With 40 teams playing in the top two tiers of Italian football and that number hitting three figures when you add in Serie C, there are close to 100 stadiums, each with their own special charm.

Some are slap-bang in the city centre while others hover on the edge of town, making it a bit of an adventure to get there (eyes looking squarely at you, Bari).

Often, the journey to the stadium can be part of the thrill, especially if you like a bit of a stroll, and in a country where beauty is around every corner, padding the pavement is worth the effort.

Here are five of the best cities for wandering your way to the game.

Bologna

The Stadio Renato Dall’Ara is already one of the finest arenas on the peninsula to watch the beautiful game and getting there is just as pleasing on the eye.

This is probably the prettiest walk to a football stadium in Italy.

Located in the Saragozza district, about 3.5km from the city centre, getting to the ground with the famous bell tower is a painless and delightful experience – mainly because of the porticoes.

Bologna is lined with thousands of the sheltered walkways and has been for centuries. They cover about 40km around the city centre, further as you head out, and have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Give yourself plenty of time before the game to explore the San Luca porticoes, just behind the Dall’Ara, with your walk up Guardia Hill containing 666 arches to the top, before a splendid vista of the city. And the Madonna di San Luca sanctuary worth exploring.

Como

There is absolutely no doubt that Como play their football in one of the game’s most picture-perfect venues.

Sitting almost on the shores of the lake, the Stadio Sinigaglia is so close it offers amazing views of the water, depending which stand you are in.

Like Bologna, Como is a very walkable city and making your way to watch the team play is a nice way to wile away some time.

The many narrow streets will take you there from the historic centre but another option could be to head out on a walk up the west side of the lake, past the gorgeous Villa Olmo before making an about turn when you’ve had enough. But be warned, you might never tire of exploring this beautiful corner of Lombardy.

There are plenty of hotels up in Cernobbio and the five-star Villa d’Este is certainly worth a look if you wander that far before heading back.

Milan

The walk from one famous cathedral to another – the Duomo di Milano to the San Siro – takes around an hour and a half so there are better ways to get to one of the most recognisable grounds in the game.

T\ake the subway, for instance. The M5 line opened in stages between 2013 and 2015 and included a stop for the La Scala del Calcio, the iconic home shared by AC Milan and their city rivals Inter.

This made the old stop obsolete but don’t be put off. After all, nostalgia is everything for calcio lovers.

Hopping off at Lotto on M1, you appear to be in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by tall trees on both sides, walk west along viale Federico Caprilli for around 20 minutes until the way clears and before you stands the cavernous majesty of the Giuseppe Meazza, sitting there like a giant spaceship.

Regular fans don’t take this route any more but on a sunny day it provides quite the spectacle and a good chance to walk off that heavy lunch.

Pisa

The walk to the Stadio Arena Garibaldi from the centre of the Pisa is the shortest on this list but good things certainly come in small packages in this Tuscan favourite.

A mere seven minutes is all it takes from the Leaning Tower – another World Heritage Site – to the stadium. Seven minutes.

So close is Pisa’s rambunctious ground that you can see the green of the pitch from the top of the famous lopsided landmark. So, if you time it right, you could stand on one of Italy’s most-visited tourist attractions and watch a bit of calcio at the same time.

Modena

Famous across the globe for balsamic vinegar, Luciano Pavarotti, Panini stickers and cars, Modena is also home to one of the most beautiful walks to a sports stadium.

The Stadio Alberto Braglia, located in the Cittadella area of the city, is a brisk 13-minute stride from the centre.

Situated in the Novi Ark Archaeological Park, a piece of land that was once a hippodrome and a cattle market but is now home to the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the walk is about as colourful as it gets in Italy: many of the buildings are bright yellows, pinks and oranges – a nod to Modena’s history.

Walk down Via Cesare Battisti in the heart of centro storico and catch the bright and the beautiful staring back at you, painted to perfection.

The story behind it? The colours of the city, dating back to the Middle Ages, have always been blue and gold, with the latter over time morphing into yellow. Oh, and the streets are spotless, too.