Parma: Stadio Ennio Tardini

Famous around the world for its cheese, Parma is one of Italy’s must-visit cities for food. Located in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Parma was also one of the success stories of the Italian game in the 1990s.

Funded by Parmalat and its owner Callisto Tanzi, I Ducali won three European trophies in the 1990s and several Coppa Italia as the small club mixed with the big boys of Serie A after promotion in 1990. 

The end is a well-known story, with the club going bankrupt after Parmalat was implicated in one of the biggest financial scandals in European history. Since the early 2000s, the club has become something of a yo-yo club, suffering relegation from Serie A before gaining promotion again.

Now under American ownership in the shape of Kyle Krause, the club are once again in the Italian top flight, with plans underway to develop the Stadio Ennio Tardini. 

Of course this being Italy, plans have been stuck in red tape, yet the club is in safe hands.

The Tardini is one of Italy’s oldest stadiums, having been built over a century ago. Over the years it’s been remodelled and expanded, mostly by the Tanzi family in the 1990s, raising the capacity to just over 22,000.

Once the playground of Gianfranco Zola, Faustino Asprilia and Hristo Stoichkov, expect the Tardini to be at its raucous best as Parma return to Serie A after three years this season.

Stadio Ennio Tardini factfile

• Capacity: 22,352
• Club: Parma
• Opened: 1923
• Address: Viale Partigiani d’Italia, 143123 Parma, Italy

How to get to the Stadio Ennio Tardini

By public transport

From the main central areas of the city (Piazza Ghiaia, Pilotta) you can take bus line number 9 to reach the ground. Get off at the stop named ‘Tardini’ in Viale Partigiani d’Italia. You can also reach the stadium using bus lines 8 and 11, getting off at the stop in Via Torelli. 

From Parma train station

From Parma train station, you can take bus lines 8, 9 or 11 to reach the stadium. The journey should take no more than 15 minutes to reach the ground.

From the city centre

With Parma being relatively small, you can walk to the stadium in around 20 minutes. Start from Piazza Garibaldi and follow the signs and you will reach the Tardini.

By car

Take the A1 motorway and exit at Parma. Follow directions for the city centre (centro città) along the SP343 and carry on onto Viale Europa. Turn left onto Viale Bottego, and then right onto Viale Mentana, going straight on until you reach the roundabout that meets via Emilia. Go straight on again onto Viale San Michele and the Stadio Tardini is in front of you on your left.

How to buy public transport tickets

Bus tickets can be bought on buses throughout the city using contactless cards. Moreover, tickets can also be bought at various outlets dotted around the city. Parma’s city pass, named Mi Muovo, can be recharged (but not purchased) online here.

A single ticket, valid for 80 minutes, costs €1.70 (£1.43).

How to buy tickets for Parma Calcio 1913

Tickets to see Parma can be bought via the club’s official ticket outlet, ticketone.it.