The Evolution of San Siro Stadium

The story of the most iconic Italian stadium
I'm not sure why among all the possible nicknames, at San Siro they attributed that of "Scala del Calcio". Without a doubt, however, the theatrical metaphor could not have been more appropriate, if your story was written by first violins like Rivera and Mazzola, virtuosos like Ronaldo and Kakà, directors like Sacchi and Herrera.

San Siro is the most beautiful stadium in Italy, never altered the pride of our football and the entire city of Milan.

Built in the 1920s and going through 3 major expansion works, it was the home of the European campaigns of AC Milan and FC Inter, of the nights of Italia90 and of concerts that made the history of Italian music. San Siro is the place where two different philosophies meet, two ways to live soccer and Milan, for a face to face match.

The first stadium
Piero Pirelli, president of AC Milan and son of Giovanni Battista, founder of the historic tire company, decided in 1925 that his team needed a new stadium, to leave the Arena Civica for good. To the north-west of Milan, in an area already used for sport due to the presence of the Hippodrome, on 1 August 1926, he started work on the construction of the San Siro. The project was entrusted to the engineer Alberto Cugini and to the architect Ulisse Stacchini, who had designed some newsstands of the Monumental Cemetery in Milan but above all the Central Station. In those years the prevailing and most influential architectural trend was the Art Nouveau, in Italy Liberty Style which was reworked with late-neoclassical elements. After only 13 months and with a total cost of two million liras, on 19 September 1926, the stadium was inaugurated, with a symbolic friendly between AC Milan and FC Inter. Only one of the 4 tiers, disconnected from each other, was covered by a canopy, while the great novelty was to be designed "in English style", that is, without the athletics track, designed specifically for football and therefore unique in comparison to other Italian stadiums.

From the beginning, the plant was called San Siro, not from the name of the neighborhood but from the church of S. Siro alla Vepra, near Piazzale Lotto, of which now only the apse remains, leaning against a villa.

The stadium will remain the property of Milan and Inter will continue to play at the Arena Civica, until the 47/48 season.

In 1935 the stadium came under the administration of the Municipality of Milan which decided to expand the stands, the corners were closed, now San Siro is a real arena, with the capacity of about 60 thousand spectators that made it the biggest stadium in the world, until 1950

The 50s and the 60s
AC Milan and FC Inter between the 30s and 40s do not experience exciting seasons, also the fault of the Second World War, which brings the Rossoneri back to the Arena Civica, from '41 to '45. After the war, football became the sport of Italians par excellence and, in an atmosphere of renewed enthusiasm, we discussed what to do with the San Siro. Between those who suggested demolition and those who opted to move the court more into the city center, the Municipality of Milan decided to start a major renovation project. In 1955 the engineer Calzolari and the architect Ronca planned the construction of a second ring, reachable through a series of ramps that run along all the walls of the building. The project costs 750 billion Lire and totally changes the face of San Siro, inaugurating an extraordinary season for Milanese football.

Perhaps it is precisely in these years that the myth of the "Scala del Calcio" is born, stealing the name from the most famous of Milan's theaters. Certainly, San Siro becomes a stage, in which the actors are Maldini, Rivera, Mazzola, Liedholm, Schiaffino, Facchetti, Nordahl, Corso and Suárez. In less than twenty years, 4 Champions League and 12 Championships were brought to San Siro. In 1957 the stadium became the first Italian lighting installation, which allowed it to play even at night, while in 1967 the first luminous board was installed.

In 1980, what was now one of the symbols of world football was renamed to "Stadio Giuseppe Meazza", in homage to the player of Milan and Inter, who died a year earlier.



Italia 90
The history of San Siro and its architectural structure change markedly for the world championships in 1990. The architects Ragazzi-Hoffer and engineer Leo Finzi add what are today the true trademarks of the stadium: the 11 cylindrical towers with helical ramp allowing access to the third ring, on which a steel cover rests. The arena turns into a cage, which overlooks the field, creating a unique environment worldwide. The 37 ° slope of this part of the stand is indeed surprising, surpassed only by the last ring of the Mestalla of Valencia and by the fifth of the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

The Evolution of San Siro

свернуть