Virtus Entella are back in calcio’s second tier for the first time in four years after finishing top of Serie C Group B last season.

Here, Destination Calcio shines a spotlight on the Serie B newcomers.

Who are they?

Regulars of calcio’s lower echelons, Virtus Entella were founded as Entella Football Club back in 1914 and owe their name to the eponymous river that flows through the city of Chiavari, on the Ligurian Sea just east of Genoa.

They first reached Serie B eight years after their inception, but their sojourn in what was then known as the Second Division lasted just one season, with Entella immediately relegated back to the third tier. They would have to wait until their centenary year to taste Serie B football again, remaining in the division for four seasons before relegation to Serie C.

Promotion back to Serie B followed at the first time of asking, but was swiftly followed by another relegation in 2021.

In the century between their first promotion to calcio’s second tier and their return to Serie B, Entella went through a number of name and kit changes and fell out of professional football, tumbling all the way down to the fifth level of calcio‘s pyramid.

They have since settled on light blue and white stripes, reminiscent of Argentina’s iconic shirt, while the second kit is almost entirely black, a nod to the colours Entella wore between 1920 and 1964.

Entella play at the tiny, but homely, Stadio Enrico Sannazzari, named after the founder of the club, who emigrated to Argentina before returning to Italy to set up Entella in 1914. With a capacity of just over 5,000, it will be one of the most compact in Serie B next season.

How big are they?

Not very. A total of just six Serie B seasons over a 111-year history, coupled with repeated forays down the footballing pyramid will do that to a club.

Add in the fact that Genoa and Sampdoria have tended to hoover up support in the area, while Spezia, located 45 miles south, have enjoyed a renaissance of their own, then it’s not hard to see why Entella may struggle for support.

Their return to Serie B, however, means there will be four more Ligurian derbies on the menu in the division next season, with Spezia narrowly missing out on promotion to Serie A and Sampdoria cementing their Serie B status after winning the relegation play-out against Salernitana.

What has been their best season/defining moment?

As for several other clubs of similar size, promotions rather than silverware have been Entella’s barometer of success. Their greatest period arguably came when they spent four consecutive seasons in Serie B between 2014 and 2018, promotion being the perfect way to mark their 100th anniversary.

Who are their cult heroes?

Virtus Entella’s cult heroes are not exactly prominent figures in the history of Italian football. With 35 goals, Francesco Caputo is their all-time leading scorer, while Michele Pellizzer holds the record for most appearances with 236.

With 111 each, meanwhile, Luca Parodi and Andrea Corbari are the leading appearance makers among the current players. And 1938 World Cup winner Mario Genta played 23 times for Entella, retiring from professional football in 1951 after a single season with them.

Why should I visit?

Located 25 miles east of Genoa, Chiavari is part of the Ligurian capital’s metropolitan region and one of the main hubs of the Gulf of Tigullio, which is part of the Levante Riviera and stretches over the Ligurian Sea from the plush resort of Portofino in the west to Sestri Levante to the east.

A compact town home to just under 30,000 inhabitants, Chiavari boasts the usual mix of Roman, Neoclassical and Baroque architecture so common across Italy with stunning churches and elegant villas dotting the city’s tree-lined streets.

Overlooked by the eponymous castle, Chiavari is also the hometown of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, key figures in Italy’s unification in 1861.

As with every other place in Liguria, expect the food to be stellar and relatively cheap and, of course, the fabled Cinque Terre are less than an hour away by train.