“When I decided to visit Torino for a Juventus match, I threw out a Hail Mary on Twitter for some guidance as I had never been before. I asked any Italian football blogger and Juventino I knew and thankfully I was linked with Around J.

From the moment I was connected with Maurizio and Around J, they took care of my trip details and me like I was family. From finding a place to stay to navigating the ticket buying process, Maurizio will look after you well. It was suggested I stay at the Hotel Ponte Sassi but I was skeptical, as I wanted to hostel during my Euro trip. Once I got more details I agreed to spend four nights there; by the end of my stay I didn’t want to leave. Luca – and his sweet mother Gabriella – are incredible hosts. The staff at Ponte Sassi, like Around J, treats you as if you’re family.

On a Saturday morning I went to the breakfast lounge and, much to my surprise, was Juventus blogger extraordinaire Adam Digby sipping on his espresso macchiato. I introduced myself and before I knew it we were on the tram for a tour of Santa Rita and the Stadio Olimpico. On our way we met up with a Juventino from Chicago, had about eight more macchiati and got history lessons from Adam. If you stay at Ponte Sassi while Adam is there, consider yourself fortunate as he is a great tour guide and Juve historian. That night, three of us – a Canadian, a Brit and a Cypriot – went out for dinner in downtown Torino then met up with Luca at a pub. When he’s not behind the Ponte Sassi desk is when his true personality shines, as Luca’s a great entertainer. The Luca Carpi Experience will not disappoint!

The day of the match we met a couple hours before kickoff in the parking lot with other Around J folks for banter, beers and food. I believe for this match there were eight nationalities represented—even the King of Singapore was there! (not really). After a Dybala 77’ goal sent Juve to their 11th consecutive win, we met up once again in the same spot before being taken to an underground ristorante and pizzeria. This is where Around J really shows its benefits. If you’re into truly exploring a city, Maurizio and the gang will do this for you. Had I stayed alone in a hostel or followed Trip Advisor recommendations, I would never have had a personal tour of centro Torino with Adam or been to the little known gems like the post-match pizza spot.

If you notice from this post, the actual match was just a footnote in the trip. I got to see Juventus Stadium (finally!) and Juve took all three points, but it was Around J, Hotel Ponte Sassi, Adam, Maurizio and Luca who made my trip memorable.

Grazie amici, Adriano Lamberti, Canada