With pre-season well underway and daily transfer news, it’s only right that we at Osservando share some of our favorite jerseys that will be worn by Serie A teams this coming season. This multi-article series will handpick shirts as they are released, showcasing both the best and the worst.

AS Roma- home

A new reign under De Rossi and another beautiful home shirt by the Giallorossi. Reverting back to the old badge once again (thank God) is a huge plus for this shirt, and the gold background on the badge, as opposed to orange, really catches the eye and complements the shirt. The maroon coloring is a lot darker than previous kits, making the gold pinstripes stand out even more. On the back, just below the neckline, is an AS Roma tag in a font that can only be associated with ancient Roman times.

The shirt is said to be inspired by home match tickets at Campo Testaccio, Roma’s old stadium, which played a major part in the club’s history as AS Roma’s first-ever stadium. The only thing letting this beautiful shirt down is that horrendous Riyadh sponsor. Horrible. Overall, the golden pinstripes on a dark maroon, with gold highlights throughout the kit, as well as a minimalist Adidas logo, mean this shirt will likely be the best on the pitch whenever it’s worn. 8/10.

Genoa- home

This is a shirt. Wow. Copa 90 described this kit release perfectly with the caption “La dolce vita,” or for us simpletons, “the sweet life.” This kit is glorious, and the photoshoot in Portofino is even better. A simple shirt with the traditional and well-known navy and red divide. I didn’t think a shirt manufacturer logo could ever look good on a shirt, but that Kappa logo on the front actually looks really good.

The Genoa logo is a personal favorite of mine, and it once again looks excellent on this shirt. On the back neckline is the phrase “From the beginning, forever”. I will admit that translation is probably a little rough. However, the idea is the same no matter the translation: from the beginning to the end. And the announcement, a photoshoot, which included zero players, further highlights the club’s close bond with its fans. Once again, though, the sponsor does sour the shirt a little. Just compare the shirt with and without the sponsor—it’s a real shame. However, this might be my favourite shirt released so far. 9/10.

Cagliari- third

Now, I can’t for the life of me recall when a club released their third shirt first, but I’m so glad Cagliari did. The shirt is inspired by Sardinia’s history and culture throughout. The base color of black with some dark grey highlights symbolizes the use of obsidian by the people of Sardinia for thousands of years. The gold highlights on the sleeves nod to the Bisso yarn, a key part of Sardinian embroidery. Finally, the writing on the back “mari e perda” is another nod to the seafaring ways of Sardinian life. If you haven’t guessed already, I love it when a shirt represents the club’s and supporters’ history.

These little nods to the past are great and add so much more life to the kit. Add this to the fact that it is an absolute beauty of a shirt. The grey notes on the black look great, the badge is different and simplified to match the shirt, and the gold on the black is just stunning. In action, it looks just as good, and for the first time so far, I don’t mind the sponsor. Great shirt and once you learn the inspiration and links it takes from Sardinian history it just gets better. 8.5/10.

Bologna- away

Bologna’s kits this year needed to be good—100th anniversary kits. The away kit does not disappoint. It’s a smart, rather simple shirt, a modern remake of the 1925 away shirt, which featured the same blue and red stripe across the center of the shirt. This shirt is smart, and once again, there are a number of little details I love that add a bit more to it. The inside collar has “1925-2025” and a symbol to commemorate the first 100 Scudetto titles. A lovely touch.

The sponsor is actually quite smart. Good placement means it doesn’t stand out, and the Saputo logo is not ugly. It’s not too noticeable and has a good font—everything a front logo should be. Minimal sleeves as well add to this classy design with just the Macron logo and a small secondary sponsor. Everything about this shirt oozes class—and doesn’t that badge look amazing? Overall, a solid kit with nothing to mark it down. I like it. I like it a lot. 7.5/10.