Novara: Unfinished Business — Terrace Edition

Words: Federico Farcomeni

Images: Federico Farcomeni

The date is 13 January 2010.

Novara were facing AC Milan at the San Siro (they had not played the Rossoneri for nearly 40 years) with an impressive away following of 12,000 in the first green tier.

“Where are they now?” asks Angelo, my special guide for the day as we queue for nearly 30 minutes to buy my ticket and the game has already started (a printer was broken, they eventually explain to us).

The answer is Serie C, Group A, about mid table.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Novara souvenirs.

With the pale autumn sun in the sky, and the TV tower popping up like a mushroom, it is not so sad after all.

Not as sad as when former coach Stefano Di Chiara dared to describe a foggy day in the city as “metal grey”.

There will always be a Campari to light things up as the famous drink was invented in Novara back in 1860 by Gaspare Campari at the Friendship Cafe (Caffè dell’Amicizia)

It wasn't a great success until Gaspare himself moved to Milan and the business took another dimension.

Novara host newly promoted side Caldiero Terme and no more than 50 fans are expected in the away end.

A plaque, a banner and a big flag pay tribute to Giovanni Udovivich, a Rijeka exile and club legend with 516 appearances in 18 seasons with the Azzurri.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Stadio Silvio Piola.

It’s impossible not to think about the day when Gian Piero Gasperini’s Inter came to town in October 2011 and lost 3-1 on Novara’s astroturf in front of 15,596 fans as the now Atalanta manager got sacked after that result and just 73 days at the helm.

When you visit Novara’s museum, located just beneath the main stand, it feels like a pilgrimage to one of the places where Calcio history lives on.

There is a room dedicated to Silvio Piola, the all-time Serie A top goalscorer.

A handwritten letter from the striker is displayed, and there’s also a wonderful picture of him taking the field alongside Novara-born Giampiero Boniperti with the covered market in the background at the old Alcarotti - now also a Juventus’ Academy branch.

Another historic encounter with Juventus dates back to 1987 when Michel Platini (his grandparents left Agrate Conturbia near Novara in search for a better life in France) came to town and a friendly game ended 4-4 with snow on the sidelines.

A picture shows Diego Maradona swapping pennants. In a different room there’s a photo of Bruno Fernandes in a Manchester United kit next to his Novara matchworn white shirt.

The place is drenched with history, no wonder one of the museum curators presents me with a book he contributed to called “Football Pioneers” profiling each and every single first football club in 55 countries. Sheffield FC, Recreativo Huelva, Al Ahly, Genoa, Besiktas and Flamengo all feature.

Being founded in 1908, Novara isn’t included in the book, yet a sense of history and dusty grandeur is vividly present in the club’s heritage as the town was part of the once famous “quadrilateral” with arch rivals Pro Vercelli (7 league titles!), Alessandria and Casale (Champions of Italy in 1914).

Not by chance both Novara and Pro Vercelli entitled their grounds to the legendary Silvio Piola.

Angelo wrote his “blue” part for a documentary about the four teams and the football of the pioneers in Piedmont, which was never released.

As well as the balanced level of competition from those days (Juventus didn’t become dominant until the Agnelli family took over in 1923), the aim of the documentary was to show the transition of the four towns from countryside places living off the rice business to proper towns (Novara now counts more than 100,000 inhabitants).

The aura of the unfinished business hangs over the stadium despite Novara convincingly winning 3-0 in front of 2,073 in attendance.

The baseball diamond behind, home of “The Athletics”, suggests Novara are still waiting for their home run.

But, at least they have hit the ball and are on the move after reforming in 2021 following financial troubles that saw demotion to Serie D.

A swift return to the upper echelons of Calcio seems improbable for now, despite the facilities being top class - the state-of-the-art training ground of Novarello (still owned by former president Massimo Di Salvo) was voted the best in Italy in 2016, leaving the impression the surroundings are still what makes the place tick.

The best thing left to do, then, is just enjoy the moment and take a short drive to the picturesque Arona on Lake Maggiore - the best way to end the day with a bottle of Nebbiolo wine. Better than a "Milanese" Campari, after all.