***Official FIORENTINA Travel Thread - Meet up arrangements ***

[periodictabledancer]

32 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Got pished from start to finish. Got Lost. Missed the game. Fell over. Saw frck all. Can barely remember large chunks.  (Your own account)
 

Aye great trip right enough. Having been there myself in the distant past, you really ought to have some contemplation time when you get back mate

"Hey grandad, tell us about the time you went to Italy to see the Hearts...."

 

[JimmyCant]

I can tell you about Paris Prague Munich Mostar and Vienna if you’d like, even made it to the games on those trips 🙄

4 minutes ago, periodictabledancer said:

"Hey grandad, tell us about the time you went to Italy to see the Hearts...."

 

 

[graygo]

Just now, JimmyCant said:

I can tell you about Paris Prague Munich Mostar and Vienna if you’d like, even made it to the games on those trips 🙄

 

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

[Forza Cuore]

1 minute ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

Mike Drop...Boom 😙😅

[soonbe110]

1 minute ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

😂😂😂👏👏👏

[periodictabledancer]

4 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

I can tell you about Paris Prague Munich Mostar and Vienna if you’d like, even made it to the games on those trips 🙄

 

"even made it to the games on those trips"

 

 

I'm sitting here dying with flu and your post has cheered me right up. 

[Scott Leitch]

4 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

🤣

[Vlad Magic]

6 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

[jambo-in-furness]

My Florence memories apart from the fantastic Jambos,

 

1 the city smells like a sewer

2 the mosquitoes from the sewer bite like no others

3 where were the toilets in the stadium?

4 not at all impressed with the stadium,  disaster awaits,  no room at all between the rows,  people falling over each other trying to get to there seats and out of them,  behind the goals area must be hell,  too far from the pitch.  Stairs on the exits too steep.

5 (this is for graygo) it’s a 2,466 miles round trip for me.

[soonbe110]

5 minutes ago, jambo-in-furness said:

My Florence memories apart from the fantastic Jambos,

 

1 the city smells like a sewer

2 the mosquitoes from the sewer bite like no others

3 where were the toilets in the stadium?

4 not at all impressed with the stadium,  disaster awaits,  no room at all between the rows,  people falling over each other trying to get to there seats and out of them,  behind the goals area must be hell,  too far from the pitch.  Stairs on the exits too steep.

5 (this is for graygo) it’s a 2,466 miles round trip for me.

Didn’t notice the smell, didn’t get bitten, toilets down stairs below the stadium and were just like any away section toilets, stadium is typical European stadium, long trip for you.- well done. 

[JimmyCant]

21 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

Aye being made redundant during a pandemic focuses your priorities a wee bit mate. Get home safe bud.

[the posh bit]

10 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Aye being made redundant during a pandemic focuses your priorities a wee bit mate. Get home safe bud.

 

You are coming across as a bit of a bitter wee guy though. 

 

I've been to loads of European trips and regret missing this however I wouldn't take anything from the guys and girls that made it. 

[JimmyCant]

1 minute ago, the posh bit said:

 

You are coming across as a bit of a bitter wee guy though. 

 

I've been to loads of European trips and regret missing this however I wouldn't take anything from the guys and girls that made it. 

I’ve not detracted from the trip one little bit. Seems to have been great. My chums certainly had a great time. I just couldn’t justify the expense 

[john thomas]

1 hour ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

COMMAS !!!

[graygo]

56 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Aye being made redundant during a pandemic focuses your priorities a wee bit mate. Get home safe bud.

 

Sorry to hear that but no need to have a dig at me. No hard feelings.

[JimmyCant]

3 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Sorry to hear that but no need to have a dig at me. No hard feelings.

Wasn’t having a dig mate. Just a wee bit of misguided guidance. None of my business really so apologies.

[Rockwell]

1 hour ago, jambo-in-furness said:

My Florence memories apart from the fantastic Jambos,

 

1 the city smells like a sewer

2 the mosquitoes from the sewer bite like no others

3 where were the toilets in the stadium?

4 not at all impressed with the stadium,  disaster awaits,  no room at all between the rows,  people falling over each other trying to get to there seats and out of them,  behind the goals area must be hell,  too far from the pitch.  Stairs on the exits too steep.

5 (this is for graygo) it’s a 2,466 miles round trip for me.

What utter nonsence .there was no smell didn't get bitten. like Said above the toilets were down in the dungeon .agree about stadium the seats were filthy and just a big souless bowl .I think.the fiorentena fans made a noise but they were so far away they could have been in another country .but apart from that what a city and what a fantastic time 👏👏🍻🍻

[ShedBoy]

1 hour ago, soonbe110 said:

Didn’t notice the smell, didn’t get bitten, toilets down stairs below the stadium and were just like any away section toilets, stadium is typical European stadium, long trip for you.- well done. 

Couldn’t agree more. Zero issues. Quality away day 👍🏻🇱🇻♥️

[Forza Cuore]

17 minutes ago, Rockwell said:

What utter nonsence .there was no smell didn't get bitten. like Said above the toilets were down in the dungeon .agree about stadium the seats were filthy and just a big souless bowl .I think.the fiorentena fans made a noise but they were so far away they could have been in another country .but apart from that what a city and what a fantastic time 👏👏🍻🍻

To be fair it's not nonsense. 

I've 4 infected bites. Itchy as feck.

In some areas there was a bit of a smell, but not unusual in a medieval city.

We were in the home end and there were 6 stinking portacabins...the queues were so long folk were pissing on the fences and there were huge puddles.

Fantastic city and experience all said.

[Luckies1874]

City was largely amazing; history, people, restaurants, wine, weather etc etc. Mozzies are for real though! 

 

Stadium (at least the away sections) is a complete hovel and should be raised to the ground. Laughable that UEFA are concerned with plastic cups ending up on the side of the pitch and yet have no clue (or more likely don't care) about the 'facilities' in grounds.

 

Brilliant trip, we need to be in that draw again next August! 

[Morgan]

2 hours ago, graygo said:

 

Coincidence that this trip has been the best ever according to many who were there that you weren't?

[Chevy Chase]

@Stuart Jack seemed to take offence when some of us raised concerns about the state of the stadium a few weeks ago.

 

Well, it was worse than I thought it would be. A complete shit tip.

 

That said, I hope they do get their new stadium. Florence deserves it. An absolutely beautiful city!

[whytebeard]

2 minutes ago, Chevy Chase said:

@Stuart Jack seemed to take offence when some of us raised concerns about the state of the stadium a few weeks ago.

 

Well, it was worse than I thought it would be. A complete shit tip.

 

That said, I hope they do get their new stadium. Florence deserves it. An absolutely beautiful city!

Getting in the ground was dangerous. Crush potential getting through that green fence bit.

the was the only bad part (result excluded obviously).

had fears about not getting in and the bevy ban. Guessing the police were overall happy with us in the square. A few addition toilets wouldn’t of gone a miss!!!

[Cobblers]

Great trip largely due to the fantastic support.  City was impressive but there were some downsides.  Toilets are a disgrace in just about every bar and restaurant you go in.  One unisex toilet usually with no seat.  It’s no wonder Covid spread like it did in Italy.  It must have been tough for the girls who travelled.  The fence with 2 small gates and no signs to to tell you where to go before you get into the stadium is a disaster waiting to happen.  Someone could get seriously hurt there.   In the main the police were pretty good as well.  All the worries about getting in to the home end and the level of checks on passports turned out to be largely unfounded.  I’m convinced you could have photocopied your ticket and gave it to someone else and they would have a good chance of getting in.  All in all though it was a great trip and having been to a number of away trips in Europe I thought this was the best Performance from a Hearts support that I’ve seen. 

[jimbojambo]

Well done the young team in their mosh pit. Amazing support and no naughty songs. We were in the next more sedate section as could not have bounced for 2 hours as they did. 

[Satsumo]

50 minutes ago, Forza Cuore said:

To be fair it's not nonsense. 

I've 4 infected bites. Itchy as feck.

In some areas there was a bit of a smell, but not unusual in a medieval city.

We were in the home end and there were 6 stinking portacabins...the queues were so long folk were pissing on the fences and there were huge puddles.

Fantastic city and experience all said.

The majority of our lot have infected bites as well.

 

Not me though, I can’t be that tasty.

 

Didnt notice a smell anywhere except the toilets in the ground. 

[Cobblers]

1 minute ago, Satsumo said:

The majority of our lot have infected bites as well.

 

Not me though, I can’t be that tasty.

 

Didnt notice a smell anywhere except the toilets in the ground. 

I got bitten in Pisa but then I get bitten all the time.  I need to stop shaving my legs 😂

[The Gorgie]

I must have been more smashed than I thought cause I can't remember it being dangerous getting in and out of the stadium. The shuttle bus there was dangerous. Squashed and everyone bouncing about, loved it.

[.hmfc.]

There was a foul smell around the city at times in certain areas but no different to big cities like London or New York. 
 

it’s an ancient city probably with ancient sewers so to be expected. 
 

phenomenal place though would go back in a heartbeat! 

[Cobblers]

8 minutes ago, Sir Craig Gordon said:

I must have been more smashed than I thought cause I can't remember it being dangerous getting in and out of the stadium. The shuttle bus there was dangerous. Squashed and everyone bouncing about, loved it.

To be fair if you came on the bus it seemed to be a more orderly queue.  The bigger problem

was those who had walked and were in the home sections as it wasn’t clear on where we had to go and became a bit of a mess. 

[Heartsmad1874]

9 minutes ago, Sir Craig Gordon said:

I must have been more smashed than I thought cause I can't remember it being dangerous getting in and out of the stadium. The shuttle bus there was dangerous. Squashed and everyone bouncing about, loved it.

We got there about an hour before the game. Quite a big queue at the gate then when you proceeded towards the gate it got very very narrow before one guy taking one look at passport/ticket then onto the very bizarre double search.

[hibsarepants]

Great trip , great city , great support - the stadium unfortunately was a disgrace,

[Scott Leitch]

40 minutes ago, Satsumo said:

The majority of our lot have infected bites as well.

 

Not me though, I can’t be that tasty.

 

Didnt notice a smell anywhere except the toilets in the ground. 

I've counted. 21 bites. Never had a mosquito bite in my life until the past few days!

[Luckies1874]

 

 

[Stuart Jack]

48 minutes ago, Chevy Chase said:

@Stuart Jack seemed to take offence when some of us raised concerns about the state of the stadium a few weeks ago.

 

Well, it was worse than I thought it would be. A complete shit tip.

 

That said, I hope they do get their new stadium. Florence deserves it. An absolutely beautiful city!

Just to clarify, I didn't take offence or disagree with the 'state' of the stadium. Our fans are well aware of the issues and the majority would prefer a modern state-of-the-art one. At the very least we now have the go-ahead for the Arup redevelopment which will begin in a year or so.

 

However my issue was/is not with the subjective - whether you like it or not is up to you! - but with the objectiveness of comments, i.e. it is architecturally important in Italy, is an iconic stadium with amazing history and with a 'soul' and atmosphere that is renowned.

 

I disagree with the few folk who say otherwise about this latter point because anyone who has gone to a game there with a larger crowd of 40,000 or for a more important game (and where are Ultras are present for the start) will know different. The reporters from BT Sport who were present earlier in the season at the Juve game commented that it was the best atmosphere they'd experienced in Italy.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip and it sounds like folk enjoyed their experiences overall 👍

[hmfc_liam06]

1 hour ago, Cobblers said:

Great trip largely due to the fantastic support.  City was impressive but there were some downsides.  Toilets are a disgrace in just about every bar and restaurant you go in.  One unisex toilet usually with no seat.  It’s no wonder Covid spread like it did in Italy.  It must have been tough for the girls who travelled.  The fence with 2 small gates and no signs to to tell you where to go before you get into the stadium is a disaster waiting to happen.  Someone could get seriously hurt there.   In the main the police were pretty good as well.  All the worries about getting in to the home end and the level of checks on passports turned out to be largely unfounded.  I’m convinced you could have photocopied your ticket and gave it to someone else and they would have a good chance of getting in.  All in all though it was a great trip and having been to a number of away trips in Europe I thought this was the best Performance from a Hearts support that I’ve seen. 

 

I had my passport and ticket checked on four separate occasions approaching and entering the ground. Also got the meat and two veg manhandled by security...the most action I got on the trip tbh

[Cobblers]

1 minute ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I had my passport and ticket checked on four separate occasions approaching and entering the ground. Also got the meat and two veg manhandled by security...the most action I got on the trip tbh

It was the most affection I’ve had for years to be honest😂😂. But the checks on my ticket and passport were no more than a glance.  It was getting close to kick off and I think they just wanted us in the stadium.  

[fabienleclerq]

27 minutes ago, Stuart Jack said:

Just to clarify, I didn't take offence or disagree with the 'state' of the stadium. Our fans are well aware of the issues and the majority would prefer a modern state-of-the-art one. At the very least we now have the go-ahead for the Arup redevelopment which will begin in a year or so.

 

However my issue was/is not with the subjective - whether you like it or not is up to you! - but with the objectiveness of comments, i.e. it is architecturally important in Italy, is an iconic stadium with amazing history and with a 'soul' and atmosphere that is renowned.

 

I disagree with the few folk who say otherwise about this latter point because anyone who has gone to a game there with a larger crowd of 40,000 or for a more important game (and where are Ultras are present for the start) will know different. The reporters from BT Sport who were present earlier in the season at the Juve game commented that it was the best atmosphere they'd experienced in Italy.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip and it sounds like folk enjoyed their experiences overall 👍

 

On the stadium,  I get its old and there's an emotional attachment but it's so out of date and that away end needs condemned. It's pretty third world.

 

Atmosphere, I get we aren't a big draw for fiorentina but I heard them about twice in two games.

[Cruyff]

The only downside was the lack of organisation by Fiorentina, what an absolute joke, probably run by a bowling committee.

 

Great trip though. Better come 3rd next season so we can do it again. 👍   🇱🇻

 

[hmfc_liam06]

 

7 minutes ago, Cobblers said:

It was the most affection I’ve had for years to be honest😂😂. But the checks on my ticket and passport were no more than a glance.  It was getting close to kick off and I think they just wanted us in the stadium.  

 

We were there just at the same time as the first lot of shuttles arriving, around 45 mins before kick off if I remember right. You could be right that closer to kick off they started not caring.

[jambo-in-furness]

2 hours ago, Rockwell said:

What utter nonsence .there was no smell didn't get bitten. like Said above the toilets were down in the dungeon .agree about stadium the seats were filthy and just a big souless bowl .I think.the fiorentena fans made a noise but they were so far away they could have been in another country .but apart from that what a city and what a fantastic time 👏👏🍻🍻

“Utter nonsense”  that quite a few fellow Jambos experienced also seemingly.

[hmfc_liam06]

1 minute ago, fabienleclerq said:

 

On the stadium,  I get its old and there's an emotional attachment but it's so out of date and that away end needs condemned. It's pretty third world.

 

Atmosphere, I get we aren't a big draw for fiorentina but I heard them about twice in two games.

 

We were loud but I wonder how louder it would have been in a roofed stadium? Always feel the atmosphere gets dampened in non-roofed stadiums.

[MrBones]

Just sprinted through Paris CDG and just made it. Final leg home

[Rockwell]

2 hours ago, Forza Cuore said:

To be fair it's not nonsense. 

I've 4 infected bites. Itchy as feck.

In some areas there was a bit of a smell, but not unusual in a medieval city.

We were in the home end and there were 6 stinking portacabins...the queues were so long folk were pissing on the fences and there were huge puddles.

Fantastic city and experience all said.

Ok I've no idea about home end and one of the lads I was with had bites so it must have been bad in different bits of the city .hope like us you had a great time 👍

[scottg71]

I’ve got about 15 bites. First time I’ve ever attracted the wee buggers. 

[Nucky Thompson]

1 hour ago, Cobblers said:

Great trip largely due to the fantastic support.  City was impressive but there were some downsides.  Toilets are a disgrace in just about every bar and restaurant you go in.  One unisex toilet usually with no seat.  It’s no wonder Covid spread like it did in Italy.  It must have been tough for the girls who travelled.  The fence with 2 small gates and no signs to to tell you where to go before you get into the stadium is a disaster waiting to happen.  Someone could get seriously hurt there.   In the main the police were pretty good as well.  All the worries about getting in to the home end and the level of checks on passports turned out to be largely unfounded.  I’m convinced you could have photocopied your ticket and gave it to someone else and they would have a good chance of getting in.  All in all though it was a great trip and having been to a number of away trips in Europe I thought this was the best Performance from a Hearts support that I’ve seen. 

Totally agree with all of that.

 

I was in a Milan bar last night and the one shared toilet was just a hole in the ground 

They did have a lock on the door and toilet paper though 

[Forza Cuore]

3 minutes ago, Rockwell said:

Ok I've no idea about home end and one of the lads I was with had bites so it must have been bad in different bits of the city .hope like us you had a great time 👍

Absolutely superb mate. Best European away trip by some distance 🇱🇻👍

[1953]

16 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I had my passport and ticket checked on four separate occasions approaching and entering the ground. Also got the meat and two veg manhandled by security...the most action I got on the trip tbh

All I did was wave my ticket under a couple of people's noses and neither looked at my passport. I was quite far back in the queue and missed the start of the game. 

[Macros]

Quite a few bites, stayed a minute from the Santa Croce Square, my son got bitten quite a bit as well

[Cruickshankforscotland]

26 minutes ago, Stuart Jack said:

Just to clarify, I didn't take offence or disagree with the 'state' of the stadium. Our fans are well aware of the issues and the majority would prefer a modern state-of-the-art one. At the very least we now have the go-ahead for the Arup redevelopment which will begin in a year or so.

 

However my issue was/is not with the subjective - whether you like it or not is up to you! - but with the objectiveness of comments, i.e. it is architecturally important in Italy, is an iconic stadium with amazing history and with a 'soul' and atmosphere that is renowned.

 

I disagree with the few folk who say otherwise about this latter point because anyone who has gone to a game there with a larger crowd of 40,000 or for a more important game (and where are Ultras are present for the start) will know different. The reporters from BT Sport who were present earlier in the season at the Juve game commented that it was the best atmosphere they'd experienced in Italy.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip and it sounds like folk enjoyed their experiences overall 👍

Stuart your contributions on this trip have been great. I greatly enjoyed the trip. My only downside was the Stadium “experience”. I’ve been to 6 Italian football grounds so was not surprised that the away section was indeed a tip. However, my real concern was the potential for serious crowd safety issues. As mentioned before, the first gate for ticket check was a shambles. How can there be a gap in that gate that allows folk in unchecked, possibly ticketless!! When actually through the turnstiles and in the ground there were absolutely no attempts at crowd control. I did not see any Stewards or Police present. Anybody could move about any section uncontrolled. There was no signage. Hence, the home club and authorities had no crowd safety control on that part of the stadium. In your experience would this be normal in Italian stadia? 99% of the time when crowd control is not carried out professionally and properly there is no adverse outcome. But sadly not always.