Estádio Palestra Itália
The historic home of Palmeiras, where legends were made.
The Palestra Itália Stadium was a football stadium located in Barra Funda, São Paulo, standing on the site now occupied by the Allianz Parque stadium. It was the home ground of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras from 1917 to 2010, and was also known as Parque Antártica after Companhia Antarctica de Bebidas, a beverages company from which Palmeiras acquired the property in 1920. In the past its capacity was listed as 35,000 spectators, however, even though its grandstands have been extended in the late 1990s, the stadium had 27,650 seats due to regulations enforcing improved safety and comfort, before being demolished in November 2010.
- Location
- Vila Mariana, São Paulo
- Status
- Demolished
- Affiliation
- Palestra Italia / Palmeiras
- Surface
- Grass
- Nickname
- O Gigante da Rua Palestra
Lore & Background
It was one of the most important Brazilian stadiums, considering the amount of decisive and important matches played there, most of them with the presence of Palmeiras. Examples of games played in Palestra Itália include the second leg of the 1999 Copa Libertadores Finals, the Copa Mercosur finals of 1998, 1999 and 2000, 1996 Copa do Brasil final and several Campeonato Paulista finals. One of the 2000 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A final matches, between São Caetano and Vasco was played at Palestra Itália. One of the 2004 Copa do Brasil final matches, between Santo André and Flamengo was played there too.
In Their Own Story
The air was thick with humidity and cigarette smoke as the crowd surged toward the turnstiles on a Sunday afternoon in 1950. Inside, the green and white shirts stood out against the faded brick walls of the stands. A goal erupted from the midfield, sending a roar through Vila Mariana that shook the very foundations of the old structure. For those present, it was not just a game; it was a defense of their home turf against all comers.
Reader's Guide
Besides football matches, the Palestra Itália Stadium often hosted important Brazilian and international musical events because of its central location in São Paulo, like A-ha, Human Rights Now!, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Aerosmith, David Bowie and Guns N' Roses. On 22 May 2010, Palmeiras played against Grêmio for the Série A on Palestra Itália, it was the last official game played by Palmeiras in the stadium due to the beginning of the new stadium's construction. The last match played by Palmeiras on Palestra Italia was a friendly against Boca Juniors on 9 July 2010.
Did You Know?
- The first match at the stadium was Palestra Itália 5–1 Internacional-SP on 21 April 1917.
- The first match as the stadium's owner was Palestra Itália 7–0 Mackenzie on 16 May 1920.
- The record attendance was 40,283 for Palmeiras 1–1 XV de Piracicaba on 18 August 1976.
- The longest unbeaten run at the stadium was 68 games by Palmeiras from 1986 to 1991.
- The player with the most appearances at the stadium was Marcos, with 211 games from 1996 to 2010.
More in Stadium & Culture
Elsewhere in the Palmeiras universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record