Cerignola makes a splash in the Italian Cup: Avellino defeated, Verona arrives on Monday.

Its colors are yellow and blue, and its crest features a stork snapping a snake in two. Founded in 1912 as a multi-sports club, it firmly established itself as a football club in 1931, competing in the Puglia Third Division. This is Audace Cerignola, a Serie C team that yesterday, beating Avellino 1-0 in the Coppa Italia preliminary round at the Monterisi Stadium, earned a spot in the tournament's 32nd round. Now, they're preparing to breathe in the air of Serie A when they host Verona next Monday. This is the first step toward a trophy the club already has in its trophy cabinet, albeit at a local level, thanks to their victory in the Puglia Amateur League in 2012-13.

It may be too early to call it a "dream" or even a "miracle," but in the city, they're hoping that the summer retreat held in San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of Padre Pio, has begun to bear fruit. This is "the ideal place to focus on our work and strengthen team spirit," as president Nicola Grieco described it. He now happily comments: "No one when I arrived (2023-24, when the team was in Division I) would have imagined that we would come this far, after reaching the playoff semifinals last season. You can imagine the pride our fans will feel. It's a celebration for the whole city, which shouldn't always be seen as a reflection of what's happening in the news." The goal by Luigi Cuppone, 28, from Nardò, Salento, gave coach Vincenzo Maiuri a splendid evening, making his debut as Cerignola coach, the latest milestone in a career that began in Legnano but has since been spent entirely on the fields of Southern Italy.

Last season's second-place finish in Group C is one of the club's greatest achievements. However, the club had already attracted the attention of filmmakers back in 1958 with the comedy "Gambel d'Oro," about two provincial footballers a Milanese industrialist wants to sign. Directed by Turi Vasile, the film centers on Baron Luigi Fontana (played by Totò), a wealthy but tight-fisted producer of fine wines and the team's president, whose daughter Carla (Rossella Como) falls in love with right winger Aldo Maggi (Paolo Ferrari). Memmo Carotenuto, the ambitious coach, plays Armando. The team's balance is severely tested when an agent arrives from the North, on behalf of Commendatore Renzoni—the owner of a top Serie A team—wants to bring Aldo along. The Baron, attracted by the money, is tempted to accept. Amid jealousy and resentment, the locker room falls apart, and Armando resigns in protest. While negotiations continue, the national team arrives in Cerignola for a training session ahead of a match in Bari... A (happy) ending, for those who want to find out, is assured. The same one the Gialloblu fans are hoping for when they face Verona. They're allowed to dream until Monday, and maybe even beyond.