Ashley’s first ever Palla Grossa game
On Sat, Sept. 13, I went to my first ever Palla Grossa game in Prato and it happened to be the best one, because it was the finale! Palla Grossa is a sport that, in my eyes, is a mix of soccer, wrestling and football. Prato is divided into four teams representing the oldest neighborhoods of the city, the four corners: Santo Stefano (yellow), Santa Trinita (red), San Marco (green), and Santa Maria (blue). The finale I attended was yellow vs. blue and my friends and I sat and cheered for the yellow team.
I’ve never been very into sports, but the energy of this game and the fans gave me a night to remember. The game started with the team walking around the field and as they passed by their side of the bleachers, the fans threw fireworks, held up flags, chanted and showed their pride. My friends and I sat next to a couple of friendly Italians who told us some of their chants and about the history of the game and I immediately felt welcomed. I started to understand the game and rules about ten minutes in. There was always so much going on, but it was amusing to watch your team of shirtless men pin down and fight players from the other team and dominate the scoreboard. It’s an even better feeling to watch your team win and jump into the stands of their fans. Palla Grossa is a night to remember, and I highly recommend watching videos and attending a game if you get the chance to.
What I love about Prato, Italy, is that fall is the season of festivals and when one comes to an end, another is coming into town. This week in Prato is the European market in Piazza Duomo, which consists of about 60 stands with a variety of food and sweets, wine and beer, clothing and more from a variety of countries such as Finland, Germany, Amsterdam, and Austria. I’ve had pork, chocolate covered pretzels, sangria, bought a winter hat from Finland and learned that moi means hello in Finnish! The Finnish language is very interesting and I think that once I master the Italian language I’ll try to learn more of Finnish. Most of the workers speak English and that is nice because it’s easier to ask questions about their country and learn more about them. One of the ladies from the Finland tent asked me about my studies and the U.S. and it’s nice to converse with people and see them again and have them remember your name and want to talk more with you.
Classes are going well and are very intriguing; Italian is making more sense and I think I’m catching on quicker. It’s so much easier to learn about a culture when you’re living in it. Every day, I’m using Italian and noticing things from the culture that I have the ability to bring back to class and talk about.
I had this moment of realization of how lucky I am to have this opportunity to not only study abroad, but meet people from around the world and learn about so many different cultures. I no longer feel like a tourist but more of a guest.
Observations this week:
1. Restaurants and shops play American/English music. Most times, if an American walks into a shop, they will change the music to make you feel more comfortable.
2. Stores close for a couple hours in the afternoon so that people can run errands.
3. Pizza doesn’t come sliced, and is eaten with a fork and knife.
4. In public, busy places, such as train stations and bus stops, depending on the place, you might have to pay to use the restroom. It’s usually one euro.
