Three Wilkie Tours mainstays headed to Southern Italy with a plan to buy tickets from a Tabaccheria near our hotel. Our normal practice is to buy tickets online before we travel, but this was not possible without a Napoli fan card. We never doubted it for a minute, but were relieved when we secured tickets in the main stand for 34 Euros (plus a 1 Euro commission per ticket).
After visiting the magnificent Greek Temples at Paestum on Friday, and strolling around Naple's Spanish Quarter on Saturday morning, we headed to the Fuorigrotta area for the San Paolo.
Lowly visitors, and old Wilkie Tours favourites, Frosinone were no match for second placed Napoli. The home side won 4-0 without getting out of first gear, with the two Poles Milik and Zielinski amongst the goals for a weakened home side with an eye on the Champions League visit to Anfield.
The second game was at Caserta on Sunday afternoon, after visiting the impressive Reggia palace and water gardens in the morning. Casertana were entertaining Monopoli in a Serie C game at Stadio Alberto Pinto. The visitors were deserved victors, by a single goal, much to the chagrin of the home supporters who made their feelings known at the end of the game.
After promenading along the coast at Salerno on Monday and a buttock clenching taxi ride out of Naples to the airport, the 80th Wilkie Tour trip drew to a close. Plans are well advanced for the next trip, to Madrid, in the New Year.