Euro 2020: No gloating in Little Italy over England loss

While Gareth Southgate's young team suffered heartbreak, losing on penalties in the Euro 2020 final, there's a pocket of the country celebrating Italy's win. What's the mood like in England's "Little Italy"?

'It's a shame it couldn't be a shared win'

The Ciampi family, from Bedford, supported two different teams on Sunday

For Ciro Ciampi, Italy meeting England in the final of a major tournament was the match he had "dreamt of as a child".

The 44-year-old's grandparents Umberto and Ines Zanna came over from Italy to Bedfordshire in 1951 to work in the brickworks industry, like many others.

Bedford has 14,000 people of Italian descent, which is why it is still known today as "Little Italy".

And family allegiances were torn in the Ciampi house.

His English wife Elizabeth and daughter Bethany, 14, were supporting England, while he and their other three daughters Ella, 16, Tia, 12, and Lola, 10, were behind the Mediterranean visitors.

"The match I'd dreamt of as a child definitely became the most intense, unbearable game ever," says Mr Ciampi.

"Watching with my wife and four daughters didn't help the emotional rollercoaster."

The Ciampi family joined in the celebrations at Bedford's Embankment after the match

He says after the penalty shootout - which saw Italy take victory - the family headed to Bedford's Embankment to celebrate.

The atmosphere there was "euphoric and jubilant", says the hotel and restaurant owner.

"A real family atmosphere and it was so nice to see friends and family sharing the joy, definitely a once in a lifetime experience," he adds.

The match was an "emotional rollercoaster" for the family, says Mr Ciampi

Even though Italy won, Mr Ciampi says we "will not be gloating and winding up my English friends and family".

"Both teams were absolutely awesome, a real shame it couldn't be a shared win so everybody could celebrate together," he says.

"The England team should be very, very proud and we're looking forward to the World Cup for both teams - extremely exciting times."

'It's like beating your brother'

Cafe owner Liberato Lionetti says it is a "weird feeling" in "Little Italy" after Italy's victory

Similarly, Liberato Lionetti says, although he is "over the moon" that Italy won, he is "not ecstatic like I thought we would feel".

The British-born 55-year-old says he went to school in Bedford with England fans and they all "live together, work together, go the same shops" in the town.

"It's like a really weird feeling, it's like beating your brother, it wasn't like the game against Spain where it felt like we had won the World Cup, it's like a 'oh, OK'," says the café owner.

Mr Lionetti, right, says he and his friends stuck to the same ritual for every match

Both England and Italy fans joined in the celebrations at Bedford's Embankment

Superstitious Mr Lionetti says he sticks to the same routine for every match throughout the tournament, so therefore did not watch the game with his English wife, but instead with his Italian friends.

After the match, the trio went to the Embankment by the river in Bedford to join in the celebrations.

"It was a very, very joyous occasion. Everyone was celebrating a victory, not beating England, it was just a victory, so they had fun," he says.

'It's just a game'

England fan Simon Rutt says he enjoyed a "good natured" exchange of text messages with his friend Mr Lionetti during the match

Of course, some banter was shared between Italian and English fans in the town.

England fan Simon Rutt says he enjoyed a "good natured" exchange of text messages with his friend Mr Lionetti during the match.

But, he says: "It's football, it's sport, for every winner you have to have a loser, and people just have to accept it, at the end of the day it's just a game."

Previously, violence has broken out in Bedford after international football matches.

In the World Cup in 1998, 41 people were arrested in Bedford when England got knocked out by Argentina, and there was violence in the town when Italy beat England on penalties in Euro 2012.

Bedfordshire Police says while it made three arrests in the town on Sunday night in relation to the football the "evening passed off relatively peacefully", and the town was calm and quiet on Monday morning.

Both teams were supported in Bedford, known as "Little Italy" because Italians settled there in the 1950s to work in the brickworks industry

Meanwhile, Mr Rutt is feeling "optimistic for the future" of the England team.

"I think a lot of people were living in hope that we would win but they probably realised they weren't and next year is the World Cup so we'll go again.

"They're a very, very young side, they've got an excellent manager and they can only learn from this," he says.

Mr Rutt adds: "We got to the final which is more than what we've done since 1966, so good luck to them, but at the end of the day we have to keep a bit of a lid on it because it is only a game."

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'Everyone was quite mature about it'

Jonny and Keri Gresswell are "gutted" for England but pleased for the Italian people they know

Husband and wife Jonny and Keri Gresswell say they're feeling gutted after England lost.

But they also hadn't heard of any trouble in Bedford - unlike elsewhere in the country.

"Everyone was quite mature about it," says Mrs Gresswell.

The town was quiet on Monday morning

The couple, who are both 40, were "running around" their living room when England scored within the opening two minutes of the match.

They let their children stay up late to watch the game and had a "really good time".

"We told our kids that we were letting them stay up as they were watching a part of history and it's something they should be proud of," says Mrs Gresswell.

As for the England team, she says they have "nothing to be ashamed of, they played amazingly".

"In our lifetime it's probably the best England team we've ever seen, they've got so much potential and they are very young and the only way is up for them.

"I've never been a massive fan of football but they've reignited my fan of England because they are really good," she says.

And for their Italian friends, they say their team's win "must be amazing" for them.

'Never felt better in my life'

Italian Pasquale Lantosca, 74, is enjoying Italy's victory

Enjoying that win is Pasquale Lantosca.

The 74-year-old, who was born in Italy and lives in Bedford, says he feels "brilliant, never felt better in my life".

"I've seen no English fans and I don't know if I'll see any for a couple of weeks," he jokes.