THE CALCIO DIARIES, PART THREE: NOVARA FC VS. PRO VERCELLI – THE RICE DERBY RIVARLY

December 27, 2024

“We chat about football, the club, the town, the history of both and what it’s like to live in this sleepy Italian wonderland.”

THE CALCIO DIARIES PART 3: THE RICE DERBY

Intrepid football adventurer, storyteller, and connoisseur of culture, Joseph O’Sullivan brings his Calcio Diaries to life through a six-part podcast series and accompanying diary entries, where he delves into the soul of Italian calcio, exploring what makes the beautiful game a national obsession.

This is part three, and here we find Joseph discovering the beauty of Piedmont and the Rice Derby as Novara FC hosts rivals and one of Italy’s most famous and historic clubs, Pro Vercelli.

POSTCARD PERFECT TOWN

Well, what a feckin’ day this was!!

I had the pleasure and privilege of having the red carpet rolled out for me in the delightful and quaint northern Italian town of Vercelli. A relatively unknown little beauty of a place between Milan and Turin

If you step out of the main train station in Vercelli around 2 pm on a weekday you will be met by a wave of students moving in the opposite direction. They are many and they move with force and purpose, but alas, make it upstream and you will be rewarded with the sight of this wonderful but sleepy city in Piedmont.

It is home to jaw-dropping cathedrals, a postcard-perfect town square and one of the most historical clubs in European football. (You will see why this point is hard to argue against as you read on.)

LOVE LETTERS TO RIVALS NOVARA

I couldn’t possibly list everything I learned in Vercelli that day, so here’s a shameless plug to visit. Follow my Instagram and the club itself—I’m working on something special where I’ll dive into more specific details.

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Pro Vercelli has won seven top-flight Italian titles, is one of the reasons Brazilian giants Palmeiras exist, and has a stadium named after a former player who also happens to be Serie A’s all-time top goalscorer. You get what I mean about history.

My trip to Vercelli began in a rather untraditional fashion, as the kitchen of a local restaurant was closing and the only thing still being served from the lunch menu was a poke bowl. No risotto for me. What a swine. Anyway, the deed was done and it was all looking good from there.

I walked through the quiet streets of the town towards the stadium and met the wonderful Mattia, who works in the club’s marketing department. As I circled the arena I noticed some colourful messages written in graffiti, love letters to club rivals Novara shall I say.

Some more artistic works were also on display, and of course, the walls of this town’s little footballing haven also bear the name of the late, great Silvio Piola, a football icon in these parts, and a World Cup winner with Italy. He has also scored more goals than any man in Italian top-flight history.

A favourite son of Vercelli, where he started his career, and Novara, where he retired after scoring 86 goals in 185 games, it’s no surprise that the home ground of both clubs are named after one of Italy’s all-time greats.

WHY OH WHY DOES IT NOT GET MORE DAY TRIPPERS

I made my way to Pro Vercelli’s, Silvio Piola Stadium, as my new friend Mattia opened the pearly gates. I would enter with the glee of a child on Christmas morning, to learn more and more about this fabulous side in great detail, watch the youth team train and check out the senior team’s facilities. My ‘international football journalist’ status had me spoiled rotten, what a time to be alive.

After such a warm welcome I popped outside the ground and again chuckled at the anti-Novara graffiti, which is where we would be heading that evening.

The ground is right next to a leafy park where local kids were playing a game of what looked like 13 vs 9 a-side. In the very spot where they were kicking a ball around sat the old playing turf of Pro Vercelli.

I’m telling you, this town is full of wonderful little anecdotes, but now it was time to venture into enemy territory.

Novara, situated around 20km away from Vercelli, is home to Novara FC, the clubs’ local rivals and one-half of the fabulously named ‘Rice Derby.’ This local bust-up takes its name from the rice fields surrounding both towns in a region that produces half of all of the rice consumed in Europe. Wowza.

Before that, I am treated to a tour of the town and some light refreshments by some wonderfully kind locals who are also big Pro Vercelli fans.

We chat about football, the club, the town, the history of both and what it’s like to live in this sleepy Italian wonderland. Why oh why doesn’t it get more day trippers from nearby Milano or Torino? It really should. Now you know.

SO GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL

Next thing you know we are on the fan bus to Novara (Away) where I am met with even more kindness by even more Vercelli fans.

On the bus, I am even announced as one of a few guests of honour, along with two Dutchmen who are Vercelli fans and come and watch them every season.

As I blush, taking my undeserved applause, I realise that for a couple of hours only I have become famous to one single bus-load of Vercelli faithful.

A young boy, who was probably the only kid on the bus, gave me a Vercelli scarf of his and we chatted about his local side for the whole journey. It was honestly such a magic day out and a reminder of why the beautiful game is just so goddamn beautiful.

I was on a photography press pass for the game so I got some fantastic pitch-side access as both sets of ultras started giving it large.

I CANNOT WAIT TO RETURN

Vercelli brought 300 fans, of which about 100 max might be considered ultras. Small but mighty and full of gusto they were.

Unfortunately, the game was horrendous, but I had expected as much from a cagey Serie C encounter.

Novara won 1-0 in the end but my Rice Derby allegiances had been set in stone with visiting Vercelli, the club who had taken me in as their own for the day.

I waved my new friends goodbye at full time and as had become the norm on midweek match days in northern Italy, I sprinted like an eejit to reach the last train back to HQ in Milan.

I had to do about 4km that night, coat, bag and camera all hanging off me, Google Maps struggling to keep up with me as I launched my way through Novara like an Irish Gazelle.

I arrived for the last train from Novara to Milan around 11 pm drenched in sweat and absolutely knackered, but what a day, and what a football club we have discovered in Pro Vercelli folks, I cannot wait to return for a home fixture and you should put it on your list too. Maybe even a rice derby.