Verona Stadium Guide: Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi

In a city with art and culture at every turn, the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi is a monument to Verona’s love affair with calcio.

Built in 1963 and named after the historic benefactor of Veronese sport, it was fully renovated ahead of the 1990 World Cup and was shared between Hellas Verona and Chievo Verona between 1986 and 2021, when the latter went bankrupt.

Here’s all you need to know.

What Makes It Special?

Colours, the feeling of stepping back in time and a first-hand experience of Tim Parks’ A Season With Verona. The book, in which Parks details the contradictions surrounding the Hellas ultras and the club’s struggle to remain in Serie A in 2000-01, made the Gialloblu famous among an English-speaking audience. It is a good enough reason alone to visit the Bentegodi.

The stadium, with a capacity of just under 39,000, is a reminder Italian football has not caught up with the rest of Europe in terms of facilities. Yet, somehow it all works. In fact the rudimentary feel of the Bentegodi is what makes it so special, with the Curva Sud a cauldron of yellow and blue and near-constant noise.

Much like the Arena – the world’s largest open-air opera venue – the Bentegodi is where Veronesi congregate week in, week out and have done for generations. And just like the amphitheatre, it has seen its fair share of drama and plot twists.

How To Get There

The stadium is a 20-minute walk from Verona’s Porta Nuova train station and a 35-minute walk from the Arena in Piazza Bra.

Bus routes 11, 12 and 13 connect Porta Nuova and the Arena to the ground while taxis are quick and easy if you are in a hurry.

Map

Neighbourhood Tips

The Zanzi Bar is just across the road from the East Stand on Viale Sansovino and used to be a meeting point for members of the now-disbanded Brigate Gialloblu ultras group. It is exactly the kind of place that will tug at your heart strings if you love football culture. Verona stickers cover near every available surface, while the busy staff behind the bar dish out bottles of Moretti and Campari spritz in plastic cups.

Directly behind the Curva Sud, the Bar Bentegodi caters to a similar clientele as does Bar Hellas on Via Molise, a 15-minute walk from the ground. Head to either for a pre-match pint or a drink after the final whistle and soak up the atmosphere.

Our guide to watching football in Verona has more recommendations.

Need To Know

The Hellas Verona ultras sit in the Curva Sud, while the away end is split across the upper two tiers of the Curva Nord, which used to house the Chievo Verona fans when the city’s second team played in Serie A and Serie B.

The Brigate Gialloblu were one of Italy’s most notorious ultras groups from their inception in 1971 until their dissolution two decades later, with a number of factions carrying on their legacy, chief among them the Hellas Army. Don’t be surprised to see the word ‘butei’ on banners and stickers, as it is Veronese dialect for ‘the lads’.

Tickets

The ticket collection points are normally by car park A or on the corner of the Curva Sud but the location may vary so check the club website first.