Stadio Flaminio – stadium description

Contrary to its name, the stadium is not in the Flaminio district, but in the adjoining Parioli area. It is located approximately 3 kilometres northwest of Rome city centre. The venue was built on the site of Stadio Nazionale, which existed in years 1911-1957.

Construction began on July 1, 1957 according to a design by Pier Luigi and Antonio Nervi (father and son). The ground had to fit within the perimeter established by its predecessor. Works were completed at the end of 1958 and the facility became the main arena of the 1960 Olympics football tournament (9 games in total).

At the time of commissioning, Flaminio could accommodate over 40,000 people. The auditorium was formed by a ring of single-tier stands, where the main stand slightly dominated the rest of tribunes. It could admit 8,000 fans and was covered with a cantilevered roof, supported by sloping pillars. Under reinforced concrete structure of the stadium there was an indoor swimming pool and 5 halls used for practicing boxing, gymnastics, athletics and other sports.

In the 1960s, the venue had 114 seats for journalists and 12 radio commentary booths. The lighting consisted of 240 floodlights, placed on four pylons (60 floodlights on each), giving a total of 300 lux. The tallest of the lighting poles was 60 m and the lowest - 42 m. The area on which the facility is situated is approximately 21,600 square metres.

Italy's rugby team played at Flaminio in 2000-2011, when the stadium regularly hosted the Six Nations Cup. In the 1989/90 season, AS Roma and Lazio competed at the facility as Stadio Olimpico was undergoing renovation work before the 1990 World Cup. Until 2011, a non-professional Atletico Roma FC played at Stadio Flaminio, that is until it was dissolved. The ground has witnessed numerous concerts, incl. Michael Jackson (three times), David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and U2.

The venue has never been thoroughly renovated, therefore its condition has been systematically deteriorating. In addition, for safety reasons, the capacity was reduced, which of the initial 40,000 was cut by almost half at the beginning of the 21st century. Thanks to ad hoc works commissioned by the Italian rugby association, the stadium's capacity increased to 30,000 in 2011. This was possible thanks to the placement of the modular stand behind one of the goals.

In the same year, the Italian rugby team permanently moved to Stadio Olimpico and this saw Flaminio lose its main tenant. As a result, the facility has been standing empty from that moment and is falling into more and more disrepair. From time to time, revamp plans appear on the horizon, but so far nothing has come out of them.