Sambenedettese Stadium Guide: Stadio Riviera delle Palme

By Italian standards, the Stadio Riviera delle Palme is a relatively new facility and the genesis of its birth started on a day of tragedy in June 1981.

Sambenedettese, who were due to gain promotion to Serie B, were playing a league game on the final day of the season against Matera at the old Fratelli Ballarin when a fire broke out in the stands. Hundreds of fans were trapped, two people died, more than 150 were injured, 13 seriously burned.

In the aftermath, the town of San Benedetto and the club’s then-owner, Ferruccio Zoboletti, decided to build a new home, and so the idea for the Stadio Riviera delle Palme was born.

Four years later the new arena was opened, with the inaugural match taking place between Samb and AC Milan in August 1985. World Cup winner Paolo Rossi scored for the Rossoneri in a 1-1 draw.

Based on a structural design by Alessandro Inghilleri, Giuseppe Bartolomei and Marco Marchetti, the stadium won awards early in its life. The Riviera delle Palme took engineering gongs in the 1980s for its use of steel, and has regularly been voted one of the nicest arenas in the country.

The stadium has hosted some notable games over the years, including a pre-season friendly between Juventus and Bayern Munich in the summer of 1997 that drew its biggest ever crowd of 20,000. A decade later it hosted a friendly between Inter Milan and Villarreal.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What Makes It Special?

It sits a stone’s throw from the beach in the town of San Benedetto, the closest ground in Italy to the sea, and can be reached from the crystal blue waters of the Adriatic in a few minutes by foot.

Can’t ask for more scenic than that.

How To Get There

The stadium is located in the Brancadoro area, within the neighborhood of Ragnola in San Benedetto. It is a 25-minute walk from the centre of the city and is fairly straight forward. Getting there from the beach is even easier.

If arriving into the city from by train, the stadium is a 40-minute stroll from San Benedetto station. 

Map

Neighbourhood Tips

If staying on the beach side of town, be aware that San Benedetto’s main train line comes between you and the stadium. This means adding extra minutes on to your journey if walking to the stadium, as you are forced to walk the long way around to reach the Riviera delle Palme.

So keep that in mind when going to a game.

Need To Know

Sambenedettese ultras sit in the Curva Nord, to the left of the main stand. As with all ultras, expect fireworks, bangers and the usual array of chants and noise. If you would like less boisterous seats, we’d recommend sitting in the Tribuna Centrale.

Tickets

Tickets for Sambenedettese games can be bought online at the club’s official website, or through their authorised seller, vivaticket.it.