Allianz Stadium — Attraction in Turin

THE OLD LADY OF TURIN Like a phoenix, Juventus rose out of the ashes of Calciopoli, the bribery scandal of 2006 that shook Italian football to its very foundations. Clubs such as Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina were mixed up in it. Juventus as well. Italy’s biggest and most loved club was vilified, even hated. Juventus’s managing director Luciano Moggi was the spider in the criminal web and the club was punished with relegation to Serie B. Huge stars left the team double quick. By contrast, others stayed. Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero chose to play on and help raise the ‘Old Lady’ back to the top flight, proof of the enduring attraction of the club. Today, Juventus has reclaimed its throne. After the return to Serie A in 2007, the black and white Turin team showed that they were far from beaten by securing a third-place finish in the top flight. But it would take another four seasons before the club would again be crowned as League Champions, a 2012 title that was followed by several successive Scudetti (Serie A shields). Juventus’s popularity doesn’t rest only on its success. Although the club was formed in 1897, the foundations for modern success were laid when Edoardo Agnelli, owner of the Fiat car company, bought the club in 1923. With the Agnelli family in charge, Juventus became Italy’s first professional club, and strong bonds developed between the team and the workers at the car factory Mirafiori, built in 1939. As many southern Italians migrated north to Turin to work in the car factory, so the club’s fame spread throughout the land. The esteem gained lives on and Juventus remains the best-supported club in the country. The black and white stripes of ‘Juve’ are recognisable globally. The club’s stability was reflected in the fact that the club crest changed little for seven decades. The one radical exception was from 1929 to 1931, when the bull of Turin was replaced by a zebra to reflect the team’s nickname. The zebra returned for the 1980s before a revamp brought back the eliptical shape with the bull and the crown.

CLUB: Juventus FC NICKNAMES: La Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady), La Fidanzata d’Italia (the girlfirend of Italy), I Bianconeri (the White and Blacks) and Le Zebre (the Zebras) FOUNDED: 1897 STADIUM: Juventus Stadium, Turin (41,507 capacity) HISTORIC PLAYERS: Giampiero Boniperti, Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane

Alessandro del Piero in 1997 in Juventus’ famous black and white stripes. Serie A Scudetto winners are permitted to use the tricolore or ‘little shield’ as a club crest to mark the previous season’s...

Juventus' previous permanent home ground, the Stadio delle Alpi, was completed in 1990 to host matches for the 1990 World Cup.14] The club's move from their previous ancestral home, the Stadio Comunale, to the Stadio delle Alpi was controversial.[14] The new stadium was built at a great expense, was relatively less accessible, and had poor sightlines due to the athletics track.[14] Despite Juventus being the best-supported team in Italy (with the highest television subscribers and away section attendances), attendance at the Stadio delle Alpi was dismal.[14] Average attendance was only a third of the stadium's 67,000 capacity.[14]The club bought the stadium from the local council in 2002, a decision which was popular with fans.[15] Then, Antonio Giraudo (CEO of the Club between 1994 and 2006) committed the project to the architect Gino Zavanella:[16]the initial project already includes features that will be typical of the final version, such as nearly halving the oversized capacity of the Delle Alpi and the elimination of the athletics track.[17

Juventus moved out of the unpopular stadium in 2006 and began plans to build a more intimate and atmospheric venue.14 During that period, they played their matches at the newly renovated Stadio Olimpico, which was also unpopular due to its low capacity.15] In November 2008, the club unveiled plans for a new 41,000-seater stadium on the site of the Stadio delle Alpi.[15] The new stadium, built at a cost of €155 million, features modern executive boxes, among other new developments.[153]The completion of Juventus Stadium made Juventus the only Serie A club to build and own their stadium at the time.[15] Then-club chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli described the stadium as "a source of great pride".[15]

The financing of the project was contributed by the advanced payment from Sportfive for €35 million, a loan of €50 million (later increased to €60 million) from Istituto per il Credito Sportivo, and a land sales to Nordiconad for...

Our visit to Allianz Stadium was a true highlight of our trip to Turin! We were thrilled to watch a match between the Juventus main team and their Next Gen team, a tip we got from our hotel receptionist, Andrea. As my daughter is a huge Juventus fan, it was a dream come true for her.

We were surprised to find that tickets were only 10 euros, a bargain compared to the 40-euro stadium tour tickets we were considering. For that price, we not only got to enter the stadium but also got to watch an exciting match.

As someone who has been to many stadiums around the world, I must say this is one of the best. It's incredibly modern, clean, and well-organized. The seats are some of the most comfortable I've ever sat in—very smooth and comfy. We were lucky to have seats right above the VIP lounge, so we got to see all the players and even some celebrities like Chiellini and the Italian women's national team. The field was also in perfect condition, with freshly cut, beautiful grass.

The atmosphere was amazing, filled with passionate fans and great energy. It was an unforgettable experience, and we hope to come back to watch another...