Stadio Silvio Piola (Vercelli) - Pro Vercelli Stadium Guide

Pro Vercelli’s stadium first opened in 1932 when it was named after Leonida Robbiano who was one of the first pilots to fly within the Italian Air Force. In 1998 it was decided by the City of Vercelli that the stadium would be renamed in honour of Silvio Piola was was born in the local area.

Debuting for Pro Vercelli in 1929, he had a glittering career which saw him lift the World Cup in 1938, and have spells at Lazio, Juventus and Novara who also renamed their ground in his honour. He amassed a total of 275 Serie A goals which makes him the top goal-scorer of all time ahead of Francesco Totti (242+), Gunnar Nordahl (225), and Giuseppe Meazza (216).

The stadium which surrounds the pitch today is much different to the one which was constructed in the 1930s. Originally large enough for 12,000 spectators, the municipally owned stadium was designed to host a multitude of sports and thus an athletics track ran around the perimeter of the pitch.

The most recent impetus for renovations occurred when Pro Vercelli returned to Serie B after an absence of 64 years in 2012. After defeating Carpi 3-1 in the play-off final, the club would be playing in Serie B during the 2012-2013 season. Subsequently Stadio Silvio Piola failed to satisfy stadium regulations of Serie B and renovation work was required to reach FIFA’s 2 star classification.

Temporarily ground-sharing with Piacenza’s Leonardo Garilli until 14th October 2012, the first match at the stadium was held a week later against Padova. Costing over 1.4 million euros in total, each seat became numbered, the security fence was lowered, the changing room facilities were modernised and additional; press facilities were added amongst other improvements.

View of Stadio Silvio Piola (Vercelli)