Stadio Armando Picchi - Livorno Stadium Guide

Stadio Armando Picchi is a municipally owned stadium which first opened in 1935 after three years of planning. The fact that A.S Livorno Calcio needed a stadium fortuitously coincided with the period of Italian Fascism which sought to stoke a sense of Nationalist pride through sporting competition. As a result, the creation of a ground was relatively straightforward, and numerous Olympic Stadiums sprang up around the country including in Rome, Bologna and Torino.

Designed by Raffaello Brizzi, upon opening the stadium was named after Il Dulce’s daughter, Edda Ciano Mussolini, although the name fell out of use immediately after World War 2. Generally referred to as Stadio Communale Livorno, or Yankee Stadium, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it would receive a proper name.

Renamed in honour of Armando Picchi who died in 1971, the former defender was closely associated with the 1960s Grande Inter side, however first and foremost he was born in Livorno and made over 100 appearances for his boy-hood club.

Livorno’s stadium underwent a slight renovation when it was chosen to host football matches of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, however it was overlooked as one of the venues of Italia 90 – The FIFA World Cup. As a result Stadio Armando Picchi remains very much an old-school football ground with an extensive use of reinforced concrete which has fallen out of fashion.

Although the legacy of the running-track still remains, it is no longer in use and has been partially built on with the extension of the gradinata, and the two curvas. There are currently no plans to relocate A.S Livorno to a new stadium so it appears that renovation of Armando Picchi is much more likely in the future.

Below is a seating plan of Livorno's Stadio Armando Picchi:

Stadio Armando Picchi is comprised of four stands: North, East, South and West.

Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the Stadium.

According to Livorno’s Google Plus Page the stadium is open Monday to Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm and then from 3.00-6.00pm in the evenings. There is a strong chance that this could be referring to a shop, but it also could just be in reference to a ticket office. For now until there is more information it’s probably best for you to save your Livorno gift buying for matchdays.

Livorno do not currently offer tours of the Stadio Armando Picchi and this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, not until they commercialise the facilities in the way Juventus have and Roma are planning to do. As a staunchly left wing club such proposals might be slightly controversial, so don’t hold your breath…

Stadio Armando Picchi is easily accessible via car with the Livorno website offering the following instructions from the A12 (North of the city):

• Drive until you see the sign for “Livorno Port”, and exit left, continuing along to the Aurelia for 10km.
• When you see the sign for Livorno South, turn right and continue driving on the SP 5.
• Turn off when you see signs for SS – Viale Giovanni Boccaccio.
• Continue along Viale Nazario Sauro but take a left when you see signs for Via dei Pensieri
• Turn right and  Arrive at Piazzale Montello which is the large plaza outside the stadium.

For parking fans are directed to “La Rosa” neighbourhood with a dedicated carpark located on Via dei Penieri which is the road surrounding the eastern stand of the stadium, although there are limited spaces. Alternative there may be some “offroad” parking near the north stand but check local regulations and whether or not everyone is doing :)

Note: Whilst I have done my best to translate these directions, do not trust them 100% – Use Satnav if driving!

Livorno is served by Pisa International Airport which is 25km north of the city and the main airport of Tuscany. From Pisa Central Station, Stazione Ferroviaria Pisa Centrale, you can travel on the Pisa-Livorno-Rome line which will take you no more than 20 minutes to get to Livorno Centrale Railway Station. Train numbers 2 and 4 are the most frequent services to Livorno, but occasionally numbers 9 and 10 will also take you.

The undeniably closet hotel to the Armando Picchi stadium is Hotel Atleti which is cheap and cheerful, with the second closet being the 20th century Art Nouveau designed Hotel Gennarino which is near the Italian Naval Academy. With the city centre only 1.9 miles away there’s also plenty of options there with the Hotel Ariston and Hotel Touring receiving decent reviews. Lastly, if you’d rather be near the station then unsurprisingly Hotel Stazione is your companion.