Marciano: "Matarazzo has made Ospedaletto a little more Real"

Mayor of Matarazzo's ancestral Italian hometown reflects on the Real Sociedad manager's deep roots and pride in his heritage.

Luigi Marciano, mayor of Ospedaletto d'Alpinolo in southern Italy's Avellino province, discusses Pellegrino Matarazzo's enduring connection to his family's birthplace. The Matarazzo family emigrated to the United States but maintained strong ties to the small mountain village, with Matarazzo's father born there and a great-uncle serving as mayor. In June 2024, the municipal council granted Matarazzo honorary citizenship in recognition of his achievements.

Marciano describes Matarazzo as maintaining an active bond with the community, regularly visiting when his coaching schedule permits and having restored his grandfather's old farmhouse. He recalls Matarazzo's determination stemming partly from his grandfather's resilience—a war veteran who lost his sight in a hunting accident yet became a successful businessman operating between Italy and America. Marciano also remembers a formative summer after university when Matarazzo trained alone in the Avellino mountains while awaiting a trial opportunity, running through hazelnut groves near the Montevergine sanctuary where he later married.

Football is deeply followed in Ospedaletto, with locals supporting Avellino in Serie B, though they take pride in Matarazzo's success abroad, particularly his Hoffenheim achievement in qualifying for the Europa League in 2024.