Fiorentina vs Spurs - travel advice

The beautiful City of Florence needs little introduction with its historic attractions including the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.

The easiest way to see the City is by using the hop-on hop-off tour buses which has two routes and takes an hour to cover the City and more.

However, Florence is not only about culture and art; it is also home to elegant boutiques, tiny craft shops and tempting ice-cream parlours serving every flavour under the sun.

Food is very much part of the Italian culture and you will find many varied restaurants and cafes throughout the City.  Florence is used to entertaining many tourists throughout the year and there will be something for everyone, either close to the main sites or tucked away in little side streets.

If you are staying overnight, we advise you to leave your valuables in the room safe and carry only what you need at any one time.  As always, keep a close watch on your personal belongings in crowded places where pickpockets may gather.

Please be aware that unless facilities are available, drinking on the streets of Florence is strictly forbidden and can lead to arrest. Italian Police and local authorities have informed us that the centre of Florence will be subject to strict control from Police.

STADIO ARTEMIO FRANCHI

For those fans travelling on the official trip via Thomas Cook, your coaches will pick you up on arrival at Bologna Airport and drop you in the City centre. You will be informed of where you will need to return to in order to travel to the Stadium for the match.

Once at the Stadium, the coaches will drop you a short walk from the gates/turnstiles for the visiting sector. The flight and coaches will also have personnel from Spurs and Thomas Cook present should you have any queries or concerns.

For those travelling independently, Florence Police have made arrangements for free shuttle buses to take you from the City Centre to the Stadium and return after the match.

These buses can be found at Santa Maria Novella Railway Station with the first bus leaving at approximately 4:30pm and the last one leaving at approximately 6:15pm. The journey will take at least 20 minutes, but is the recommended form of transport as the main roads leading to the Stadium will close early on the day, which will prohibit Taxis getting too close.

Whilst there is a local bus service, numbers 7, 17 and 20, (bus 17 is the preferred route, which will drop off outside the Stadium) please remember that due to the road closures, this journey may take longer than desired.

The Stadium will open two hours before kick-off and you should make your way to Gates T13 and T14 and have your tickets ready together with some form of photo ID - a driving licence or passport is suitable and a copy of either will suffice.

As we have experienced when we have visited Italian Clubs previously, the Police insist that you show some form of identity prior to entry and they will check that the ticket has been purchased in the name of the holder. Spurs will be required, by Italian Law, to send an electronic account of all sales, which the Police will use to check identity. Spurs Stewards will be on hand to assist in any difficulty at the entry point, but please be aware that the checking of ID and scanning of tickets will take time and you should be prepared for the wait at this time.

Searching of all fans will be undertaken by Stewards and Police and the usual prohibited items apply. In addition to these, belts with large buckles will not be allowed and these should be removed at the turnstiles and handed to a Steward who will issue a ticket which you should retain for safe return of goods post-match. This ruling also applies to large bags/holdalls which will be held in a secure area, manned throughout the game. Where possible, take minimal goods with you on the night.

Apart from the main tribune, the Stadium is open to the elements and if it should rain, only small fold-away umbrellas will be acceptable, all large ‘golf’ style umbrellas will be removed at the entry point to be reclaimed later as above.

There is a catering facility and numerous toilets (European standard) on a large open concourse area which leads to the seats.All seats are numbered and have unrestricted views. The back of the Stand has a low fence and fans in the last row should be careful when standing in this area. There are also a number of cracked and broken steps and care should be taken when accessing seats.

Flags and banners are welcome and they will be checked prior to entry. There is an area where they can be placed to the front of the visitor’s sector - please speak to a Steward who will place the banner for you. As always, please note that it is common policy and normal ground rules at football stadiums in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, that flags of an overtly religious/sectarian/political nature will not be permitted and may be confiscated, please respect this request.

It is highly likely that Spurs fans will be held back for up to 30 minutes and you should be patient during this time as it could lead to an earlier departure. The Police will authorise the opening of gates once the immediate surrounding area is clear of Fiorentina fans. Please listen to all announcements in this respect. All welfare facilities will be available to you during this time.

On departure, the shuttle buses will be outside the exit gates and these will be escorted by Police back to the City Centre. The Police will manage this operation pre and post-match, please listen to their advice and adhere to their instructions at all times.
For those on the official trip, the coaches will also be outside, please follow the advice from Spurs Stewards to reach them.

The club is rightly proud of the good behaviour of our fans during previous European travels and we would ask that you uphold this by respecting local amenities and cultures. Please do not place flags or banners on local statues or historic monuments or architecture as this may offend local inhabitants.

Do remember to have the correct Travel Insurance prior to travelling. If you experience any problems whilst in Florence, please call the Travel Line - 07971 880445 - and we will endeavour to assist.

Finally, remember that you are an ambassador for the Club and we would respectfully request that you behave accordingly throughout the entirety of your visit.

More details via the Fiorentina vs Spurs page on the FCO website...