Sixty-five kilometers southeast of Rome, sitting high on a hillside, is the ancient town of Ferentino. It's ancient fortifications - dating back to the second century B.C. - are hewn from huge blocks of local stone and have withstood countless invasions and even bombing during the Second World War as Germany attempted to gain control of the key strategic town and neighbouring Cassino.
For its efforts at that time it was given the Gold Medal for Civil Merit, with the Italian Republic declaring the inhabitants had shown "proof of a generous spirit of solidarity" as well as "great courage and spirit of sacrifice in the hard work of reconstruction". These values are still evident in many of the current population of around 20,000 and perhaps none more so than arguably the towns most famous son, Angelo Palombo.
Playing the one position primed to take full advantage of those virtues, it is too easy and far too cliched to say that 29-year-old Sampdoria midfielder possesses them in abundance and make references to his hard work, incredible resistance and indomitable will. While all are true - a fact borne out by his impressive 77% of tackles won - it does an incredible disservice to a player who really is so much more than a defiant workhorse in the middle of the pitch.
His tactical awareness is often overlooked but he shows both in almost every game he plays, as does his intelligence both on and off the ball, giving him an awareness that is hugely beneficial both when his side are in possession and also when they are without the ball. While his 89.5% pass completion rate clearly shows this to be true, a rate of 2.15 interceptions per game last season (down from 2.81 year before) is equally impressive.
Completing 23.7% of crosses (above the league average of 20%) also highlights his ability to adapt when finding himself out of his natural comfort zone. Many of his qualities are intangible however, with no way to measure their impact as his status as Sampdoria's longest serving player places him in a unique position at the club.
The respect with which he is regarded among his team-mates is universal and during his time there Antonio Cassano said "if I was as intelligent as Angelo my career would have been very different". A regular among the Italy squads of the last five years, he is recognised as one of Italian footballs best midfielders but, for the forthcoming season, he'll be in the second division.
The Blucerchiati suffered a humiliating relegation last season, one which began with an ill-fated Champions League playoff, followed immediately by elimination from the Europa League. Cassano's highly public spat with President Riccardo Garrone saw him leave, quickly joined by Giampaolo Pazzini. The exodus of talent has continued this summer with Reto Ziegler and Andrea Poli among the bigger names to depart, a possibility Palombo never considered;
"I'll end my career at Sampdoria. After a season like the one just completed I received a number of offers, with great financial rewards and this is a source of pride for me. I thank those who came forward but I never thought, even for a moment, about leaving Sampdoria. I'm proud and happy to be the captain of this team, it is a big responsibility but I take it very willingly."
One of the most endearing images of last season was the skipper sobbing uncontrollably on the pitch when relegation was confirmed and most hope that this season will end in stark contrast with Angelo Palombo and Sampdoria returning to Serie A at the first attempt.
