“PALERMO IS AN ENDLESS SOURCE OF INSPIRATION.”
THE DEEP BOND BETWEEN THE TEAM AND ITS SUPPORTERS
There’s a moment, just before kick-off, when the Renzo Barbera Stadium feels more like a theatre than a football ground.
Flags ripple in the sea breeze, voices rise in unison, and somewhere in the Curva Nord, a kid in pink and black is seeing the pitch through the smoke of a flare for the first time. Federico Serra remembers that feeling well.
“My love for Palermo FC began at the same time as my love for the city of Palermo,” he says.
“Ever since I was a child, I loved watching Palermo games with my father.
“The first time he took me to the stadium (Palermo 0-3 Lazio), I was overwhelmed with emotion and, despite the result, I realised I had fallen in love with what had become my favourite team.”
The defeat didn’t matter. What mattered was the connection to his father, to the city, and to a club that, for all its setbacks, seems to never quite let go of those who care for it.
Palermo FC isn’t the kind of team that dominates headlines or dazzles with transfer window signings. Instead, it moves to a different beat, one stitched tightly to its community. It’s not always easy.
“The team has gone bankrupt several times in its history, the last one in 2019,” Serra says.
“Palermo had to start again from Serie D (the amateur league), and even then, the stadium was ‘full’ for that level.”
The numbers speak volumes: 10,446 season ticket holders in 2019–2020, a record for an amateur side in Italy.
“This achievement showed the deep bond between the team and its supporters, even while starting from the bottom,” Serra says.
“The average attendance at the Renzo Barbera Stadium that season was 15,061 — even higher than during the club’s last Serie A season.”
For years, Serra had a spot in the Curva Nord — the heart of the home support.
These days, he watches games through a different lens, as a photographer rather than a fan. But the feeling is still the same.
“Watching a game from there is a unique experience: thousands of people singing, dozens of flags waving, drums beating… all of it, nonstop, for 90 minutes,” he says. “All to encourage the players wearing our colours to give their all.”
Pink and black — colours chosen not for marketing impact, but symbolism. “Since 1907, the team’s colours have been pink (which represents the joy and beauty of this land) and black (which symbolises the tragedies and sorrow that are also part of our identity),” Serra explains.
PALERMO ISN’T JUST VISITED, IT’S LIVED
This duality — joy and sorrow, beauty and difficulty — feels apt for Palermo, the city, too. It is not always a polished postcard of Italy. But it is alive.
“Palermo is a crossroads of civilisations: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Spanish… each left their mark,” says Serra.
“This has created a city that is a mosaic of cultures, languages, architectural styles, and traditions. Only in Palermo can you find a Norman church with Byzantine mosaics built on top of an Arab mosque.”
The result is a place that rewards curiosity. There’s food, of course — street food in particular — which Serra is reluctant to over-explain. “Everyone who visits is blown away by the local street food — especially the Pani ca mievusa (I won’t explain what it is… if you’re curious, look it up and come try it!).”
Palermo, he says, is not simply visited. “Even though my city undeniably has its flaws, it is without question one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Sea and mountains frame Palermo, but the real culture is not just in the museums — it’s in the alleyways, the street markets, in people’s gestures, and in the voices shouting.”
For artists, photographers, writers, or anyone chasing the thread of something a little harder to define, the city offers plenty to hold on to. “Palermo isn’t just visited — it’s lived,” Serra says. “It’s not a city you walk away from unchanged. And if you’re a photographer, an artist, a dreamer, or just a curious soul… Palermo is an endless source of inspiration.”
A LOVE THAT ISN’T TIED TO THE LEAGUE OR RESULTS
Still, like many southern cities, Palermo has had to contend with its own football culture drifting north. “Football culture here has been affected by the fact that Palermo was absent from Italy’s top league, Serie A, for more than 30 years,” he says. “This caused many kids — now adults and teenagers — to become fans of the big teams from the north (Juventus, Inter, Milan).”
But things may be shifting. “In recent years, thanks to the efforts of organised fan groups, there’s a renewed push to restore a sense of pride in supporting your hometown team — to foster a kind of love that isn’t tied to the league or the results.”
That feels like Palermo in a sentence — the city, the club, the idea. A place where things are often imperfect, but still very much worth loving.
ALL OF OUR THANKS TO FEDERICO SERRA.
YOU CAN FOLLOW HIS WORK ON INSTAGRAM HERE: