Stadio Renzo Barbera

About

Stadio Renzo Barbera (commonly known as La Favorita) is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently the home stadium of Palermo FC. The stadium was inaugurated during the fascist era on 24 January 1932, and was originally named Stadio Littorio after the Italian word for the fasces symbol. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1. A running track surrounded the pitch, and there were no stands behind either goal. In 1936, the stadium was renamed Stadio Michele Marrone, in memory of a soldier killed during the Spanish Civil War. In 1945, the name was changed again at the end of World War II to Stadio La Favorita, taken from the name of the local ancient game preserve of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century. In 1948, the running track was removed, and stands were built behind each goal. The stadium then remained essentially unchanged until 1984, when a second major redevelopment took place, involving the addition of a second tier to the stadium, which increased the total capacity to 50,000 spectators. This maximum capacity was, however, only reached twice: in a Serie C1 league match against Sicilian rivals Messina, and for a friendly match against Juventus. A third, and to date the most recent, modernisation of the stadium took place in 1990, due to the city of Palermo having been chosen to host a number of the 1990 FIFA World Cu

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.