EXPERIENCING THE DERBY DELLA MOLE FOR THE FIRST TIME — AND BEHIND ENEMY LINES
This has been a big year of firsts for me, and I am now adding the first time going to a Juventus-Torino derby and the first time going to a game at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino!
I have been to two Juventus men’s games in the past, one in 2006 and one just this past November. Now that I am back in Italy for several months — and based on the home games remaining — I was thinking of going to see Juventus-Monza (because I doubt I can get Juve-Milan tickets), but I realized that there was another game I could go to: the Derby della Mole.
This past Saturday’s matchup between Juventus and Torino was the 184th intercity derby (including league meet-ups prior to the formation of Serie A in 1929) and the 158th in Serie A. The “Mole” (pronounced mol-eh, meaning a structure that protrudes from the surface of a building that attracts interest) comes from the Mole Antonelliana, the architectural icon of Torino conceptualized by Alessandro Antonelli (construction beginning in 1863 and after additions to make it taller and more ornate, completed in 1889 by his son after his death). It sits between the Po River and Palazzo Reale and now houses the Museo Del Cinema. On a personal note, the building will forever remind me of the summer of 2001 when I lived in Torino and would walk by it every day on my way to classes.
The Derby della Mole was the first intercity derby in Italy and the first match occurred on Jan. 13, 1907, at the Stadio Velodrome Umberto I. Torino won 2-1 and they also won the second derby that season 4-1. Since 1907, however, Juventus has been more victorious, with 83 wins, 50 draws, and 50 loses. (Here are some memorable games.)
Unfortunately, Juventus did not add to that win column, drawing for the 51st time last weekend, 117 years since that first derby.
Game day at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino
On game day, we left early to give us plenty of time to find free street parking, and we had about a 15-minute walk to the stadium. The weather was uncharacteristically warm for this time of year — sunny and 78-80° F (25-27° C) in the afternoon. Torino fans were everywhere, making their way through the traffic and tree lined streets. As we approached the stadium, we could see its Olympic flame jutting out into the blue sky.
The Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino was originally constructed in the 1930s and was called Stadio Communale. It was later updated for the 2006 Winter Olympics (hence the name change to Stadio Olimpico) and both Torino and Juventus played there between 2006-2011 after both playing in the Stadio delle Alpi between 1990 and 2006. Juventus then moved to Juventus Stadium (Allianz) starting in the 2011-12 season, while Torino continued to play at the Stadio Olimpico. It was then renamed again to Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in 2016 when fans petitioned to add the Grande Torino to its name.
The lines to get into the stadium were pretty similar to those getting into the Juventus Stadium, a mass of people rather than a line per se, and if you didn’t actively advance yourself, you would never get anywhere.
Being squished into this blob of Toro fans, I was glad that I wasn’t wearing my Juve shirt (see below for why) — probably would not have gone over well. After a quick security check, we made our way up to our seats.
We sat in the Curva Primavera in section 326 — so as high up as you can get. The view was awesome, having a full view of the field and the benches, as well as being sandwiched between the Juventus fans on our right and Toro fans down to our left.
I had attempted to purchase tickets in the Ospiti (away) section while I was still in the United States but had been thwarted by not being able to get a code sent to my phone. I was able, however, to ask a friend in Italy to get tickets and his work colleague (a Torino fan) was able to get them in the Curva Primavera. I felt pretty lucky because the game did sell out. The only downside (but certainly not a huge deal) was that we were not able to wear Juventus jerseys or scarves, per Torino’s request:
Ricordiamo agli spettatori che la Curva Primavera è riservata ai tifosi del Toro e neutrali: è stata infatti venduta ai titolari di tessera Cuore Granata e con diversi messaggi di sensibilizzazione durante l’acquisto sul sito ufficiale. Per evidenti ragioni di sicurezza non sarà quindi consentito l’accesso in Curva Primavera ad eventuali tifosi con maglie o sciarpe della Juventus FC.
Which roughly translates to “Remember that the Curva Primavera is for Torino and neutral fans ... and for safety reasons you will not be allowed access with shirts and scarves of Juventus”.
I Tifosi
The stadium was already loud when we got there an hour before kick-off. When we were approaching the stadium a coordinated mass of Torino fans were marching in chatting, and they were in the seats down to our left. Across the field from us in the Curva Maratona was a sea of granata (maroon) and I would have thought that was where the ultras would be; however, I actually think this group down to our left were the ultras (or at least part of them).
These folks were focused, they had a mission. And that was to taunt the Juventus fans in the Ospiti section. They had a whole series of songs and chants that disparaged the Juve fans (most of which involved the word “merda”). The Juventus supporters were not only in the Ospiti section, however, they spilled over into the adjacent section and a line of yellow and orange security guards were lined up like a human citrus wall to separate them from the Torino fans that started back up again in the next section.
I mentioned it was loud. It got even louder as game time got closer. You could not hear the announcers say anything. The Torino fans booed through the entire announcement of the Juventus players. The group of Torino supporters on our left traded chants with the Juve supporters on our right - the game hadn’t even started but I already felt like a spectator.
Game Highlights
I had made the prediction of Juventus winning 2-1, a veritable goal-fest for a Derby delle Mole, perhaps because I wanted to see some goals. It was of course a delusional prediction. I was wondering what I would do if Juve scored, would I be able to contain my excitement, surrounded by Torino fans that would likely shoot daggers at me? I had nothing to worry about!
What were the game highlights? I thought the defense was pretty solid, Weston McKennie had a decent match, Kenan Yıldız provided a much needed spark off the bench (in my opinion he should have been put in earlier), but aside from just a couple of chances, Juventus just could not make things happen. Lucky for us, neither could Torino. So my highlights will go to the stadium atmosphere and the experience of being at a derby steeped in history. More specifically, my highlights were:
- The Juventus fans. They NEVER stopped making noise. In fact, I think they were at their loudest in the last 10-15 minutes of the game. They drowned out the entire stadium. It was awesome.
- The Torino fans. Even though I am a Juventus supporter, it was fascinating to watch them. The group in the bottom section of the Curva Primavera didn’t even look like they were watching the game, they were so focused on taunting the Juve fans.
I wish Juventus could have given us something to really cheer about, but that is calcio.