Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino

Lore & Background

Constructed in the 1930s, and originally known as the Stadio Municipale Benito Mussolini (or colloquially the Stadio Municipale) and later the Stadio Comunale, it was the home of Juventus and Torino until the 1990s, when it was abandoned in favour of the bigger and more modern Stadio delle Alpi. After a sixteen-year stint without Serie A football, the stadium was renovated and renamed the 'Stadio Olimpico' on the occasion of the 2006 Winter Olympics. In a reversal of 1990, both Juventus and Torino moved back to the Olimpico during the demolition of the Stadium and the construction of the Juventus Arena at the same place, with Juventus using it until the end of the 2010–11 season, and Torino retaining it as their home stadium to the present day.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Vallette district was thick with anticipation as the sun dipped below the Alps. A sea of maroon jerseys filled the stands, a stark contrast to the white and black stripes that would soon invade from the away section. The silence before kickoff was heavy, not just with tension, but with the weight of history—the ghosts of 1949 watching over the pitch where two halves of Turin were about to collide once again.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was originally named after Benito Mussolini, and was built to host the Littoriali Games of the fascist year XI, held in 1933 and the World Student Games in the same year. Work began in September 1932. The stadium was inaugurated on 14 May 1933 by the Secretary of the National Fascist Party, Achille Starace. The first soccer match played in the new stadium was between Juventus and Hungary's Újpest FC (6–2), the return leg of the quarter-finals of the Central European Cup, on 29 June 1933. The playing field measures 70 x 105 metres, surrounded by an athletics track with six lanes. After the stadium's inauguration it hosted several matches of the 1934 FIFA World Cup. From the late 1950s, until the 1989–90 season, the stadium hosted the home games of both Turin teams in the Italian championship. It served as the main venue of the Summer Universiade two times in 1959 and 1970, hosted the 1970 Women's World Cup Final. In the 1980s the stadium was renamed 'Vittorio Pozzo'. The renovation for the 2006 Winter Olympics cost near 30 million euros. The Olympic Stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2005.

Did You Know?

• The stadium's original name was Stadio Municipale Benito Mussolini.
• The first match played at the stadium was Juventus vs. Újpest FC in 1933.
• The stadium hosted the 1970 Women's World Cup Final.
• The renovation for the 2006 Winter Olympics cost approximately 40 million euros.