Stadio Comunale

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Lore & Background

The stadium was originally called the "Comunale" but was renamed after the former FIGC president, Artemio Franchi (1922–1983), in 1991. It hosted some of the matches of the 1934 World Cup, as well as football preliminaries for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In 1945, it hosted the Spaghetti Bowl between American service teams. The stadium underwent renovations for the 1990 FIFA World Cup which included removing the running track and increasing the seating capacity. At the World Cup, the ground hosted three matches in Group A and Argentina's penalty shootout win over Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals. The official record attendance is 58,271 on 25 November 1984, at a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Internazionale.

In Their Own Story

On 27 October 1954, a reserve game between Fiorentina and nearby rivals Pistoiese was under way at the Stadio Artemio Franchi when a group of UFOs traveling at high speed abruptly stopped over the stadium. The stadium became silent as the crowd of around 10,000 spectators witnessed the event and described the UFOs as cigar shaped. The sighting went on for several minutes, before "silvery glitter" fell down and covered the entire stadium. The substance was also seen falling elsewhere the same day, whereafter "shiny balls" had been observed. It was suggested that the most likely explanation was that the silk of mass migrating spiders had agglomerated high in the atmosphere. However, this suggestion was contradicted by the chemical analysis of the substance that was undertaken at the Institute of Chemical Analysis at University of Florence, which found it to contain boron, silicon, calcium and magnesium, which according to science writer Philip Ball, did not seem to match with the spider theory.

Reader's Guide

The stadium is built entirely of reinforced concrete with a 70 metre (230 ft) tower that bears the stadium's flagstaff. The tower is called the "Tower of Marathon". Around the base of the tower, spiral ramps lead from the ground floor to the upper edge of the grandstand. The Italy national football team has played at the stadium, the first occasion being on 7 May 1933 in a 2–0 win over Czechoslovakia. The national team played only one game there between 1982 and 2006; a 2–0 friendly win against Mexico on 20 January 1993. On 1 March 2006, they played a friendly against Germany and won 4–1. The stadium hosted two matches in Euro 2012 qualifying: a 5–0 win over the Faroe Islands, and a 1–0 win over Slovenia on 6 September 2011 which was its most recent international hosting. The stadium has also hosted international rugby union matches. Italy played Australia on 20 November 2010, losing by a score of 14–32. Italy beat South Africa at the stadium on 19 November 2016, defeating the Springboks for the first time in their history. The final score was 20–18.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was originally named after Florentine fascist Giovanni Berta when first constructed.
• The official record attendance is 58,271 on 25 November 1984, at a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Internazionale.
• On 27 October 1954, a UFO sighting occurred over the stadium during a reserve game, witnessed by around 10,000 spectators.
• The stadium hosted the Spaghetti Bowl in 1945 between American service teams.
• Italy beat South Africa at the stadium on 19 November 2016, defeating the Springboks for the first time in their history.