The Stadio Oreste Granillo is a football stadium in Reggio Calabria, Italy. It is the home of

Reggina 1914 Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are nic ...

. The stadium was built in 1999 on the foundations of ''Comunale'' and holds 27,763. It is named after former Reggina president Oreste Granillo (1926–1997) who led the club to

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

for the first time and became mayor of the city.

History

The stadium was first built in 1932, then known as the Stadio Michele Bianchi. Then-Reggina president Giuseppe Vilardi was behind its construction. For years it was the only stadium in the city and changed names many times, mainly known as the Comunale. Many renovations have been made on the structure, with the cover over the grandstand being built in the 60's and the Curva Nord, where Reggina fans stand today being built in the 80s'. The curva was not part of the original structure. In order to accommodate a growing number of fans, coinciding with the success achieved by Reggina, the stadium was substantially renovated. In 1997, the old structure was demolished and two years later the new Stadio Oreste Granillo was completed, completely rebuilt on the same surface where the Michele Bianchi was first constructed, almost 70 years earlier.

Location

The stadium is located in the south of the city, only 1.8 km from the nearby railway station, Reggio Calabria Centrale. Upon leaving the station (Piazza Garibaldi), travel right along via Barlaam until you reach the entrance of the Calopinace bridge. From there, travel right along via Galileo Galilei which leads directly to the Granillo. Those travelling from the

Reggio Calabria Airport Reggio di Calabria "Tito Minniti" Airport , also known as Aeroporto dello Stretto (''Airport of the Strait'') is an airport located in Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy. It serves mainly the Metropolitan City of Reggio and the Province of Mess ...

, can take advantage of the 102 bus line which, starting from the airport itself, leads straight to the station.

International matches

Two international matches of the

Italian national football team The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body ...

have taken place at the stadium:

References

Reggina 1914

Oreste ''Oreste'' ("Orestes", HWV A11, HG 48/102) is an opera by George Frideric Handel in three acts. The libretto was anonymously adapted from Giangualberto Barlocci’s ''L’Oreste'' (1723, Rome), which was in turn adapted from Euripides' '' Iphi ...

Sport in Reggio Calabria Sports venues in Calabria Stadium Oreste Granillo Sports venues completed in 1999 1999 establishments in Italy {{Italy-sports-venue-stub