The Magic of Serie B… Why Italy’s Second Tier is Worth the Journey

Similar to the relationship in England between the Championship and the Premier League, Italy’s second tier is overshadowed by its top flight but has still managed to carve out a cult following.

Like Serie A, the quality may have dipped a bit since its 1990s heyday, but Serie B remains compelling viewing and a league full of teams and towns worth visiting.

Tourist hotspot Venice can be chalked off though as Venezia will be back in the big time from August after securing promotion with a game to go. But the most popular attraction, from a calcio perspective, will be spending at least another season in the second division.

Sampdoria made headlines across the world 12 months ago when they were relegated for the first time in their 79-year history, then thrown a play-out lifeline when Brescia went bust. It was there they beat Salernitana over two legs – the second of which was postponed due to food poisoning then abandoned when Granata fans threw missiles towards the pitch.

As social media memes would have it, this was absolute cinema.

Samp have made a better job of staying clear of trouble this season, heading for a mid-table finish and another campaign in division two where they will hold on to their status as one of the main draws for the calcio tourist.

The famous Luigi Ferraris is Italy’s oldest stadium still in use, a real English-style ground with steep stands and seats close to the pitch. On matchdays it explodes with noise and colours – colours that are recognised the world over. That famous blue, red and white simply screams classic calcio and the Marassi, as Sampdoria’s home is known after the neighbourhood it sits in, is a sight to behold.

Winners of seven major trophies in a decade from 1984, they are the biggest club in the division and average the second-biggest crowd at just under 24,000. With capacity more than 30,000 it is possible to get tickets for most games.

Palermo are in the play-offs again and they top the table for numbers through the turnstiles with an average of almost 28,000 at the Renzo Barbera – another setting that should be on most wish-lists, while the San Nicola in Bari will also appeal to nostalgia lovers. The third-biggest stadium in the country – behind the San Siro and the Olimpico – is the only other Serie B ground (along with the Marassi) that was used for Italia 90. Depending how the final weekend plays out, it could be hosting Serie C soon.

At the opposite end of the scale there is the Stadio Enrico Sannazzari in Chiavari. Virtus Entella’s ground holds 5000 but can be as impressive as the Dino Manuzzi in Cesena, which is five times bigger.

Each year seven names change in this league. Three teams go up and four go down. Two go up automatically and the next six enter the play-offs. So fine are the margins that teams can go from near top-eight certainties to out of the picture on the back of one defeat, while the door remains ajar for those who can time their sprint to perfection.

With one round of games to go the big issues are still to be resolved. Two teams – Venezia and Frosinone – can win the title, and while Avellino are clinging on to eighth place – the final play-off spot – just three points separate them from Padova in 13th. At the other end, nobody is officially relegated yet.

Spezia are in the bottom three – with Pescara and Reggiana – and are a perfect warning sign for Serie B’s treacherous waters. The Ligurians were 90 minutes away from promotion last season, losing to Cremonese in the second leg of the play-off final after a goalless first game.

Vicenza, Arezzo and Benevento have been promoted from Serie C for next term while one more will move up after the third-tier play-offs.

If the format lends itself well to drama, so do the stars on the pitch. At one time this was the playground of the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Luca Toni, Sandro Tonali, Dario Hubner, Cristiano Doni.

Recently it has been the turn of Joel Pohjanpalo, Andrea Adorante and Antonio Di Nardo to dominate the scoring charts with 54 goals between them.

A breeding ground for young Italian talents, think of Francesco Pio Esposito rattling in 19 while on loan at Spezia last term before returning to Inter Milan, Serie B is also the stage where you can still admire the likes of Lorenzo Insigne.

At the start of 2026 the Euro 2020 winner returned to Pescara after 14 years and has been working his magic to drag them towards a survival that seemed all but impossible at Christmas. Along with the Marassi, Venice and Bari, being there when Pescara’s Curva Sud belts out their club anthem is a Destination Calcio favourite.

Massimo Coda, the division’s all-time top scorer, has bagged nine this term, and all of this is before we’ve mentioned the snow-capped mountains you can see from Sudtirol’s ground, the Tuscan Hills and the team with a connection to fictional mob boss Tony Soprano.

This is a league worth visiting. Attendances across Serie B have been stable around the 9,500 mark for the past two seasons, slightly down from a peak of just over 9,900 in the 2022-23 campaign but still way above the pre-Covid numbers.

The time has never been better to contribute to these figures.

The final weekend of the season as well as the promotion play-offs and relegation play-out will be live on Destination Calcio TV.