Fiorentina Stadium Guide: Stadio Artemio Franchi

The Artemio Franchi is one of the oldest and most unique stadiums in Italian football.

Built entirely of reinforced concrete, it opened in 1931 as Stadio Giovanni Berta after a prominent Florentine fascist, before taking the name Stadio Comunale until 1991 when it was named after the late Italian FA and UEFA president Artemio Franchi.

Here’s all you need to know.

What Makes It Special

At its raucous best during the glory days of Gabriel Batistuta and Manuel Rui Costa, the Franchi was as intimidating an arena as any in Italy despite its lopsided nature with a large gap between the pitch and the Curva Fiesole, the heartbeat of La Viola support.

The Franchi has stood the test of time and while renovations have been carried out, the majority of the original stadium still stands, almost 100 years on. Its most distinctive feature is the 70m Tower of Marathon, built to honour athletes’ resistance and spirit in the face of competition.

How to Get There

The nearest station is Campo-Marte, around 400m from the ground. Local services from Santa Maria Novella train station stop at Campo-Marte, while bus route 17 connects Florence’s historic centre to the Franchi from Piazza San Marco. A stroll from the centro storico takes approximately 30 minutes.

Map

Neighbourhood Tips

Birreria Articolo 17, 25 minutes from the stadium, is the perfect stop for a pre-match pint while the Green Store Pub a bit is closer to the ground. The Moonshine just behind the Tribuna Coperta is a regular meeting point for Fiorentina fans.

For something more sophisticated take your pick from any of the bars and restaurants lining three sides of Piazza di San Pier Maggiore. Read our complete guide to watching football in Florence for more.

Need to Know

Work has been going on to increase capacity to 42,500 but at a glacial pace and will not be completed before 2029 at the earliest.

The Franchi is essentially made up of five separate sections – the Curva Ferrovia, Curva Fiesole, Tribuna Coperta and Tribuna di Maratona, with the away end wedged in between the latter and the Curva Ferrovia. Each stand is divided into smaller sections, some of which are exposed to the elements. The Tribuna Coperta is the main covered area.

Tickets

Collection points are next to the Curva Ferrovia, on the opposite side of the ground to the Curva Fiesole by the Tribuna Coperta. Our guide to buying tickets for Fiorentina games holds everything else you need to know.