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Originally opening in 1963, Stadio Bentegodi back then was a slightly different proposition to what it is now, originally consisting of only two tiered, both of which were uncovered leaving Veronian fans exposed to the admittedly mild elements. Built at a time when Hellas Verona were languishing in Serie B, many critics suggested the stadium’s capacity was too large and not befitting of a team who couldn’t make it to the top tier of Italian football. Over time these concerns about Italy’s 6th largest stadium have all but abated due to the rise of both residents into Serie A. Known as the stage of the forty thousand due to its number of seats, the stadium named after Verona’s famous 19th century sports benefactor was used as a venue in the 1990s World Cup. Marcantonio hosted three group matches and the early knock-out round between Yugoslavia and Spain. The stadium received a number of renovations in preparation of the major sporting event including the addition of an extra tier, full roofing and better transport connections including a new section of road linking the city directly to the motorway. In recent years there have been further plans to redevelop the stadium but nothing has come to light as of yet. In recent years work to improve the bottom tier of the stadium was abandoned with these seats subsequently closed. A failed bid to the host the 2016 European Championship meant the 40 million euro dream of making the stadium “More English” fell by the wayside.

DRIVING The address for satnav is as follows: Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, Piazzale Olimpia, Verona VR, Italy Car Parks Parking wise options are quite good with a number of large car parks around the surrounding roads as shown on the map above. TRAIN The main railway station of the city is Verona Porta Nueva which is on the Milan-Venice line and located less than 15 minutes walking distance from the ground. BUS Outside there is a bus station with many services taking you to the stadium such as numbers 11, 12 and 13 and the number 90 on Sundays and bank holidays. AIRPORTS Verona Villafranca Airport also known as Valerio Catullo is located 12km southwest of the historic city centre with the shuttle bus and rental car taking you to your central hotel in less than 20 minutes.