I am, above all, grateful to the ultras of many different terraces for their hospitality, patience and generosity. The list of people to thank in Cosenza is too long to mention everyone but I owe a particular debt to Marco, Simona, Francesca, Olga, Gianluca, Alberto, Emmanuele, Arturo, Gabriele, Marcellino, Ciccio, Danilo, Silverio, Robertino, Achille, Marco, William, Piero, Claudio, Gianfranco, Vincenzo, Pietro, Francesco, Barbara, Luca, Sergio, Katia, Mena, Paride and Padre Fedele. It’s been a blessing to have met Monica Levantino and Vincenzo Reda.
Every time I write an essay or a book about Italy, I’m amazed by the generosity of Italian journalists. I’m greatly indebted to Massimiliano Peggio, Jacopo Ricca, Marco Grasso, Massimo Calandri, Jacopo Forcella, Giuseppe Scarpa, Mario Salvini, Pierluigi Spagnolo, Gianluca Marcon, Marco Di Mauro, Raffaele Vitali, Andrea Luchetta, Simone Meloni and Timothy Ormezzano. I’ve benefitted from the expertise and contacts of Richard Hall, Luca Hodges-Ramon, John Foot, Max Mauro, Guido Polini and Sergio Sinigaglia. Mattia Fossati, Antonio Broso, Pasquale Ancona and Sacha Malgeri helped with legal documents and dialects. Matteo Galloni and Filippo Ziveri have constantly lent me their books and their ideas. I’ve been very lucky to have alongside me Daniela Calebich, Laura Lenzi and Matteo Diena, and am grateful to Francesco Pedrona and il Vascio for introducing me to all the fine ‘calciatori distrutti’.
The Society of Authors gave me a generous grant to finance moving back to Italy, and without the heroic Mark Loveys we might never have made it. Mary Massey, Bob Jones, David and Vandana Jones, Paul and Marija Jones, Andy and Marion Street, Richard and Sheena Brooke, Andrea and Russell Hartley and Steve and Susannah Baker all put their trust in us and kept Windsor Hill Wood alive. I’m very grateful to Christopher Somerville and Pete Dennis for their visionary generosity. Huge admiration to Chris, Katharine, Josh and Natty Thompson, who understand the agonies of playing, and watching, football. Thanks, too, to Shaun Wolff, Franco Tomasi, Costanza Gambarini and Guido Bizzarri for being such good neighbours; and to Gildo Claps, Andrew Wigley, Paolo Mortarotti, Glen Alessi and James McConnachie for being so giving.
Jonathan Shainin, Clare Longrigg and David Wolf of the Guardian’s ‘Long Read’ kindly published my essay that became the genesis of this book. I’m grateful, too, to Rob Yates and Paul Webster at the Observer for continuing to commission my work. Ben Donald has been constantly supportive.
I’m in awe of the editorial skills of Neil Belton, who mysteriously helped me finish a book that seemed never-ending.
Thanks also to Anthony Cheetham and everyone at Head of Zeus. Walter Donohue and Enrico Basaglia have, as always, offered invaluable advice. Georgina Capel, Irene Baldoni, Rachel Conway and Simon Shaps at GCA have offered continual, and concrete, encouragement. Thank you.
Francesca, Benedetta, Emma and Leonardo have put up with months of absences and have indulged my notion that drinking beer at football matches is actually work. Everything I’ve learnt about belonging, love and rootedness is thanks to them.