PalaBigi (formerly known as Palasport) is an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

that is located in

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The arena is dedicated to the late "Assessore allo Sport" (the sport delegate of the Municipality) Giulio Bigi. The seating capacity of the arena is 4,600 people. It has a seating capacity of 4,550 seats reserved to local fans, and a section of 50 seats reserved for the away fans. The arena was opened in 1968. It is home to

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also known for sponsorship reasons as UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as of the 2022-23 season. History 1970s Pallacanestr ...

basketball team, and Volley Tricolore volleyball team.

History

The construction of the arena started during the late 1960s, thanks to the efforts of municipal delegate Giulio Bigi, who wanted to build a big sports arena in the city, due to the large interest in sports. La Torre volleyball and basketball teams were competing in the First Divisions, with the female volleyball section winning four consecutive national championships, between 1964 and 1968, in the old small sports gym "GIL". PalaBigi was completed in December 1967, with the first competitive game held in it in 1968. The original capacity was near to 5,000, due to the terraces conformation of the stands in the 1960s and in the 1970s, and it was only later reduced to 3,000 because of the new arena laws introduced by the Italian Parliament. PalaBigi hosted the senior men's

Italian national basketball team The Italy men's national basketball team ( it, Nazionale di pallacanestro dell'Italia) represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBa ...

in 1999, where the Azzurri beat

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and the Italian national men's volleyball team the same year, where they beat Russia, 3–2. The arena has also hosted various concerts of Italian artists, like the local born

Luciano Ligabue Luciano Riccardo Ligabue (born 13 March 1960), commonly known as Ligabue or Liga, is an Italian singer-songwriter, film director and writer. Biography Ligabue was born in Correggio, in the province of Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna egl, Emig ...

. In 2012, the capacity of the arena was increased to 3,500. In 2016, a plan to upgrade to the capacity to 4,600 was approved by the local municipality, with the construction work starting in the summer. In the same year, a public initiative, called "La Nostra Storia nel PalaBigi" (Our History in PalaBigi), was started by a local young fan, who aimed to dedicate the new sections of the arena, to the great former players of the club that marked the history of the arena; and to create a museum of its sports history, in order to preserve the arena's original identity, despite the new reconstruction. The initiative saw more than 300 people signing on to the popular petition, which addressed the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.LA NOSTRA STORIA NEL PALABIGI .
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References

Indoor arenas in Italy Basketball venues in Italy {{Italy-sports-venue-stub