| I am talking about a place where Italians as well as | | | | Kaczyński (current President of Poland) and his |
| their descendants like myself. Or even people who | | | | brother Jarosław (current Prime Minister of |
| have no traces of being Italian what so ever are never | | | | Poland) and many others to numerous to mention. |
| denied the affability and joy that is in the Italian way of | | | | The evening was a true enchantment for the 3 of us |
| entertaining. This holding true in San Lorenzo because | | | | for many reasons but above all it had been the Italian |
| of it's main owner, Gianfranco who is equally charming | | | | cuisine. The dishes which we tasted not only on that |
| when talking to the President of Poland (who can on | | | | evening but on many others to follow were the real |
| occasions be found there nibbling away at his | | | | flavor of Italy and it is with intensions of not influencing |
| Lasagna) as when talking to the most modest of | | | | anybody who should go to San Lorenzo after reading |
| guest. | | | | this that I refrain from mentioning any by name. |
| As for my relationship with "San Lorenzo" this dates | | | | The year was 2001 which like one can expect was |
| back to late in the summer of 2001 when I | | | | followed by 2002. That being a world cup year which |
| accompanied by my wife and daughter ventured to | | | | saw the greatest enthusiasm for the "Squadra |
| take a table outside deciding to give this place a go. | | | | Azurra" as its fans mostly Italians but not only |
| My wife and I were not hungry so we limited | | | | gathered at "San Lorenzo" to show their support for |
| ourselves to ordering espresso for me and a cup of | | | | what would be the fiasco of being eliminated by South |
| tea for her while our daughter (Paullina, The Star of | | | | Korea before even getting to the quarterfinals. It was |
| "The Little Opera Singer") needing to satisfy her | | | | a bitter pill for us the "Fratelli d'Italia" (this meaning |
| youthful sweet tooth ordered Tiramisu with her | | | | brothers of Italy while also being the Italian National |
| favorite drink, apple juice to wash it down. | | | | anthem) to have to swallow seeing our "nazionale di |
| I as a person who had traveled to over 30 countries | | | | calcio" play 4 games which only yielded us one win |
| had encountered many a restaurant claiming to be | | | | combined with 2 losses and one draw. |
| Italian with not as much as the slightest connection to | | | | However it was in defeat that we see the real |
| the "old country" apart from the name of the | | | | character of the individual particularly the one who can |
| establishment or the fact that they served pseudo | | | | keep his dignity as that is how we did it taking comfort |
| Italian dishes. I for my part can not claim to have | | | | in having previously won the world cup on 3 different |
| immediately noticed from the outside or even the | | | | occasions and with the hope that there would be |
| inside which I saw when I went to the men's room that | | | | brighter days for our "azurri". |
| this was a restaurant whose proprietor was Italian. It | | | | Another consolation for us was how some of the local |
| was not that the interior of this restaurant was in bad | | | | television stations came over to our beloved San |
| taste as that was not the case but I also had seen | | | | Lorenzo to see how the many nationalities living in |
| places which though well decorated were not Italian. I | | | | Warsaw were following the world cup. Me being |
| had even been to this particular place before which I | | | | fortunate enough to be among those who were |
| knew to have two stories as I had visited it on many | | | | interviewed on TV. |
| an occasion when it was being used as both a clothing | | | | Like the saying goes "it is always darkest before |
| store which was the upstairs part and a cafeteria on | | | | dawn" this meaning that Italy's time would come as it |
| the lower level. | | | | did last year in the "2006 World Cup" held in Germany. |
| The interior decorating I had to admit was nice even | | | | This was the world cup in which Italy claimed its 4th |
| more then it had been but I was still curious to see if | | | | F.I.F.A. world championship after 7 games the last two |
| the owner was Italian so after having looked the place | | | | being the most grueling of all. |
| over both upstairs and down, I went outside again to | | | | The last two games being the most arduous as they |
| join my wife and daughter who had already been | | | | were the semifinal and the final. It was the first of |
| served. | | | | these games which pitted Italy against Germany, the |
| The tiramisu my daughter ordered tasted like the real | | | | home team as well as 3 time champion and 7 time |
| thing (her allowing me a small taste) but I needed proof | | | | finalist. The second of these games pitted Italy against |
| in regards to the authenticity of this place. | | | | France who had won it all in 98 as well as being the |
| The verification came when Paullina stood up as she | | | | team that had eliminated us from the 86 and 98 world |
| was 3 and a half years of age at the time and | | | | cups and had defeated us in the 2000 final of the |
| kneeled on the floor to play with a toy car she had | | | | European Championship. |
| brought with her and just as she was in the middle of | | | | It was the way in which San Lorenzo was packed to |
| playing a dark haired man approached the table and | | | | capacity by all the people whom I had been seeing on |
| said "Hey Pokemon" due to my daughter's t-shirt of | | | | a weekly basis for the last 5 years that gave me the |
| the popular cartoon character. This man whose name I | | | | courage to believe that such opponents could be |
| would eventually find out was Enrico Buscema, part | | | | overcome. These people after all had been with me |
| owner, his partner in the business being Gianfranco | | | | through the tragedy that had been the previous world |
| Lucese, a Florentine man living in Poland married to a | | | | cup at least as far as Italy was concerned. |
| Polish lady whose mother is Stefania | | | | The semifinal against Germany was difficult to watch |
| Kozłowska, a well known Polish singer of some | | | | as we suffered at the agony of seeing two of our |
| years back. | | | | shots hit the woodwork in overtime but out of it all |
| There wasn't anything special I noticed about Enrico till | | | | came the moment that allowed us to yell out the word |
| he sat down joining the group of people who were | | | | "goal" in a huge action of relief as Italy was finally able |
| sitting at his table who were speaking Italian. I don't | | | | to break the deadlock through Grosso who scored in |
| know what it is but there is something about hearing | | | | the last minute of O.T.. however the game was not |
| people speak my language in a foreign country that | | | | over nor was the scoring which would continue less |
| unites me to them. Perhaps it is knowing that that | | | | then a minute later when Del Piero found the back of |
| person is also a foreigner from the same place I am | | | | the German net for what would be our second goal |
| from or curiosity to simply share impressions of | | | | guarantying us a place in the final. |
| another country but be what it might I always seek to | | | | If the semifinal was a spectacular show then the final |
| became acquainted with people whom I hear speaking | | | | could not be any less as the brave Italian tifossi at San |
| Italian outside of Italy. | | | | Lorenzo some of which were Polish, Egyptian, Russian |
| This being a large group made me shy about | | | | etc braced themselves for what would be a game |
| approaching making me bid my time till the party that | | | | against "Le Blue" of La France which would be winner |
| had been at the table nearby was reduced to a party | | | | take all. The place was naturally packed to capacity |
| of one. A well attired redheaded gentleman who was | | | | one more time on the Sunday of the final with tensions |
| rather on the portly side had been left alone leaving | | | | running as high as the expectations of being world |
| me with my chance to speak. | | | | champion for the fourth time. If truth be known I do not |
| "Excuse me, are you Italian?" me of coarse addressing | | | | think I would have preferred to be any where else but |
| him in Italian which seemed to catch him slightly of | | | | at San Lorenzo with the sole exception of the site of |
| guard as he in Italian replied "yes, I am and you?". I at | | | | the final itself in Berlin. This was where I would |
| this point having his full attention told him that I was | | | | celebrate or cry with my fellow Italians like I had done |
| American but my father was Italian, like the actor | | | | 4 years ago but win or loose the friendships would not |
| Sylvester Stallone. I also introduced by wife and child | | | | fade. |
| to this man whose name escapes my memory as it | | | | The final kicked off with us sitting in many tables |
| has been over 5 years since I last saw him. We must | | | | drinking our beers and eating our pasta, pizza and |
| have conversed for about 5 minutes when Enrico | | | | other Italian dishes and just as we were getting in to |
| came back to the table and upon hearing that I spoke | | | | the flow of the game a mistake by the referee gave |
| Italian introduced himself to me and the rest of my | | | | France a penalty. A penalty which lead to France |
| family. | | | | drawing first blood when Zidane barely converted |
| This was my first visit to San Lorenzo which like most | | | | giving France the early 1 to 0 advantage. |
| firsts we never forget specially when they are not | | | | We the Italian tiffosi were down but far from out as it |
| lasts as this place saw me come back the following | | | | took a little over 5 minutes for San Lorenzo's |
| week on August 9. This date being of significance | | | | supporters to once again shout goal when Matterazzi's |
| because it was the one on which 4 years prior my | | | | header leveled matters at one a piece. As anybody |
| then fiancée and I took our vows in the church | | | | who has ever seen his country in a final can confirm |
| in the act of holly matrimony. Our daughter was past | | | | there is nothing like seeing ones country score and for |
| the age of 3 and capable of proper conduct prompting | | | | us it was elation extraordinaire as we had not come |
| my wife and I to let her join us on that occasion for a | | | | this far to give up after trailing by only one goal. |
| relatively late dinner. A dinner which delighted all of us | | | | The rest of the game including overtime went by with |
| specially Paullina (the restaurant having a special chair | | | | the score leveled at one a piece necessitating |
| for her) by including some of the finest dishes in what | | | | penalties which had never at least in a world cup seen |
| is known as Italian cuisine with the wine that again | | | | Italy come out on top but this I felt deep down was our |
| could not be other then Italian. | | | | day as all the people whom I had known for so long |
| One of the things that impressed me about that | | | | were not going to be denied. |
| particular visit was that several of the guests whom I | | | | 8 penalty kickers took their turn with only Trezeguet |
| had not yet introduced myself to who saw me sitting | | | | missing for France and it all came down to Grosso |
| at my table or walking around the place with my | | | | (scorer of Italy's first goal against Germany) to deliver |
| daughter seemed to know who I was. They knew my | | | | us to the promised land that was our 4th title leaving |
| name, that I was a writer born in New York but could | | | | us with only one less title then Brazil. The moment of |
| speak Italian because of my father and many other | | | | truth had arrived one kick, one goal to end all and earn |
| things all of which I had told the gentleman with the red | | | | all, would he do it? Our hearts were in our mouths as |
| hair in the short conversation I had had with him. | | | | we saw Grosso step up to take the penalty which he |
| Another thing that caught the eye of my wife as well | | | | converted sending me along with everybody else in to |
| as my own (my daughter being to young at the time) | | | | a wild frenzy that lead to fireworks on the street as |
| was the photographs on the walls of all the famous | | | | well as an all night party. |
| people who had already been there. Then the place | | | | Italy winning the world cup was wonderful and it no |
| being open less then a year only included photographs | | | | doubt would have been such no matter where or with |
| of local celebrities such as Kasia Figura (Polish actress) | | | | whom I had seen it (as had been in 82 when we beat |
| but eventually this collection of photographs grew to | | | | Germany in the final 3 to 1) but for some reason I felt |
| include such noticeable patrons as Jose Carreras, | | | | that being at San Lorenzo made it just that wee bit |
| Steven Segal, Roman Polanski, Alexander | | | | better particularly because all those familiar faces |
| Kwaśniewski (then President of Poland), Lech | | | | were there to share it with me. |