The match was scheduled in Lido. This is a long, thin stretch of land that creates a barrier between the Venice lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. It is the favourite holiday destination for many Venetians who enjoy the beaches on the Adriatic side. Unlike other areas of Venice, cars and buses are allowed on the island.
Lido di Venezia.
The game was a friendly with the two teams split between Venice and Lido. Andrea strangely being the goalkeeper for the Lido team. Using the heat as an excuse Roberto and I headed for the bar for a pre-match pint. At 4 Euros a beer it would be the only one.
I soon realised why Andrea had chosen the Lido team. They were clearly the better side and it didn’t take them long to take the lead. Things went from bad to worse for the Venice as goal after goal poured in on the AstroTurf pitch. This was despite the “best player in the world”, Monge, being in the Venetian defence. It soon became obvious that the title bestowed on him was a little joke between friends on the bus. One that Monge took exception to when he overheard one of his team mates complain that its like 7 v 6. He took his anger out with a poorly timed tackle, is only contribution of note in the game, that led to the 7th goal.
A quiet game for Andrea.
With only minutes remaining we decided to leave Andrea and the boys to finish the game and headed back to the Vaporetto station. The glorious blue skies were disappearing. Threatening black thunderclouds were visible on the horizon. A thunderstorm might help lower the temperatures but if it could hang on until we were safely back home in the dry. It was not meant to be.
Dark skies above San Marco.
Sheltering from the storm.
The distant flashes of lightning could be seen as we set-off from Lido. A quick change at Zattere for the final crossing to Giudecca was when the heavens opened. Diners sat on the fondamenta scattered and took refuge inside. On the other side we decided to stay in the shelter to wait-out the storm. A lull and we decided to make a run for it. It was a very brief lull and we were soon caught in a hailstorm. We took refuge in a small passageway, under a small sotoportego. The downpour increased. Unfortunately for us so did the wind, blowing all the rain and hail into us and forcing a retreat to a narrow doorway. By this time we were completely drenched and our position offered little protection against the pebble-sized ice raining down. We decided to make a run for it before things got worse. Antonella and Monica found this highly amuzing. At least we had found a way to cool off!
Finally cool in Venice.
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