Imagine a weekend away, exploring exquisite mountain villages that overlook Lake Como, then making your way to the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia to round out your evening with newly-promoted Como 1907 at home to seven-time European champions AC Milan.
How about Florence on a Saturday evening for Fiorentina vs Juventus, then a casual Sunday afternoon gondola ride to the picturesque Stadio Pierluigi Penzo for Venezia vs Inter Milan?
Topped off with the finest food and drink that Veneto has to offer, this is a palatable sporting and culinary package that would appeal to men, women, children and everyone in between. And with Venice and Lake Como potentially hosting Serie A games fortnightly, Italy’s tourism industry will be taken to the next level during the autumn and winter months by soccer, the nation’s religion away from religion.
As Inter runs away with the Serie A title, our attention naturally turns to the battle for UEFA spots, Serie A relegation and the promotion race in Serie B. It’s here in Italy’s second division where a gripping three-way fight for automatic promotion is unfolding between Cremonese and two clubs that are based in the nation’s most iconic holiday destinations, Venezia FC and Como 1907.
Kyle Krause’s Parma leads the division (at the time of writing) with Cremonese in second place, while Venezia and Como occupy third and fourth respectively. Nine rounds are remaining before the Serie B Playoff Finals – a knockout contest that decides the third and final promotional spot to Serie A paradiso.
How Do The Serie B Playoffs Work?
It’s not as complicated as a newcomer to Serie B may think. In short, teams that finish in first and second places after 38 rounds are automatically granted entry to Serie A, replacing two of the three relegated sides from the top division. Then, clubs that clinched third to eighth placings in Serie B knock each other out: the last team standing, which was Cagliari in 2023, is then granted the third and final Serie A place for 2024-25.
Since the turn of the century, the Lagunari and Lariani have each contested just one Serie A season. Venezia, which is owned by the former CEO of the New York Stock Exchange, Duncan Niederauer, was relegated from Serie A in 2021-22. Despite their stylish attire on the field – labelled Fashion FC by Esquire – and the additions of USMNT midfielders Gianluca Busio and Andrew Tessman, they finished in 20th position under former coach Paolo Zanetti. Returning to Serie B in 2022-23, Paolo Vanoli’s side was then eliminated during the Playoffs by Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari.
Como’s last involvement at the top level was in 2002-03, back when Eugenio Fascetti was head coach and Nicola Amoruso and Fabio Pecchia led the scoring. Much like Venezia, who also suffered bankruptcy, Como spent years yo-yo-ing throughout Italy’s lower divisions, returning to Serie B in 2021, two years into Indonesian company Djarum Group’s ownership.
Enriched by Michael and Robert Budi Hartono, who have an estimated net worth of $48 billion according to Forbes, and sponsored by their entertainment platform Mola TV, Como 1907 is Italy’s wealthiest soccer club. Former Chelsea player Dennis Wise is the president, and minority shareholders include former Arsenal and Barcelona players Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, the latter retiring from his professional playing career after representing Como during the 2022-23 campaign, providing two assists in 17 appearances.
This season in Serie B, there have been vast improvements for Venezia and Como on the pitch, with both teams playing an inspired brand of football after disappointing 8th and 13th finishes in 2022-23.
Venezia’s ascension is in line with the addition of Finland international striker Joel Pohjanpalo, who joined in 2022 from Bayer Leverkusen for $4 million. After 19 goals in his debut season, Pohjanpalo is again the Serie B top scorer, notching up a 16th on Sunday as the Arancioneroverdi (Orange, black and green) beat Bari FC 3-1 to leap over Como into third spot.
Despite being two points behind the Venetians, Como remains in the hunt for a top-two finish thanks to Patrick Cutrone’s 90th-minute winner when the two sides met at the beginning of March. Destined for a 1-1 stalemate, Cutrone thrashed home his volley from a tight angle, a goal which could mean so much in the grand scheme of things.
This Way For Vino, Pasta And Calcio
Serie A’s ‘soccer getaway’ scene is already thriving with Calcio purists regularly visiting the majority of Italy’s 20 regions. North American fans can choose between American-owned clubs like Fiorentina, AC Milan, Parma or Roma. High-speed train infrastructure can take fans from Rome to Venice via Florence, with Parma and Canadian-owned Bologna nearby. Deviate to watch AC Milan at the San Siro, then spend a few days on Lake Como. An hour’s drive to the east, Bergamo is the home of Atalanta, co-owned by Stephen Pagliuca of the Boston Celtics.
Moreover, with the majority of the Serie A season played between September and May, convincing tourists to reschedule their dream vacation to the ‘floating city’ will help alleviate the over-tourism issues that Venice endures throughout the summer months.
Given the English PremierPINC League’s dominance of the airwaves and chequebook, Italy can turn to its Instagramable cities and landscapes to enhance its appeal during the transitional phase that could bring new stadiums and an American match day experience.
The promotions of Como 1907 and Venezia FC would deliver an unrivalled wow factor to Serie A.
