Stadio Artemio Franchi

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Lore & Background

The old nickname of the stadium was 'Comunale'. When it was first constructed, it was known as the Stadio Giovanni Berta, after Florentine fascist Giovanni Berta. It was originally called the 'Comunale' but was renamed after the former FIGC president, Artemio Franchi (1922–1983), in 1991. The stadium is built entirely of reinforced concrete with a 70 metre (230 ft) tower that bears the stadium's flagstaff. The tower is called the 'Tower of Marathon'. Around the base of the tower, spiral ramps lead from the ground floor to the upper edge of the grandstand. The stadium underwent renovations for the 1990 FIFA World Cup which included removing the running track and increasing the seating capacity. The official record attendance is 58,271 on 25 November 1984, at a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Internazionale.

In Their Own Story

On 27 October 1954, a reserve game between Fiorentina and Pistoiese was under way when a group of UFOs traveling at high speed abruptly stopped over the stadium. The crowd of around 10,000 spectators witnessed the event and described the UFOs as cigar shaped. The sighting went on for several minutes, before "silvery glitter" fell down and covered the entire stadium. Chemical analysis of the substance at the Institute of Chemical Analysis at University of Florence found it to contain boron, silicon, calcium and magnesium. According to science writer Philip Ball, these elements did not seem to match the theory that it was spider silk.

Reader's Guide

The stadium hosted some of the matches of the 1934 World Cup, as well as football preliminaries for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In 1945, it hosted the Spaghetti Bowl between American service teams. At the 1990 World Cup, the ground hosted three matches in Group A and Argentina's penalty shootout win over Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals. The Italy national football team has played at the stadium, the first occasion being on 7 May 1933 in a 2–0 win over Czechoslovakia. The national team played only one game there between 1982 and 2006; a 2–0 friendly win against Mexico on 20 January 1993. On 1 March 2006, they played a friendly against Germany and won 4–1. The stadium hosted two matches in Euro 2012 qualifying: a 5–0 win over the Faroe Islands, and a 1–0 win over Slovenia on 6 September 2011 which was its most recent international hosting. The stadium has also hosted international rugby union matches. Italy played Australia on 20 November 2010, losing by a score of 14–32. Italy beat South Africa at the stadium on 19 November 2016, defeating the Springboks for the first time in their history. The final score was 20–18.

Did You Know?

• David Bowie performed at the stadium during his Glass Spider Tour on 9 June 1987.
• Madonna performed the final show of her Who's That Girl World Tour at the stadium on 6 September 1987; this performance was filmed and later released on VHS and DVD, titled Ciao, Italia! – Live from Italy.
• On 27 October 1954, a reserve game between Fiorentina and Pistoiese was under way when a group of UFOs traveling at high speed abruptly stopped over the stadium. The crowd of around 10,000 spectators witnessed the event

Architectural Evolution and Design

The stadium is built entirely of reinforced concrete with a 70 metre (230 ft) tower that bears the stadium's flagstaff. The tower is called the "Tower of Marathon." Around the base of the tower, spiral ramps lead from the ground floor to the upper edge of the grandstand. The architect is Pier Luigi Nervi (known for the Nervi Hall in the Vatican). When first constructed, it was known as the Stadio Giovanni Berta. It was officially opened on 13 September 1931, though it took until 1932 for the stadium to be completely finished. The stadium underwent renovations for the 1990 FIFA World Cup which included removing the running track and increasing the seating capacity. It currently holds 47,282.

Global Sporting Legacy

The stadium hosted some of the matches of the 1934 World Cup, as well as football preliminaries for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In 1945, it hosted the Spaghetti Bowl between American service teams. At the 1990 World Cup, the ground hosted three matches in Group A and Argentina's penalty shootout win over Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals. The Italy national football team first played there on 7 May 1933 in a 2–0 win over Czechoslovakia. The national team played a 2–0 friendly win against Mexico on 20 January 1993, and a 4–1 friendly win against Germany on 1 March 2006. The stadium hosted two matches in Euro 2012 qualifying: a 5–0 win over the Faroe Islands, and a 1–0 win over Slovenia on 6 September 2011. The stadium has also hosted international rugby union matches. Italy played Australia on 20 November 2010, losing 14–32. Italy beat South Africa on 19 November 2016, defeating the Springboks for the first time in their history, final score 20–18.

Cultural Icon and Concert History

David Bowie performed at the stadium during his Glass Spider Tour on 9 June 1987. Madonna performed, with Level 42 as her opening act, the final show of her Who's That Girl World Tour at the stadium on 6 September 1987. This performance was filmed and later released on VHS and DVD, titled Ciao, Italia! – Live from Italy. She performed at the stadium again 25 years later on 16 June 2012 to a sold-out crowd of 42,434 people during her MDNA Tour. Bruce Springsteen performed on 8 June 2003 at the stadium during his The Rising Tour and on 10 June 2012 for the Wrecking Ball World Tour, in front of 42,658 people. It rained throughout the 2012 concert.

Record Crowds and Unexplained Phenomena

The official record attendance is 58,271 on 25 November 1984, at a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Internazionale. On 27 October 1954, a reserve game between Fiorentina and Pistoiese was under way when a group of UFOs traveling at high speed abruptly stopped over the stadium. The crowd of around 10,000 spectators witnessed the event and described the UFOs as cigar shaped. The sighting went on for several minutes, before "silvery glitter" fell down and covered the entire stadium. Chemical analysis of the substance at the Institute of Chemical Analysis at University of Florence found it to contain boron, silicon, calcium and magnesium. According to science writer Philip Ball, these elements did not seem to match the theory that it was spider silk.