Italy Come Home! The Cities that Deserve to Have the National Team Back

Italy’s itinerary over the past couple of years has had a very familiar feel to it. The Azzurri have played three times in Milan, twice each in Bergamo and Udine and once in Rome, while this international break is taking them back to the capital and Bologna.

Reggio Emilia and Empoli have also welcomed the national team fairly recently, while some of the more high-profile destinations have long been ignored.

Here are five cities we would love to see them return to.

Turin

One of Italy’s footballing capitals, Turin last welcomed the Azzurri almost five years ago, when they beat Belgium in the third-place play-off of the Nations League.

The Allianz Stadium is a modern and state-of-the-art facility as Juventus’ home ground, but it is nobody’s idea of a cauldron of noise and passion.

So, why not move the fixture across town to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino? Since the old Stadio Comunale was completely refurbished and renamed for the 2006 Winter Olympics, the venue has hosted just two Italy games.

Torino’s home ground is smaller than Juve’s but is in a more central location, has better transport links and more choice of places to eat and drink nearby.

The city has hosted seven fixtures over the past 13 years – six of which have been held at the Allianz Stadium – compared to just three between the end of the 1990 World Cup and 2009.

Genoa

It is eight years since Genoa last hosted an international fixture, a veritable eternity for one of Italy’s footballing hotbeds.

Ukraine in a friendly back in October 2018 were the last visitors to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, a venue that is high on the list of most calcio fans due to the atmosphere.

Genoa hosted the Azzurri three times between 2010 and 2014, having done so just four times in the previous two decades. Granted, the Marassi is looking a bit tired and dated in places but it remains one of Italy’s great footballing cathedrals.

Marassi is ranked a Category 3 by UEFA, which means it can host international fixtures and matches in the qualifying rounds and league stages of the Champions League and Europa League, even though major finals are off limits.

A €100m regeneration project is on the table to modernise the ground and hopefully bring the Azzurri back to the Ligurian capital.

Palermo

There was a time when Palermo was one of Italy’s favourite destinations. The Stadio Renzo Barbera hosted the national team 15 times between 1990 and 2022, the Azzurri’s last visit to the Sicilian capital was when Italy lost to North Macedonia in the semi-final of the World Cup qualifying play-off.

Are the memories still too painful? Will the Azzurri only return to Palermo once they have qualified for football’s biggest tournament again?

Because otherwise it’s hard to make a compelling argument for the national side avoiding one of its most passionate stadiums for much longer. The Barbera is a cauldron of noise on 19 weeks of the season, despite the fact the Rosanero haven’t been in the top flight for a decade.

If Palermo can generate such an incredible atmosphere and average almost 31,500 fans through the gates at every home game in Serie B, imagine what the Azzurri could do.

The Sicilians are planning to renovate the ground in the hope of becoming a host venue of Euro 2032, a bid whose credibility FIGC president Giovanni Malago described as “objectively very high”.

“I am convinced the proposal will be successful,” Italy’s Minister for Sport, Andrea Abodi, added. “The stadium will be built, and then UEFA will assess whether to include it for the European Championship.”

Your move, Azzurri.

Naples

When Italy met England at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in early 2023, it marked the first time in 10 years that the stadium had hosted the Italian national side.

The match ended in a 2-1 defeat for Roberto Mancini’s men, with Declan Rice and Harry Kane scoring before Mateo Retegui’s effort. The last time Italy earned a victory in Naples was in the play-off for the 1998 World Cup against Russia, when a goal from Pierluigi Casiraghi earned a 2-1 aggregate victory. Since then it’s been two defeats and three draws.

Naples was a routine destination for the national side in the 1980s. Yet, since the turn of the century they’ve only ventured into Naples four times.

That being said, the city ranks as high as sixth for matches hosting the Azzurri, with only Rome, Milan, Turin, Florence and Genoa having more.

Bari

Since its inception in 1990, Italy have played a total of 11 games in the cavernous Stadio San Nicola, usually to good success. The first time was the Italia ’90 third-place playoff with England that the hosts won thanks to goals from Toto Schillaci and Roberto Baggio.

The last victory was in October 2023 against Malta in a qualifying game for Euro 2024. They haven’t made it back to Puglia since.

Over the years the San Nicola has saw Italy beat the likes of Spain and the Netherlands in friendlies, while also losing to Germany and France. Despite only hosting 11 matches in 36 years, the ground has witnessed its fair share of heavyweight clashes.

Despite it’s massive size, Italy usually do well to fill-up the San Nicola. The last game against Malta had an attendance of over 56,000, while their last two friendlies in the stadium against France and The Netherlands pulled in 39,000 and 50,000 respectively.

With the stadium not coming close to reaching those numbers with local side Bari due to their form in Serie C amid tensions between the ownership and supporters, the FIGC would do well to bring the Azzurri back to this part of the boot to make use of the country’s third-biggest stadium.

Verona

The city of Romeo and Juliet has only hosted Italy on three occasions, which is a little bit surprising given its size and allure as a travel destination.

The last time the Azzurri came to town was back in June 2016, when they played a pre-Euro 2016 friendly against Finland at the Stadio Bentegodi. Goals from Antonio Candreva and Daniele De Rossi secured a 2-0 win for Antonio Conte’s side, and they have never returned.

A Roberto Baggio goal against Uruguay in April 1989 had represented the last time the national team had featured in Verona prior to the 2016 friendly.

The Bentegodi holds around 39,000 people yet the state of the stadium is likely the key reason why the FIGC doesn’t select it.

The stadium has scarcely been touched since hosting duty at Italia 90, in fact you can still see stickers of Ciao the mascot on the walls of the ground dating back to that magical summer.

It is in dire need of a refurbishment and, given Italy brings more of a family feel than club matches, the ground is hardly ideal for young children. Until is is renovated, it’s difficult to see Italy returning to Verona. But it undoubtedly deserves to welcome home the Azzurri at some stage.