Brindisi: Tommaso Mariano’s books on the history of blue and white football

For Brindisi fans in particular and for football lovers in general, regardless of the alternating fortunes of the blue and white colours, there has always been a lot of interest in knowing the history of their favorite team. Over the years, several authors from Brindisi have tried their hand at recounting the exploits of footballers, or the courage and resourcefulness of presidents or the tactics of the many coaches who have left a mark in the footballing history of Brindisi.
Whoever dedicated a large part of his life to research on the birth of football in the city, writing a book and subsequently updating it with some files, was Dario Amodio. His work, much appreciated by sportsmen, was entitled «Toast with kicks». Amodio was very good at combining football events, combining them with local history pills. Subsequently, other authors attempted to narrate Brindisi Calcio, but only on the occasion of winning years and through brochures that still remained historical.
Recently, the Brindisi area Thomas Mariano, an employee of DKL, a football enthusiast and Brindisi fan, has created some books, which he defines as historical-statistical almanacs. For years the author dedicated himself to collecting news on city football, transforming a hobby into book production. Tommaso is married to Maria Teresa Montinaro, from their marriage Vincenzo and Sara were born. We met him, asked him to show us his books and answer some questions.

When did your passion for football begin?
«Football has always been my favorite passion. I went to the stadium with my uncles and my cousin Enzo. I started playing in primary school in the Salesians.”
Since when do you follow the events of Brindisi football?
«I don’t remember exactly which was the first Brindisi match I attended, but I remember that in 1970 I was present at the Brindisi-Casertana match, which ended 1-1. It was a very important match for both teams because they were fighting for promotion.”
How did the idea of ​​making books come about?
«As a boy, my passion for Brindisi led me to cut newspaper articles from some newspapers purchased by my father and my uncles. I cut out the articles dedicated to Brindisi and glued them into notebooks. I did this job until the bankruptcy of Brindisi Sport.”
When did you turn a hobby into books?
«Years later I decided to do something more professional, a real volume. I began to contact some photographers from Brindisi but with negative results, until I turned to Giancarlo Fortunato, who was immediately available to provide me with various photographs and news. Other news was given to me by Brindisi residents in various cities in Italy. Having the material available, I began the work I had set out to do.”
Can you tell us about the books?
«There are three volumes, the first, the most substantial, is entitled Brindisi Sport, from 1963-64 to 1989-90; the second Brindisi Calcio, from 1990-91 to 2003-04; the third Football Brindisi 1912, from 2004 to 2011″.
Does the project end with the current three books?
“Absolutely not! In the meantime, I would like to create one, always with the same style, following the same lines as the previous ones, that is, with many photos and statistics regarding some historical championships starting from the victory achieved in the 1971/72 Serie C championship, followed by the participation in the Serie B championships. from 1973 to 1976, including the victory in the 1984/85 C2 championship. The next aim is to put together the matches played by Brindisi in all the championships from the beginning to the present day.”
Did you have many difficulties making the books?
«The first one took a long time, the others less. The difficulties were in finding the news. In some cases I received them from non-resident Brindisi”.
How did you go from a book made for you to distribution?
«Many of my friends, who saw how it was progressing, asked me to print some for them too. Subsequently, I don’t know how, I was contacted by people from various regions, Campania, Liguria, Piedmont, Sicily, Lazio. Gradually I organized myself and began to respond to requests.”
How many books did you manage to deliver?
«There are many requests. At the moment for the first volume around 350″.
Anyone wishing to request Mariano’s books on the history of biancoazzurro football can contact the author at the email: [email protected]
Service of Sergio Pizzi (Agenda Brindisi – 19 April 2024)

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