Arena Civica

Arena Civica (official name "Arena Gianni Brera") is a multi-purpose stadium in Milan, Italy, which was opened on 18 August 1807 and is one of the city’s main examples of neoclassical architecture. Today it mainly hosts football and rugby union games, concerts and cultural events. The stadium holds 18,000–30,000.

Since 17 January 2010 the Arena is the home ground of Amatori Rugby Milano, a rugby union club founded in 1927 that won 18 Italian Championships. The stadium is also the host venue for an annual athletics meeting – the Notturna di Milano,^[1] as well as the home pitch for Milan's third football team, Brera Calcio F.C.

History

The Arena Civica opened on 18 August 1807. In the early years of the twentieth century became the center of football activity. This stadium was used mainly by Inter, initially only for the biggest matches and afterwards on a stable basis, from 1930 until December 10, 1958, when the nerazzurri were faced Lyon for the Fairs Cup.

During its history it has been used for many kinds of events, including the reconstruction of naval battles; William Frederick Cody (“Buffalo Bill”) twice brought his “Wild West Show” here. Other notable artists who performed at the Arena include Chicago, Joe Cocker, Stewart Copeland, The Cure, Little Feat, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, The Manhattan Transfer, Robert Plant, Public Image Limited, Radiohead, Patti Smith, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Sting and Andy Summers. The Arena is also the site of the Milan Jazzin' Festival. In 2003, it was renamed "Arena Gianni Brera" in honor of the sportswriter and journalist Gianni Brera.

The facade of the stadium

Facilities

• one 8-lane/400 m track
• one soccer and rugby pitch (100 x 86 m)

See also

• Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (or San Siro Stadium)
• Gianni Brera
• Parco Sempione

The entrance of the Arena

References

External links

• Description On Comune di Milano website
• ARENA CIVICA.doc (Italian), a document in Microsoft Word format from the Comune di Milano website offering a history of the arena.
• Arena Civica History of the Arena Civica (Italian)
• History of the Arena Civica (French)
• Media related to Arena Civica Gianni Brera at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 45°28′33″N 9°10′45″E / 45.47583°N 9.17917°E / 45.47583; 9.17917