Andrea, great to have you here for a quick espresso with us. How are you doing today?

Hi guys, it’s a great pleasure for me to enjoy some time with you. Are you going to offer, right? By the way, right now I’m on vacation and we are in Sicily so I’m close to paradise.

Brilliant. Nothing to add to that. You probably wondered about our idea of meeting here at the Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo.

With you guys, nothing surprises me anymore. I just wonder if we’re even allowed to drink espresso here.

Don’t worry, we got special permission from Angela, since we’re also working on a new article. Shoutout to her!

Ahh, then you must be following the footsteps of Giuseppe Piazzi. Not bad.

Exactly – so stay tuned. But today it’s all about you. Give us a quick intro, please – who are you and what are you up to?

My self-centered side loves this question. I’m a 29s kid, graduated in Sport Management, and in my free time I get paid to cook in a small restaurant.

That’s a really cool background. We absolutely loved visiting your place – your cooking skills are seriously impressive. You should definitely consider doing it full time.

I’ll think about it.

So, let’s dive straight into the world of Rosanero love: What role does Palermo FC play in your life?

Nice question! I feel kind of stupid admitting this, but Palermo FC is the mood changer of my life, with the blessing of my girlfriend. It’s a visceral love due to several reasons. A passion shared with my father, and it’s not only a football team for the city – it’s a kind of social redemption. North against South of Italy. David against Goliath.

That’s what we call a powerful combo. And it must have brought you some amazing moments. Speaking of moments: what has been your best Rosanero moment?

Oh guys, there are so many moments that left their mark on my heart, creating moments of great emotional impact. Winning derbies, Serie A promotions, first victories against top Italian teams, European qualification, years when Palermo fought for the top positions in Serie A, the rebirth after the cancellation, being part of the City Football Group (CFG) galaxy… but for the same reason I told you before, probably it’s about the night of the Coppa Italia semifinal against Milan. Renzo Barbera was overbooked, I remember the match day at school, the feeling in town at that time, the match and post-match inside and outside the stadium. It was crazy, we felt we could win the cup and be champions of Italy. The gap between David and Goliath was not so big that night. Sorry for the tears, now the coffee is a little salty.

Incredible. We can feel it – and I think Salvo just had to wipe away a tear at that Milan story as well. Let’s dry our eyes and move on. (A mysterious man brings us three more espressos, Tonaca di Monaco, gives us a slightly condescending look, and disappears without a word.) Our readers will probably wonder how we even know you. So here we go: how did your path cross with Pasta Rosanero?

We first met in that small restaurant where I work, Trattoria Trapani. Despite my role in the kitchen, you know well that I love talking to customers, especially if they’re tourists and, above all, if they want to share something. And here we are, sipping a coffee and sharing stories about our history and our favorite team.

That was truly a nice coincidence. And as you can see, we’ve been following you ever since. Guess you better should have taken that day off, right?

(He grins – a mix between “I really should have” and “nah, I like you guys.”)

Don’t worry, we’re just kidding. But you have to explain one thing to us: two potatoes from Germany running a blog about Palermo FC. Be honest: what was your first thought?

“You are kidding me” was the thought that stayed with me for two days or so, even after I saw this wonderful blog. I couldn’t believe it! I know there are more Palermo fans around the world than those who live here in town, but meeting guys with no particular ties to the city who are in love with Palermo was truly absurd.

Mission accomplished, then! Speaking of the blog – as you know, we write about pretty much everything in the Rosanero cosmos, with a love for the niche topics beyond transfer rumors and match reports. What topic should we definitely cover in the future? Something that might even land us on Dario Mirri’s desk?

Guys, if I knew how to land on Mirri’s desk my life would definitely be different! I know something about your top-secret stuff and, for sure, you are on the right way. By the way: any news on that Mirko Borsche thing?

We’ll keep poking at Mirri – one way or another, he won’t be able to look away. And about the Borsche mission: that topic is hot like frying panelle right now. We might need your help there, but let’s discuss that later, off the record. For now, let’s take a look at the numbers: three years of City Football Group. Bottom line: one missed playoff, two playoff appearances – but no promotion. Why hasn’t it worked out so far?

May I repeat the same answer I gave before? No, just kidding. I think that CFG is like a tree. Their roots are just grafted and they need to grow and feed on the land. I just want to say that, as they did in the Premier League with Man City, they need time to adapt their way of doing things to the city, the culture, the league and the other features of the territory. First the CFA in Torretta, now the new stadium. Then victories, maybe. Or maybe I’m just a stupid romantic. But that’s love, you know what I mean?

Sharp analysis, and we agree. So let’s keep surfing that wave of romance together. But what’s your feeling about promotion – will we make it to Serie A soon? Or do you see a different (darker) scenario looming first?

As I said before, I think it’s a natural process. During the first year there were lots of mistakes. Corini was not the problem and sacking him was not the solution. After that, they tried to improve mistakes. They didn’t sack Dionisi, but they found a problem in the Sports Director’s area. I hope that this season will be better. Not necessarily the winning one, but when you see improvement you, as a fan, feel more comfortable. For example, just look at the last two transfer windows. We bought two Serie A captains like Pohjanpalo and Bani. Great players for our league like Magnani, Augello, Palumbo, and a great coach like Pippo Inzaghi. It’s similar to the transfer window of the Zamparini era. Nice vibes.

But before we continue with your questions, I want to speak about the historical Anglo-Palermitan Trophy. I think this is the most important moment in our recent history, the sign that shows how we are going to be – a solid certificate of how important our team is for the CFG. The marketing behind this event was incredible in Italy, Palermo was full of billboards, the energy in town was something we had forgotten. The match itself was not brilliant. We fought but our enemies/friends were too much for us. But the kind of magic was unprecedented. The music show before the match, the presentation of our new players, the presence of top stars like Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki and others was suggestive, and their signs of esteem to the crowd were exciting and made us proud to be Palermitans. And do you know how I got this info? My father told me. Yeah… I was not there. In fact I had booked my holidays in Lampedusa two days before the game was announced. I’ll never forgive myself for missing this grand gala in my home.

Andrea, you already told us, but now that you’ve made it public we can officially pity you once more for that miss. Take it sportingly – at least you had a great holiday, judging by your Insta. And: consider this quickfire round as your consolation prize: nine questions, nine short answers. Let’s go!

Where can you get the best panelle in Palermo?

Trattoria Trapani, obviously. No, seriously, Chiluzzo in Piazza Kalsa is my favorite.

Good choice. The queue there can get brutal – we’ve seen some crazy tricks from senior Palermitani there. Next one: panelle, panelle e crocchè or triplo?

Pane and panelle with pepper and lemon and a nice beer. And crocchè as side dish. Chef’s kiss.

A gourmet – very nice. Next up: panino – mafalda, rotondo or semprefreschi?

My favorite is sourdough bread. But semprefreschi is a must, lovely.

Sourdough, really? We didn’t see that coming. Next: granita – almond or pistachio?

The original one, and my favorite, is lemon. My grandpa made the best I’ve ever tried.

Good answer – only a fool would disagree. Next: pizza or sfincione?

I’m a pizza addict. It’s not easy to find a nice sfincione nowadays.

We can confirm. Next: your current favorite Palermo FC player?

I love all of them, as if they’re children of mine. If you wear that jersey I’ll support you anyway. But if I have to choose one, I’d say Ceccaroni. Good in 1v1, intelligent, a total working-class player. Underrated.

We’ll take that. Next: your all-time favorite Palermo FC player?

Miccoli. No, Corini. No, Miccoli… no Corini… it’s like choosing between father and mother. How could I?

Alright, you can get away with „Miccorini“ Next: who would you love to see wearing the pink jersey one day?

There are so many players I love to watch. But maybe Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Elegance, power, technique. Love him.

Interesting choice. Given his age, who knows – maybe one day. And finally: which sponsor would appear on the Palermo jersey in your wildest dreams?

I’d love to see a local sponsor. I don’t like the new color of our current sponsor, but I’m happy it’s something connected to Sicily.

And that’s a wrap on the quick-fire.

Andrea, we’ve reached the end already. It was a blast meeting you here today. You’re not just a Rosanero brother-in-arms, but also a special friend of ours, the kind of guy who makes this whole adventure even more fun and meaningful. Thanks for sharing your stories, your passion, and a bit of that Palermo spirit with us. We’ll definitely catch up again during the season and take stock afterwards. Until then – stay close, and Forza Palermo!

Thank you too! See you soon!