Gilardino and Montolivo
Friday, May 15, 2009
When Alessandro told me that some of the calciatori (soccer players) of the Fiorentina were going to be at a negozio (store) near the stadio (stadium), I had to go. When I read the blurb in the newspaper, I saw that a few of the calciatori would be going on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Because of other impegni (commitments), I couldn't make it until today. I found out that I missed a few calciatori, like Melo, Vargas, Frey, and Gamberini.
Alessandro dropped me off in front of the negozio because I didn't want to ride my bicicletta (bicycle) to the stadio in case it rained. I arrived and saw a group of people standing outside the negozio. When I looked inside, I saw Montolivo, who is one of my favorite calciatori.
I stood in line and a young woman asked me which calciatori were inside, and I told her that Montolivo, Dainelli, Comotto and Gilardino were supposed to have arrived already. I did see Comotto arrive while I was standing on the sidewalk.
"Ma tu sei... But you are...," she started saying to me. "No, non vengo da dove pensi tu. No, I'm not from where you think I am." I knew what she was going to say because she was Peruvian. She laughed and then asked me if I spoke Spanish since I'm from California, but I told her that I didn't. She told me that she came the day before and spoke to Vargas who is also Peruvian.
I told her that I didn't have anything to sign and hoped it'd be OK if I could just go inside to take photos. When we got to the door, I looked straight at Montolivo and was just about to take a photo when the security guard at the door let me in.
I didn't know where to go first because I saw Montolivo in front of me, Comotto and Dainelli to my left, and Gilardino in the small room toward the back. I stood back and tried to take some photos, which wasn't easy with all the people inside the negozio.
I was a bit nervous and didn't know what to do. I walked back to the room where Gilardino was and suddenly found myself alone with him. "Posso fare una foto di te? Can I take a picture of you?" I asked him. "Certo. Sure," he responded. I was hoping he'd smile, but he just looked at me. I think I moved a little bit because my photo wasn't that clear. I forgot to ask him for an autograph, and was interrupted by another person who walked in. I stood nearby and took some more photos.
I walked back out to take some photos of Montolivo and then found myself next to him alone. I was too close to take a photo, so I asked him if I could have his autograph. He said yes, and signed my notebook. I was a little disappointed that he didn't even make eye contact with me, but I was happy with my autograph.
I tried to take more pictures of the calciatori, but it wasn't easy as the negozio was small and full of people. The store emptied out and the only calciatore left was Gilardino. While I was waiting to get his autograph, a woman came to tell him that it was time to leave. I was left standing there with my notebook open when he walked past me.
I followed them outside where he was being interviewed, and took some more photos. A crowd gathered around him and I stood farther away to take a few more pictures.
I was happy to have taken photos of my calciatori, but I was a little disappointed that I didn't get autographs from Gilardino, Dainelli, and Comotto. Although I was happy to finally get Montolivo's autograph since he's still my favorite.
NOTE: I have posted more photos from my visit to the Fiorentina negozio where I saw the calciatori. Become a fan on FaceBook to check them out.
