2011-08-11FROM PROVINCIAL TOWNS TO VILLAR

Villar Perosa is the home of Agnelli family, and so it's also Juventus' home. Summer house, where the new faces become well-known, but also where the lifetime friends meet. The place where dreams come true.

I have been to Villar Perosa a lot of times and not only in August. Once it was the HQ of Juventus' summer camp and we were used to see Avvocato there, regularly, before the lunch. I still remember one of his conversations before Juve-Parma match, in 1993/94 season. Some hours later, I scored my first hat trick in serie A, wearing the Juventus jersey.

That season started with the traditional "Juve A-Juve B" match or better to call it First Team against Primavera match. If I do remember well - you know some years passed since that day...- by that time I played in Primavera team and Avvocato didn't manage to come to the pitch. He travelled by helicopter and the weather was real bad.

It was on the 22nd of August 1993, the Juventus A won 6 to 1 with the goals scored by  Vialli, Moeller, Conte (today he has another job…), Carrera, Ravanelli and Primavera's own goal. Since that day I've lived through a lot of matches like that one, but the memory I have is always the same, it might have become a bit confused or not detailed over the years but remains clear in its essence: the ocean of black and white flags, people, waving in the air their Juve scarves or slips of paper and pen, trying to get autographs, lots of children holding hands with their parents or grandparents on the way to the pitch and then, closer to the pitch, being placed on the shoulders or lifted above the fence to have a better look at Juventus players.

As a child I was one of them.  Later on I was lucky to get to the other part of the fence. It's a priviledge. I'll be happy to be here also today, because that's where  a part of our history lies, and thus, the part of our future as well.

Ps. After that match in Perosa in 1993, mister Trappatoni answered questions of some giornalists who were rather disappointed with the performance of the "new" players: " These guys have come from provincial towns,  they just need time to get used, we'll work together and I'm sure they'll achive great results". I guess, Trap was right...

Alessandro

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