The
Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy. It is located within the
Foro ItalicoForo Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti...
sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football. It is the home stadium of
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
clubs
LazioSocietà Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
and
RomaAssociazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, the venue of the final
Coppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
, the home venue of the
Italian nationalThe Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team and Italy's national athletics stadium. It also occasionally hosts concerts of
pop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and events of various kinds.
History
Throughout its history, the Stadio Olympico has undergone several substantial restructurings and a complete restyling:
1937, the Stadio del Cipressi
In its first stages, the Stadio Olimpico was called the
Stadio dei Cipressi. It was designed and constructed within the larger project of the
Foro MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
(Mussolini Forum), which was renamed
Foro Italico after the war.
Construction work began in 1927, under the direction of Turinese engineer Angelo Frisa and architect Enrico Del Debbio, and was finished, after few variations, in 1932. The construction of masonry stands wasn't foreseen, the original stands consisted of grassy terraces.
In 1937 the construction of a second tier of stairs was started, but the work was interrupted in 1940 due to the outbreak of the war.
1953, the Stadio dei Centomila
On December 1950, the site was reopened for the completion of the stadium. The project was entrusted to the engineer Carlo Roccatelli, a member of the Superior Council of Public Works. At first, they thought of a stadium with a more complex structure than that actually realised, but the scarcity of funds and the environmental characteristics of the area led to a less ambitious version. On the death of Roccatelli in 1951, the direction of the work was entrusted to architect Annibale Vitellozzi. It now reaches a capacity of about 100,000 people (hence the name of
Stadio dei Centomila, which the stadium was called before 1960), and in view of the XVII Olympiad. The building was inaugurated on 17 May 1953 with a football game between
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and
HungaryThe Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
.
1960, the Stadio Olimpico
During the
1960 Summer OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, the stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, and the
athleticsAt the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, 34 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 10 by women. There were a total number of 1016 participating athletes from 73 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-Records broken:...
competitions. The posts were eliminated in the feet, with the result to actual capacity to 65,000 spectators. Following hosted several editions of the Italian Championships in Athletics, the
1975 Summer UniversiadeThe 1975 Summer Universiade, also known as the VIII Summer Universiade, took place in Rome, Italy. The 1975 Universiade only featured athletics, other disciplines having been cancelled, and was therefore referred to as the World University Championships in athletics.-Medal table:...
(the stadium was the only venue in the Universiade), and the 1987 World Athletics Championships and still hosts the annual meeting of the
Golden GalaGolden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...
.
1990 restructuring and coverage of the stadium
In view of the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, which was the Olympic main Stadium, the facility was the subject of an extensive enhancement. Because of the work in 1989 of the Capitoline teams Lazio and Roma played their internal competitions at
Stadio FlaminioThe Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....
. The work was entrusted to a team of designers, including the original designer Annibale Vitellozzi. From 1987 to 1990, the plan of action was amended several times, with a consequent rise in costs. Ultimately, Olimpico was entirely demolished and rebuilt in reinforced concrete, with the exception of the
Tribuna Tevere expanded with the addition of further steps, the
curvesCurva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...
were closer to the field of nine metres. All sectors of the stadium were covered with full coverage in tensostructure white. Also installed were backless seats in blue plastic, and two giant screens built in 1987 for the World Athletics Championships were also mounted inside the curve. At the end of the new version of Olimpico had 82,911 seats, and so was the 14th stage in the world for number of seats in the stadiums used for football, the 29th among all the stages and the second in Italy, to just behind the
San Siro StadiumThe Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
of
MilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. The restructuring works, with the result of an undoubtedly impressive and fascinating, not kept account of the surroundings. The rise of the stairs, as well as coveragestravolsero fully the principles on which the previous stage was designed and constructed.
The Stadio Olimpico was host to five matches in which the
Italian National TeamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
took part in, and the final between West Germany and
ArgentinaThe Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. West Germany won the final match 1–0.
By the same conformation of 1990, on 22 May 1996, the Stadio Olimpico hosted the
UEFA Champions League FinalThe 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the...
between
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
and Ajax, which saw the
Bianconeri prevail in a penalty shoot-out.
2008 restyling of the stadium
In 2007, it was engaged in a vast plan of restyling inside the stadium to conform to
UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
standards, for the
2009 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...
, which was disputed in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The work was performed and completed in 2008, having included the establishment of standard structures, with improvements in security, the adjustment of dressing rooms and press room, the complete replacement of the seats, installing
high definitionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
LED screensAn LED-backlight LCD television is an LCD television, flat panel display that uses LED backlighting instead of the cold cathode backlighting used in other LCD televisions. While not an LED display, it is called "LED TV" by some manufacturers and suppliers...
, the partial removal of plexiglas fences between spectators and the field, and a reduction of posts, until the current capacity of 82,307. In order to increase the comfort of the audience, a part of the modernisation of the stadium were the increase of the points of rest and adjustment to a toilet. These actions have allowed the
Stadio Olimpico to be classified as UEFA Elite stadium.
Rome is currently
biddingRome 2020 is a bid by the city of Rome to be chosen by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. The city previously hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics....
to host the
2020 Summer OlympicsThe 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....
. Should Rome be selected to host the games, the Stadio Olimpico would host the athletics events, the men's football final as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It would be the second Olympic Stadium in history to host the ceremonies twice. The
Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumThe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
hosted the ceremonies at the
1932The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
and
1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
Areas and capacity
The stadium has a current capacity of 82,307, distributed as follows:
- Tribuna Monte Mario – 16,555
- Tribuna Tevere – 16,397
- Distinto Sud Ovest – 5,747
- Distinto Sud Est – 5,637
- Distinto Nord Ovest – 5,769
- Distinto Nord Est – 5,597
- Curva
Curva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...
Sud – 8,486
- Curva
Curva is an Italian term or name for curved stands of seating located at sports stadiums, particularly in Italy; so named, originally, due to their curved or bending shape...
Nord – 8,520
Famous matches
- The 1968 European Championship final match saw Italy
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
win against YugoslaviaThe Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
2–0.
- The 1977 European Cup final match saw Liverpool
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
win the trophy against Borussia MönchengladbachBorussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
3–1.
- The 1980 European Championship final match saw Germany
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
win against Belgium 2–1.
- The 1984 European Cup final match saw Liverpool win the trophy after a penalty shootout against native team Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
(regular time ended 1–1).
- The 1990 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1990 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match played between West Germany and Argentina that took place on 8 July 1990 at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome to determine the winner of the 1990 FIFA World Cup...
match saw West Germany win against ArgentinaThe Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
1–0.
- The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the...
saw JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
win the trophy after a penalty shootout against Ajax (regular time ended 1–1).
- The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...
saw BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
win against Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
2–0.
Average attendances
The average season attendances from league matches held at the Stadio Olimpico for Lazio and Roma.
| Season |
Roma |
Lazio |
| 1961–62 |
30,176 |
20,730* |
| 1962–63 |
37,248 |
17,523 |
| 1963–64 |
31,269 |
24,979 |
| 1964–65 |
30,176 |
20,730 |
| 1965–66 |
28,897 |
21,486 |
| 1966–67 |
35,375 |
21,680 |
| 1967–68 |
35,902 |
15,586 |
| 1968–69 |
46,323 |
21,935* |
| 1969–70 |
50,625 |
34,883* |
| 1970–71 |
45,551 |
37,979 |
| 1971–72 |
47,990 |
26,132* |
| 1972–73 |
44,310 |
45,591 |
| 1973–74 |
47,597 |
49,833  |
| 1974–75 |
53,935 |
44,846 |
| 1975–76 |
44,607 |
40,859 |
| 1976–77 |
36,899 |
37,920 |
| 1977–78 |
40,956 |
38,786 |
| 1978–79 |
48,768 |
41,059 |
| Season |
Roma |
Lazio |
| 1979–80 |
44,589 |
31,560 |
| 1980–81 |
51,103 |
24,148* |
| 1981–82 |
45,289 |
21,634* |
| 1982–83 |
54,510 |
34,234* |
| 1983–84 |
52,793 |
46,908 |
| 1984–85 |
51,421 |
38,544 |
| 1985–86 |
50,151 |
25,872* |
| 1986–87 |
49,138 |
30,945* |
| 1987–88 |
42,755 |
29,790* |
| 1988–89 |
34,913 |
32,125 |
| 1989–90 # |
22,067 |
20,022 |
| 1990–91 |
43,570 |
36,371 |
| 1991–92 |
51,609 |
39,499 |
| 1992–93 |
50,306 |
49,105 |
| 1993–94 |
52,615 |
50,149 |
| 1994–95 |
56,356 |
48,715 |
| 1995–96 |
53,146 |
46,326 |
| 1996–97 |
50,557 |
38,699 |
| Season |
Roma |
Lazio |
| 1997–98 |
52,813 |
46,058 |
| 1998–99 |
54,309 |
53,184 |
| 1999–00 |
58,915 |
51,956 |
| 2000–01 |
63,370 |
48,498 |
| 2001–02 |
59,402 |
42,684 |
| 2002–03 |
57,160 |
44,129 |
| 2003–04 |
55,413 |
49,341 |
| 2004–05 |
49,631 |
37,516 |
| 2005–06 |
39,726 |
27,872 |
| 2006–07 |
38,689 |
25,048 |
| 2007–08 |
35,982 |
21,607 |
| 2008–09 |
39,396 |
34,626 |
| 2009–10 |
40,925 |
36,154 |
| 2010–11 |
33,952 |
29,122 |
# In 1989–90 season both teams played at Stadio FlaminioThe Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....
during the renovations of Stadio Olimpico.
* Club was in Serie B
= Serie A winners
= Coppa Italia winners
External links
| Stadio Olimpico – Succession boxes |
|