Here's a lesson for guidebook writers: never, ever make predictions about football.
What we wrote in the book, p. 142:
They might not be a household name, but AS Livorno are a team on the up. In 2004 the team returned to Italy's elite Serie A after a 55-year wait...
It was the kiss of death, clearly. Yesterday, the team were relegated after a 1-0 home defeat by Torino. Bah. In what's proving a tricky season for Tuscan teams, Empoli look likely to follow them into Serie B; ironically, the two meet in a local derby next week.
That's not to say you shouldn't pay Livorno's friendly little stadium a visit on matchday – see the book, p. 142. But if you're set on a Serie A game, try nearby Siena instead. They will finish comfortably away from trouble this season (unlike last), with former Middlesborough striker Massimo Maccarone banging in the goals that have ensured another year in the top flight.
So, by way of apology for our sporting prediction gone wrong, here's some help getting to a Siena game, that space dictated we had to cut from the final version:
Since 2003 AC Siena (Via Peruzzi 18. [tel] 0577 281084) has been playing in Italy’s Serie A, the nation’s premier football league. The team plays at the small Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi (Via Mille 3, [tel] 0577 280937) just across from the bus station, close to the Fortezza parking.
Tickets cost €18-32 for adults, €12-28 for children 12-18 and €5-10 for under 12s. Italian families attend the games, but it’s rare to see children under 8. Siena has a good reputation when it comes to safety, though opposing fans might not be as friendly – it’s worth asking at the tourist office first. Buy tickets under the bus station at the Siena Calcio office (open 8.30am-noon, 3.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon Sat).
There's plenty more on Siena's more conventional sights, p. 78–87 in the book.
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