It was 1996 when my bond and love towards Juventus started, and I was 10 years old at the time. It’s easy to guess that, after all those years of following and watching my favorite club on TV, would make me dream of coming one day to Turin and experience it all in a the true Juventino way. That day came exactly 20 years after I saw Juve on TV for the first time.
I wanted my trip to be perfect. I wanted to feel the pulse of the city, the energy of the fans, and the games (against Bayern in UCL, and Inter in Serie A) were just the cherry on top. I spent days searching for a good way to go around the city, and a lot of Juve forums, twitter accounts and fan sites suggested to talk to Maurizio who is the main man in Around J, the biggest community of International Juventus fans. Sounds awesome right? Well it is.
I accepted Maurizio’s advice and booked a room at the Around J Hotel where I felt like I was at home, and where I met Juve fans from all over the world. That’s a great start for your trip right there. On UCL day, we went to the mountains, had lunch, played football in the snow, far up in the Alps. It was an entire day of laughter, good energy and a perfect build up for a huge game in the evening. Having the chance to talk to people from England, Australia, USA, Poland, Finland etc, and share passion and love for Juve is absolutely priceless. After the game, we went to dinner, which is also a tradition for gathering Juve fans. Before and after every game, and it was all because of Around J.
When I came back to Belgrade, I felt my heart filled up to the max because, not only I have fulfilled my dream, saw the stadium, two great games, and sang my heart out with Storia Di Un Grande Amore, but I left Turin with a lot of new friends in my book. Now I know that the next time I come to Turin, I will be home again.
Around J can also help you with any info you need to help go around the city easier, and choosing to hang out with these people was easily one of the best decisions I made in my life. Grazie a tutti!
Fino alla fine. Forza Juve!
Max, Serbia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDo9bln31k8&feature=youtu.be
