VEnEZIA
F
ear not, everyone: the disco police have
arrived. Kick-off is closing in at Venezia’s
Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, but if anybody
expected to see the riot squad out in
force for tonight’s Serie A game against
Fiorentina, they’d be very mistaken.
Instead, tonight’s law enforcement officers
are arriving very slowly, in a little boat with
flashing lights that could have come from
a nearby nightclub. It’s a less-than-fearsome
entrance, but misbehaving fans be warned:
get on the wrong side of the disco police, and
not only will you end up in a cell, you might
have to dance to YMCA en route.
Welcome to the world’s weirdest football
stadium, in one of the world’s greatest cities.
FFT has headed to Venice, and surely the only
top-flight venue on the planet that has no
road access. With the city’s network of canals
and small streets making driving impossible,
your options are an hour-long walk from the
train station, or going via water.
“It’s unusual, and I know that some of our
fans find it uncomfortable to come here, but
I insist that it’s wonderful,” beams supporter
Cecilia Tonon, having just stepped off one of
the various vaporetti that ferry people to the
ground, traversing one of the most scenic
waterways on Earth. “It’s the most beautiful
stadium in the world. Nowhere else do you
have a stadium where you have to travel by
boat. It’s part of this city’s way of living.”
Tonon is vice-president of the Alta Marea
fans’ group, which translates as ‘High Tide’ –
a fitting name given that Venezia go into this
game at their highest point for two decades,
a period in which the club went bankrupt on
three occasions. For the first time since 2002,
they host one of Italy’s most famous teams
in a Serie A fixture. “There used to be 500 of
us in the stadium – it was rather sad,” says
Tonon. “It will be exciting to see it full again
tonight. After 20 years.”A TORNADO AND A MINIBUS
Just as Venice itself once enjoyed far greater
power – it was one of the world’s wealthiest
cities during the Middle Ages and the early
part of the Renaissance era – so too did its
football club. Venezia lifted the Coppa Italia
in 1941 and nearly won the Scudetto a year
later, before eventually finishing third.
While the Second World War raged on, the
subsequent suspension of football signalled
the end of their golden era. A record crowd of
26,000 watched them take on Milan in 1966,
but they were in Serie C by the time a tornado
ripped through Venice four years later, ruining
a ground that was only ever partially rebuilt –
its capacity sunk to 5,000.
Venezia showed scant sign of revival until
Maurizio Zamparini acquired them in 1986
and merged them with neighbouring Mestre.
Just reaching the second tier in 1990-91 was
a big achievement.
“I remember the party after promotion,”
smiles Paolo Poggi, now Venezia’s technical
director and their striker at the time. “I was
born 200 metres from the stadium and have
been involved with this team since I was six“W
E’
RE
G
On
nA
n
EE
D
A
BIG
GE
R
B
OAT.
..”
Getting to Venezia’s ground by
water is among the strangest
experiences in football, but it
still pales in comparison to the
club’s journey back to Italy’s top
tier – three bankruptcies and all.
FFT grabs a gondola to visit the
unique team floating on more
than just a picturesque lagoonWords Chris Flanagan