Best Italian football books, blogs and podcasts

During the World Cup, we posted a literary guide to football in the 32 participating countries at Russia 2018. One conspicuous absence from the tournament, which has a significant literary canon, was Italy. Still buzzing from the launch of Italian football nostalgia bar, Golazio, in this post, we round up some of the best Italian football books, blogs and podcasts that capture the complex magic of calcio on the peninsula.

Italian football books

A Season with Verona, Tim Parks

This was the first book I read about Italian football and, boy, does it set the bar high! Tim Parks is an Englishman that lives in Verona and he spends a season following Hellas Verona, one of the city’s two major clubs, for an entire season around Serie A. Parks experiences the highs and lows of supporting a struggling team, and provides a fascinating insight into Italian football culture as he observes the Ultrà at close quarters.

A Season with Verona is a must-read for any football fan. Parks’ other works on conveying the Italian landscape and culture from an outside-insider viewpoint are also unparalleled in the English language.

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, Joe McGinniss

In a similar vein to A Season with Verona, American Joe McGinniss follows the minnows of Castel di Sangro from Abruzzo in their first season in Serie B. During his time, McGinniss has incredible access to management and playing staff and has his eyes opened to the often-controversial world of Italian football in a season of highs, lows, controversies, conspiracies and tragedy.

Calcio: A History of Italian Football, John Foot

While the previous two books are first-person accounts, Calcio is a concise history of the sport in Italy, from the first kickabouts in Turin and the foundation of Genoa Cricket and Football Club through the controversial Mussolini years right up until the early 21^st Century. This book explains a great deal about why football – calcio – developed the way it did.

World in Motion, Simon Hart

The first of three books about the iconic Italia ’90 World Cup, Simon Hart chronicles the inside story of the tournament from the viewpoint of those who took part.

He speaks to key players from most participating countries, including the winning West German captain, Lothar Mattäus and teammate Jurgen Klinsmann; unlikely Argentinian goalkeeping hero, Sergio Goycochea; Cameroon’s Roger Milla and Golden Boot winner, Totò Schillaci.

You can hear our discussion with Hart about his research here.

One Night in Turin, Pete Davies

This focusses on one particular event in the history of football in Italy: The World Cup semi-final of 1990 between West Germany and England at the Stadio Delle Alpi. Widely acclaimed as one of the best football books ever written, Davies gives us the inside story on the game that changed English football forever.

The Italian Job, Gabriele Marcotti and Gianluca Vialli

Italian football journalist Gabriele Marcotti teams up with former Italy, Chelsea, Juventus and Sampdoria striker, Gianluca Vialli to discuss how the game is played, supported and covered by the media in both Italy and England.

Football, Fascism and Fandom, Alberto Testa and Gary Armstrong

The Italian Ultrà movement is a political phenomenon that Testa and Armstrong set out to explore. Majoring on the rival Roman groups of Boys Roma and Lazio Irriducibili, the book delves into the murky and often violent world of the Ultrà to uncover how it came about and where it’s going.

Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football, Paddy Agnew

Written in the haze after Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph, this book could easily be updated as the …Fall and Rise and Fall Again…such is Italy’s current malaise. As with everything in calcio, it’s cyclical, as Agnew chronicles in his two decades looking at the challenges facing the Italian game.

Juventus: A History in Black and White, Adam Digby

Juventus is Italy’s most popular club, but its long history has involved its fair share of tragedy and controversy, which Turin-based Adam Digby chronicles expertly in this book. Check out our podcast with Adam to discuss the history of Juventus

Ultra by Tobias Jones

Parma-based Tobias Jones examines the socio-political nature of the Italian Ultrà up close and personal in this quite brilliant first-hand account of time among the ultras of Cosenza. He also looks at the nature of ultras from bigger clubs too.

Best Italian Football Blogs and Podcasts

Golazzo

Many of us of a certain age can probably credit James Richardson for getting us into Italian football in the first place. The host of the Totally Football Show teams up with James Horncastle and other guests to bring you Golazzo, covering the ins and outs of the current Italian game and also reflect on moments of Italian football history.

Football Italia

Football Italia provides some of the best – and most comprehensive – writing you will find on football in the peninsula. Its blog section includes first-class contributors, including Susy Campanale and Giancarlo Rinaldi.

Check out Football Italia here.

The Serie A Show

This new podcast (launched 2019) is a weekly tactical assessment of the Italian game from journalists Chloe Beresford, John Solano and Nima Tavallaey.

Listen to The Serie A Show here.

The Gentleman Ultra

I’m a bit biased here because I’ve written for this site a few times, but the guys at Gentleman Ultra have branched out to build upon their excellent written copy to create a podcast. After a few shows at the end of last season, they’re all ready to go for 2018-19 with stories from the peninsula.

Check out the Gentleman Ultra here.

Serie A Sitdown

The Serie A Sitdown is part of the World Football Index series of podcasts with some top-quality broadcasters from around the world.

Listen to Serie A Sitdown here.

Forza Italian Football

Popular podcast covering all elements of the Italian game, including the tactics!

Listen to Forza Italian Football here.

CalcioLand

David Amoyal discusses the topics that matter in his regular and in-depth CalcioLand podcast.

Listen to CalcioLand here.

Calcio England

More Italian football history and travel in English