Another morning, another visit to Naples train station, but this time the destination wasn’t a small nearby town in Campania like in the previous days, but rather the capital of the country. Our last stop on this trip before flying back to Athens was Rome, where we would see Roma take on Como in Serie A’s Monday fixture.

We arrived late in the morning and I immediately took to the streets in an attempt to see, eat and drink as much as possible in half a day before heading to the stadium. After some evening Espresso Martinis and having walked an obscure number of steps around the city, we took a bus to a square near the Olimpico, whose name I’m forgetting, and met up with Simone from Sport People.

The pre-game atmosphere was honestly impressive for a Monday match against a team the size of Como. The number of people occupying public space and moving in every possible direction was overwhelming and simply incomparable to anything one can experience on a matchday in Greece. It made me feel jealous for a moment, but more than anything I was just grateful to be there. We spoke with Simone about our past few days’ experiences over beers and Caffè Borghetti, before shifting the conversation to Roma’s ultras: groups, politics, rivalries, twinnings and everything in between.

The conversation could have gone on forever, but time was passing and there was a game to watch. We went through a number of security checks and eventually parted ways, heading to different sections of the stadium. My friends and I had tickets for Curva Sud laterale, the side section of the south curve. For some reason, I had always subconsciously associated the Stadio Olimpico with the Olympic Stadium of Athens, which is arguably a shit ground, but the reality is that the same cannot be said for Rome’s stadium. In contrast to the Greek capital’s venue, the Olimpico is actually connected to the city, tasteful, well maintained and modern; a classic, big, round stadium done right.

When we finally got inside, what we were faced with was quite mesmerising. I’m a big fan of small grounds and compact, old-school fanbases, but there will always be something awe-inducing about a big, full stadium with a colourful, rocking curve. The stands were already packed, but we managed to find a place to stand near the upper end without too much effort. Although we were quite far from the pitch, the view was still very decent, at least when the flags were down.

The match itself was, unsurprisingly, of much higher quality than what we had watched in the previous days. I’ve grown so used to non-league and low-level football that I sometimes forget the pace and quality of the top flight, so watching a team like Roma was a pleasant reminder. Seeing Fàbregas live as a coach, as well as Douvikas on the pitch, was quite surreal too.

But once again, I have to admit that I was mostly absorbed by the atmosphere. The Olimpico is a serious ground, and being inside the Curva Sud makes that feel fully justified. The singing wasn’t consistently loud, but when the entire sector joined in, the effect was chilling. Roma played well and deserved the win. They didn’t find the net in the first half, but the decisive goal eventually came around the 60th minute and the stands erupted.

I couldn’t tell whether it was the alcohol, the exhaustion of the trip catching up with me, or the spectacle unfolding around me, but the whole setting felt dreamlike. It only ended when the final whistle blew and the depressing realisation kicked in that this was the last chapter of our trip; in a few hours we would be on a plane flying home. The show was over. Before we knew it, the ultras were folding their flags and the 318 visiting Como fans were waiting for the announcement allowing them to exit. It was time to say goodbye to the Eternal City for us too; not with a “ciao” though, but with an “alla prossima”.