Udinese have been a thorn in our side for a few seasons now. Not just on the pitch — though they always seem to raise their level whenever Lazio come to town — but off it too. Their relatively new gemellaggio with Roma has added an extra layer of edge, and as a Laziale that’s more than enough to put them firmly on my list of clubs I actively dislike.
That was exactly why I wanted to be there.
Udine is not an easy trip, but it’s one of those places you go precisely because it feels hostile. A tight ground, a sharp crowd, and a fanbase that now openly aligns itself with Roma — it had all the ingredients for one of those proper Lazio away days that tests your nerves as much as your voice.
But this season hasn’t been kind to my fixture list. I missed Juventus at home after Liosa was robbed. Then Lecce at the Olimpico went by the wayside because of the boycott. And now Udinese away disappeared too — this time not because of drama, but because sometimes real life wins.
A friend invited us to Palermo for a few days, and when you’re building a life with someone, you don’t always get to choose football over family.
Palermo Instead of Udine
If I was going to miss a Lazio away, Palermo was a pretty good consolation.
We had three nights booked at the Maximum Suite & Spa, a ridiculous little hideaway where the room itself had a sauna and a two-person jacuzzi. After months of trains, Curva Nord concrete and motorway service stations, it felt like entering a different world.
Our eating and drinking was guided by a list of recommendations from our friend Paul, who’s lived in Palermo for about three years. Sadly he was back in Ireland for Christmas, so we had to follow his tips rather than being dragged around in person — but the list didn’t disappoint.
One of the must-visits was Dainotti’s da Arianna, which had won 4 Ristoranti for Palermo street food. Proper, honest, greasy-fingers-and-paper-plates stuff — exactly how Palermo should be tasted.
We also met up with another friend who was home for the holidays at Ristorante Quattro Mani, where we ended up having what might genuinely be one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Perfect fish, incredible wine, and one of those evenings where you forget the world exists outside the table.
Having been to Palermo ten years ago, it was strange and beautiful to wander the streets again — familiar but changed, chaotic but magnetic as ever. We also visited the No Mafia Memorial Museum, which was quietly devastating: deeply moving, uncomfortable, and necessary. It’s one thing to read about the Mafia; it’s another to walk through the names and stories of the people who paid with their lives for standing up to it.
Why Udinese Still Boil My Blood
Even sitting in a jacuzzi in Sicily, Udinese were still annoying me.
On the pitch, they’re one of those teams that always seem to turn into world-beaters when Lazio come along. Tight, aggressive, horrible to play against — the kind of club that specialises in ruining your weekend.
Off the pitch, the gemellaggio with Roma makes it worse. It’s relatively recent, but it’s already changed the atmosphere whenever we play them. Udinese fans now sing Roma songs, wave their colours, and make it very clear where they stand in the Roman divide.
Then there’s the ownership.
The Pozzo family — also owners of Watford — run Udinese like a player-trading operation. For a while they were great for Watford, but in recent years that relationship has soured badly. The sense that the club is just a satellite in a wider business network leaves a bad taste, and it’s the same model they use in Udine.
So yes — I missed Udinese away this time.
But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten them.
Some away days you travel for the romance.
Others you travel for the fight.
Udine is always the second kind — and next time, I won’t be watching it from a Sicilian spa.
The Match – 95 Minutes of Frustration
Lazio finally looked like they had done enough.
With ten minutes left, the breakthrough came — not through some sweeping Sarri-ball move or a moment of individual brilliance, but via an Udinese own goal in the 80th minute. It wasn’t pretty, but away from home, against a side that always makes life miserable for us, it felt like exactly the kind of goal that wins ugly, important matches.
And then… of course… Udinese.
Deep into stoppage time — the 95th minute — Keinan Davis popped up to stab home the equaliser. Another late punch to the gut. Another two points leaking away.
What made it worse was the officiating. Yet again, Lazio found themselves on the wrong side of a referee and a VAR room that seemed determined not to get involved. There were clear doubts about the build-up to the goal — bodies flying, pushes, chaos in the box — but nothing was checked properly, nothing was stopped, nothing was overturned.
The goal stood.
The frustration lingered.
And I watched all of it lying on a hotel bed in Palermo.
No Curva Nord.
No away end.
No blue scarves.
No collective rage when the referee waved play on.
Just me, Liosa, a big TV, and that horrible feeling of being disconnected from something that normally defines my weekends. It was surreal watching Lazio suffer without being able to suffer with my brothers and sisters in Udine — no shouting into the cold, no fists clenched in the stands, no shared groans or gallows humour.
Football still hurts through a screen — but it hurts differently.
Conclusion – Back Where I Belong
Missing Udinese away felt wrong. That’s not what this season is meant to be about. Domenica Bastardi is built on the miles, the trains, the services stations, the away ends, the faces you only ever see on Sundays.
Still, sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you that there are other things that matter too.
Palermo gave us memories I wouldn’t trade — incredible food, powerful history, and a few rare days of calm. But Lazio still called, even from a hotel room with a jacuzzi.
Now it’s back to business.
Next up: Napoli at home.
Back at the Olimpico.
Back in the Curva.
And best of all, I’ll be sharing it with Nigel and Francesco — football, friendship, and that feeling of being exactly where you’re meant to be.
Because wherever Lazio play, that’s where I belong.
