We met Mario and Sabina some years back on the tropical paradise island of Mauritius whilst they were on honeymoon and this time, visiting them in their hometown of Turin was extra special as Juventus, Mario’s favourite team was playing in the semi-final of the Champions League.

baldy brothers

strawberries for the kids

You will have guessed by now that Mario is a crazy fan of Juve and huge supporter of local grassroots football, the big dichotomy for him is that his son, Giovanni, loves the violin and music and not football. Sabina, meanwhile, a bit like Sharki3 with me. puts up with his fascination with this sport.

the maestro

stunners

The only thing that my twin and I did not do was to play football, maybe his pals would have encouraged this, but visiting all his local kioski bars in downtown, well, on the outskirts of the main city was great hanging out with some crazy Italians.

Mario in local kioski

Sampdoria – not Juve – win the local cup with Mario the presenter

Sabina, meanwhile, a lawyer, is very chic and has a deep interest in English Literature and is a supercool, elegant Italian lady, with wonderful English.

The big rivals of Juve are Torino and this is a dangerous football match to visit, with immense hatred between these fans, even so, Mario took us to Superga, where back in 1949, a plane carrying the Torino football team crashed into the mountain killing them all.

Superga Basilica

Torino Memorial

The views from here across the city are quite special and with this large basilica sat astride the mountain, it’s an appropriate homage nowadays, for the visitors offering a prayer for the lost souls.

nearly champions 2017