Football Clothing - The Scarf Is Back In Force

Football clothing has changed over the years - from shiny flat caps covered in pin badges, to the replica shirt era, to the soccer casual clad in designer labels... And one particular item of football clothing is not so much making a comeback but has made a return to the fore of football merchandise. The football scarf has always been a prominent garment at football matches up and down the country, and recently many fans have reintroduced a trend first seen in the 60s - wrapping a scarf around your wrist and waving it around whenever the ball hits the back of the net!

The scarf has always been an iconic part of Liverpool football club, especially when anyone mentions the famous Kop End of Anfield stadium. It has long been a tradition, usually during victorious Champions League matches, for Reds fans to hold their Liverpool scarves aloft and belt out the club's anthem: You'll Never Walk Alone. The scene of a full Kop with nothing in view but heads and hands emanating from a sea of scarves is one of British football's iconic images. At another Premier League club, Arsenal, many fans are waving their retro red and white striped scarves around Emirates stadium whenever a goal goes in, which adds to the colour of a match, and in turn adds to the atmosphere both within the ground but also on TV.

In South America and Italy in particular fans have always tied scarves around their wrists and celebrated in this way. And of course they adopted this trend from British football fans of the 60s. As any fashion designer will tell you, trends are cyclical. Just as sportswear and trainers of the 80s came back into fashion in a big way on the streets, scarves are re-entering the 'cool' of football. Scarves in general have become extremely fashionable in this millennium, both for male and female. Be it cashmere, lamb's wool, silk, patterned, branded, plain... The choice is endless and designers really went to town in capitalising on this market.

And in the world of football it is no different, especially given the merchandising potential, particularly at Premier League level. Club scarves are available at club shops, at online stores, outside the football grounds at the vast numbers of market stalls... They are everywhere for one reason and that is because the football scarf is the most popular item of football clothing around. Always has been and always will be.

The football scarf has negative connotations, especially in Italy where football hooligans that form 'Ultras' - the Italian equivalent of football hooligan firms (a group of football hooligans who organise fights with rivals) - use scarves to cover their faces in order to disguise themselves from CCTV cameras and the Police when being naughty little boys. In fact, in Italy you can buy scarves outside the stadiums that have the name of the team, e.g. Lazio, and the word Ultras on them, actually advertising the hooligans! When in Rome eh! Football has always been a vehicle with which to express style as well as to cheer on your team. Football fans are a sub culture in themselves and football clothing is a fundamental part of this. The football scarf is synonymous with football culture; it has been for generations and will continue to be for generations to come.

Landmarks in Rome

Rome is a city of many wonders, and you could make time to see them all when carefully planning your trip to the Italian capital.

The Pantheon is the first port of call for many people visiting Rome, widely held to be one of the finest examples of Ancient Roman architecture that was repurposed as a Catholic church once Christianity became the dominant religion. But just because you've seen the Pantheon doesn't mean you've seen all that Rome has to offer.

Some of Rome's most famous landmarks are mysterious in origin, including the mighty Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. No one knows the details of who built this epic theatre, believed to be constructed between 70 and 82 AD, but in its day it was capable of hosting audiences of 50,000, attending sport events and gladiatorial battles in the city.

The so-called Mouth of Truth is similarly enigmatic, and historians and architects are still unsure of its original function, though it's believed to have been a vast drain. The statue's name comes from the myth that its mouth would be capable of biting off the hands of liars. Other aspects of Rome's ancient sewer system are equally fascinating, including the Cloaca Maxima which dates as far back as the seventh century BC, and aided drainage from the valleys into the River Tiber.

Water is a common theme in several of Rome's iconic attractions, including the famous Trevi Fountain, dedicated to Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II and built between 1885 and 1911. While the statue is often overrun by splashing tourists during the busier months, visiting off-peak can be a better option if you'd prefer to see Rome's sights at your leisure, as well as ensuring availability of Rome hotels.

If you're drawn to the culture of Ancient Rome and want to find out more, visiting the Roman Forum should be considered a must, which houses many ancient monuments and is a marvel in itself. Many sections of the ancient city walls and gates are still standing too, giving a clearer idea of what Rome may have looked like 2,000 years ago.

Not all of Rome's landmarks are man-made, and you shouldn't ignore the city's natural wonders when visiting the city. From the Seven Hills of Ancient Rome to the River Tiber itself, you'll never be stuck for options to get out of the city and explore the great outdoors when visiting Rome.

Rome is a city of many wonders, and you could make time to see them all when carefully planning your trip to the Italian capital.The Pantheon is the first port of call for many people visiting Rome, widely held to be one of the finest examples of Ancient Roman architecture that was repurposed as a Catholic church once Christianity became the dominant religion. But just because you've seen the