The sporting heart and symbol of the city of Rimini, the Romeo Neri Stadium It is a multi-purpose facility which hosts Rimini Calcio’s home matches and, over time, has become a venue for major sporting and musical events.
From its origins to the 20th century
The site on which the current stadium stands has been linked to Rimini’s sporting history since the early 20th century. Originally known as Sartona Meadow — named after Countess Teresa Sartoni, who had owned the land since 1812 — the area retained this name even after ownership passed to a the religious order that established the Pio Felice orphanage there.
In 1911, on the edge of the pitch, the following was inaugurated the Flaminio racecourse, which remained in use until the decision was taken in 1932 to build a proper city stadium.
The construction of the stadium
Work began in January 1933, designed by Virginio Stramigioli, an engineer and were completed just over a year later. The new complex, initially known as the Stadio del Littorio, comprised a concrete velodrome, three separate stands with a capacity of around 4,000, gymnasiums, a running track and athletics pits. On 2 June 1934, it also hosted the finish of a stage of the Giro d’Italia.
After the Second World War, the stadium was renamed the Stadio Comunale and was subsequently named after Romeo Neri, a gymnast from Rimini and the city’s first athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, winner of three gold medals in Los Angeles 1932.
A living, ever-evolving system
Over the decades, the stadium has undergone numerous extensions and refurbishments:
- in the 1950s, the construction of the ‘Distinti’ stand;
- in 1976, the opening of the Curva Est, to mark Rimini’s historic first season in Serie B;
- between 1999 and 2003, the reconstruction of the East Stand using metal structures and the gradual increase in capacity;
- in 2005, further work was carried out to bring the ground up to Serie B standards.
In recent years, the ground has been modernised with the installation of an artificial turf pitch (2015), the refurbishment of the athletics track (2016) and the upgrading of the lighting to Serie C standards (2019).
Sport, entertainment and major events
As well as football, the Romeo Neri Stadium has hosted events of national and international significance: baseball matches prior to 1973, American football and women’s football finals and semi-finals, right through to major concerts. Particularly memorable were the soundcheck and the pre-tour concert for Vasco Rossi’s tour in June 2023, which brought the stadium back to the forefront of the Italian music scene.
Key technical specifications
- Total capacity: 9,768 seats
- Central Stand: 1,193
- Side Stands (East and West): 1,378
- Attendance: 3,225
- East Stand: 1,639
- West Stand: 2,313
- Disabled section: 50
- Press gallery: 52
