Palermo is arguably one of Italian football’s sleeping giants. The Sicilian side, who play at Stadio Renzo Barbera, flourished in the top flight in the latter half of the 2000s and into the 2010s, but since relegation from Serie A in 2013, the club have been through years of turmoil.
They returned to the top flight in 2014, but they couldn’t match the consistency of the prior run and lasted only three years before relegation hit the club again in 2017. They then tumbled down the divisions amid financial ruin and multiple takeovers.
The club were bought over by the City Group in the summer of 2022, and since then some measure of stability has returned to the club. Palermo gained promotion from Serie C to Serie B in 2022 and have cemented their status as a Serie B regular ever since.
Yet with the backing of City Group, the club have aspirations of making it back to the top level of the Italian game, and this time to stay there.
Palermo play in the Stadio Renzo Barbera, one of the most atmospheric grounds in the country when full. It’s also in one of the most stunning locations, with the Sicilian mountains in full view.
The stadium is named after former club president Renzo Barbera, who guided the club to Serie A in the 1970s, and has been named as such since 2002 when Barbera passed away at the age of 82.
Opened in 1932, the Barbera is one of Serie B’s biggest grounds and looked the part in Serie A, when the Rosanero occupied Calcio’s upper echelon.
Stadio Renzo Barbera factfile
- Capacity: 36,365
- Opened: 1932
- Club: Palermo
- Address: Viale del Fante 11, I-90146 Palermo
How to get to the Stadio Renzo Barbera
The Barbera is located in the north of the city, some 3km away from the historic city centre and around 5km from the Palermo train station.
From Palermo train station by bus
If arriving into Palermo by train, the stadium can be reached by public transport from the station. Take bus number 101 and get off when the stadium is in sight – the bus’s destination is Stadio. Buses from the train station depart every five minutes.
The same bus can also be taken at Via Roma close to the train station.
Bus number 107 also follows a similar path, but is less frequent than the 101. Buses 614 and 615 also go in the direction of the stadium from the Mondello region of the city.
By car
If driving to the stadium and coming out of Palermo, take the E30 Viale della Regione Siciliana, exit at the Via Belgio and turn east into the city, follow the signs for Stadio La Favorita (the old name of the stadium). After a few hundred metres turn right onto the Via Empedocle Restivo, and soon after left onto the Via Alcide de Gasperi, and the stadium can be viewed.
How to buy public transport tickets
Tickets for Palermo’s public transport system can be bought at all the usual places, such as tobacco shops, vending machines, authorised sellers.
Tickets can also be bought online via the AMAT app, the company that is responsible for public transport tickets in the city. Palermo also has a tram system, and tickets can be bought for both the bus and tram using the app.
The cost of a single ticket is €1.40 (£1.19) and is valid for 90 minutes. Daily tickets cost €3.50 (£3.00).
How to buy tickets to watch Palermo
Tickets to see Palermo play at the Barbera can be bought online at the club’s official website via Vivaticket. Tickets can also be bought at authorised sellers around the city in the days before a game.
