the bustling shopping street of Corso Buenos Aires for €160 each for three nights in a twin-room including breakfast and wifi. The hotel was just two minutes from the Lima metro stop which for €1,50 per journey takes you to Piazza del Duomo within 5-10 minutes and Lotto (for the San Siro) within about 25 minutes.

Curva NordFlights
Milan is serviced by three airports: Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo. Malpensa and Linate, being the airports closer to the city centre, are generally more expensive to fly into than Bergamo although shuttle buses and taxis can bring you to the centre of the city from each, a taxi would be considerably costly.

Bergamo is serviced by Ryanair and is cheaper for flights while a shuttle bus return service can bring you to Stazione Centrale in Milan in just under an hour for €10.

What to see in Milan
Milan is a great city but two days there is all you need. The Duomo is one of the best cathedrals in Europe while Parco Sempione behind the equally impressive Castello Sforzesco is a relaxing place to escape the city buzz. Milan is like an Italian Paris in atmosphere, just without the tourist sites. Its attraction lies in the Italian café culture; we got a few pictures of us doing our best James Richardson impression reading Gazzetta with a coffee in hand.

Food
Predictably the food was amazing. Pasta or pizza costs around €6-10 depending on the restaurant, and a Panini between €4-8. I would recommend Joe Cipolla, a traditional Italian steak and grill restaurant near Porta Genova metro, which served possibly the best burger I have ever tasted.

Bars
Most places are café bar in style so don’t go looking for a British style pub. Corso Como near Porta Garibaldi station is home to some of the city’s most famous nightclubs, but Navigli, the canal district, was a more atmospheric place to spend a night. Watching Italian football (Sassuolo-Juventus) in Rookies, an Italian bar, drinking Italian beer brought to your table by the waitress we couldn’t help but feel like we were living the dream. Be prepared to pay at least €6 for a pint though.

San SiroTravelling to the San Siro
The easiest and most simple way to travel to the stadium is by Metro. The closest station is San Siro Stadio which is located on the M5 line (purple), or you you take the M1 line to Lotto (direction Rho Fiera). From there, it is a 20 minute walk to the stadium.

Alternatively, matchgoers can take the tram to the stadium for those who fancy an overground and rather more scenic journey from the centre to the suburbs. Tram number 16 (which can be boarded on the corner of the Piazza Duomo) brings you directly to the stadium.

At the San Siro
Have your ticket and ID ready to be checked at your specified Ingresso (driving licence or passport) before being frisked and scanning your ticket. A bottle of water cost €2, but there didn’t seem to be any programmes on-sale for a souvenir. People sell drinks and snacks to your seat American-style but they charged me €9 for a chocolate bar and a coke!

The view from our second-tier seats was brilliant. Being an Evertonian I am used to a passionate and vocal crowd but the Curva Nord was something else. The fans along the front had their backs to the pitch for the whole game directing their fans in relentlessly loud song. At times it was hostile; the biggest whistles and boos of the night were not for Rafa Benitez but Walter Mazzarri.

The game itself was dreadful until four goals in the last 10 minutes including an injury-time equaliser from Hernanes to make it 2-2 gave cause to celebrate with the Interisti around us.

Inter as a team are a shadow of what they once were; the days of Javier Zanetti, Christian Vieri and Ronaldo have long gone. But the experience of watching a game at the San Siro, truly one of world football’s greatest venues, is something I will never forget and a must for any football fan.

Costs:
Hotel (3 nights): €160
Flights: €70
Transfer: €5 each way
Match tickets: €45 but anywhere between €25-180
Food: €6-10 pizza/pasta, €4-8 panini
Drink: Tea/Coffee €2, Coke €4, Beer €6
Metro: €1,50 per journey

 

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