Stadio Atleti Azzurri D'Italia
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Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, known for sponsorship reasons as the Gewiss Stadium since July 2019 and as Stadio di Bergamo in
UEFA competitions UEFA competitions (), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and futsal. Th ...
, is a stadium in
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
, Italy. It is the home of club
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
and has a capacity of 23,439 seats. The field is long and wide. Atalanta has owned the stadium since 2017, having purchased it from the
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
. Atalanta's youth team also sometimes plays competitive matches at the Gewiss Stadium, most recently the
Supercoppa Primavera The Supercoppa Primavera is an Italian youth teams football match played by the winners of the Campionato Primavera championship and the winners of the Coppa Italia Primavera at the beginning of the season. The competition has been held since 20 ...
in 2021. The stadium in Bergamo has also been used as a home ground by local club AlbinoLeffe from 2003 to 2019 (when it moved to
Gorgonzola Gorgonzola (, ) is a famously pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk; believed to have been created in the 9th century; now with use of its name controlled under the criteria of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Gorg ...
)—a period during which AlbinoLeffe spent nine years in Serie B and met Atalanta on several occasions—and for various matches of the Italy national team.


History


Early years

With the growth of football in the 1920s, Atalanta needed a new stadium with considerably larger capacity than its previous grounds. The new stadium was constructed on Viale Margherita (now Viale Giulio Cesare), replacing a
hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...
that once occupied the site. Construction of the new stadium took one year; it opened in 1928 and cost 3.5 million lire. The stadium was named after
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
Mario Brumana; this was common naming practice in
fascist Italy Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...
. The Brumana stadium was much larger than the Clementina field, having a seated capacity of 12,000 spectators in two ''tribune'' (side stands) and a larger field measuring ; it also featured a
running track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...
, as it was planned to form part of a larger complex. On 1 November 1928, Atalanta played its first unofficial match at the stadium (a 4–2 victory against
Triestina Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio 1918, commonly referred to US Triestina or just Triestina, is an Italian football club based in Trieste, in the northern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Originally established in 1918, Triestina was one of the fo ...
); the stadium was then officially inaugurated on 23 December 1928, when Atalanta defeated '' La Dominante Genova'' 2–0 in front of over 14,000 spectators. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the stadium was renamed the ''Stadio Comunale'' ("Municipal Stadium"), as fascism no longer existed in Italy. Expansion of the stadium began in the years following the war: the construction of a south stand (the '' Curva Sud'') began in 1949, and a second stand at the north end (the ''Curva Nord'') followed during the 1960s, opening in 1971. Later, in 1984, the running track was removed in order to expand the stadium's capacity upon Atalanta's return to Serie A after five years. The club's first match in the
1984–85 Serie A The 1984–85 Serie A season heralded Hellas Verona's first and so far only Scudetto. Unusually, none of the big three of Juventus, Milan or Internazionale managed to finish in the top two. Ascoli, Lazio and Cremonese all were relegated to Se ...
, a 1–1 draw against Inter, had an attendance of over 43,000 spectators, a record attendance for the Stadio Comunale.


Modernization projects

The ''Tribuna Giulio Cesare'' underwent modernization during the early 1990s, and the stadium was renamed the ''Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia'' ("Blue Athletes of Italy") in 1994. In 1997, following the death of 22-year-old forward Federico Pisani in a car accident, the ''Curva Nord'' was nicknamed the ''Curva Pisani'' in his honor. Similarly, the ''Curva Sud'' was nicknamed the ''Curva Morosini'' in 2012 to posthumously honor 25-year-old youth academy player
Piermario Morosini Piermario Morosini (5 July 1986 – 14 April 2012) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. On 14 April 2012, during a match between Pescara and Livorno, Morosini suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on the pitch. Early life ...
, who died following collapse on the field during a Serie B match between
Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...
and
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
. In 2015, the stadium also expanded its side stands to offer pitchside views only several meters (feet) from the benches, a revolutionary feature of Italian stadiums at the time. This phase of improvements also included improved bench facilities for players and the introduction of luxury boxes atop the grandstand. New seating areas for disabled spectators were also added. At the same time, the press box has been lowered and moved towards the pitch. These improvements came with a reduction in overall capacity by around 3,000 seats. The club paid €2.6 million for the first phase of redevelopment. On 10 May 2017, Atalanta announced the acquisition of the stadium from the ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' for 8.6 million
euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
s, becoming one of only four Serie A clubs to own its home stadium. This acquisition allowed the club to authorize a renovation project for the stadium, for like many Italian stadiums, much of its structure and facilities were considered outdated. This renovation project was also necessary to upgrade the stadium to meet UEFA standards for hosting matches in UEFA competitions. Because the stadium was not ready at the time, Atalanta had to play its Europa League home matches at the Mapei Stadium in
Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...
and its Champions League home matches in its debut season at
San Siro San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy. It has a seating capacity of 75,817, making it the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is the home stadium of the city's principal ...
in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. Despite not playing in Bergamo, though thanks to the additional capacity of San Siro, Atalanta recorded its record home attendance of 44,236 during a Champions League knockout stage match against
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
on 19 February 2020. Following a sponsorship agreement with electronics company Gewiss lasting at least until 2025, the stadium was renamed the Gewiss Stadium on 1 July 2019. On 30 April 2019, a new phase of renovations began with the demolition of the ''Curva Nord " Federico Pisani"'' (North Stand). On 6 October 2019, the renovated ''Curva Nord'' was inaugurated for Atalanta's home match against
Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...
; it has covered seating for over 9,000 spectators. A year later, both side stands underwent modernization and the ''Curva Sud'' had temporary seats installed on the
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
. These upgrades allowed Atalanta to play its Champions League matches in Bergamo starting in the 2020–21 season. The final phase will feature a rebuilt ''Curva Sud'' (mirroring the rebuilt ''Curva Nord''), which will increase the stadium's capacity to about 25,000, as well as construction of a new underground parking garage and other improvements to the stadium's surroundings. It was originally expected to be completed in 2021, though was delayed until February or March 2022; the start of construction was then further delayed to spring 2024, with expected completion in August of that year. Atalanta will still be able to play its home matches at the Gewiss Stadium during construction.


International matches

The Gewiss Stadium has also hosted various international matches, though was not selected as a venue in any of the international tournaments hosted by Italy. The Italy national team's most recent match at the Gewiss Stadium was a 1–1 draw with the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in the
UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
on 14 October 2020. Prior to this, Italy had not played an international match in Bergamo since 2006; renovations to the stadium in 2019–2020 brought it up to UEFA standards. This match was played in Bergamo as a homage to the city, as it was an early epicenter during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Italy The COVID-19 pandemic in Italy was part of the COVID-19 pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Italy on 31 January 2 ...
.


List of international matches


Awards

The Gewiss Stadium received the ''Most Valuable Field'' award during the
Serie A Awards The Serie A Awards () are awarded by the Lega Serie A to the best association football, footballers of each Serie A football season. They were first awarded at the end of the 2018–19 Serie A season. History and regulations The Serie A Awards ...
in 2023.


Notes


References


Bibliography

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External links


Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia Virtual Tour
{{Serie A venues UC AlbinoLeffe Atalanta BC Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Buildings and structures in Bergamo Sports venues in Lombardy Tourist attractions in Bergamo Sports venues completed in 1928 1928 establishments in Italy Atleti