Stadio Renzo Barbera (commonly known as La Favorita) is a football stadium in Palermo, Italy. It is currently the home stadium of Palermo FC. The stadium was inaugurated during the fascist era on 24 January 1932, and was originally named Stadio Littorio after the Italian word for the fasces symbol. The opening match was Palermo vs Atalanta, with Palermo winning 5–1. A running track surrounded the pitch, and there were no stands behind either goal. In 1936, the stadium was renamed Stadio Michele Marrone, in memory of a soldier killed during the Spanish Civil War. In 1945, the name was changed again at the end of World War II to Stadio La Favorita, taken from the name of the local ancient game preserve of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century.
In 1948, the running track was removed, and stands were built behind each goal. The stadium then remained essentially unchanged until 1984, when a second major redevelopment took place, involving the addition of a second tier to the stadium, which increased the total capacity to 50,000 spectators. This maximum capacity was, however, only reached twice: in a Serie C1 league match against Sicilian rivals Messina, and for a friendly match against Juventus. A third, and to date the most recent, modernisation of the stadium took place in 1990, due to the city of Palermo having been chosen to host a number of the 1990 FIFA World Cup First Round matches. A tragic accident occurred during the course of these works, resulting in the deaths of five construction workers. Following this redevelopment, the total capacity of the stadium was lowered to its current 37,619 seats.
On 18 September 2002 the stadium was officially renamed as Stadio Comunale Renzo Barbera, in honour of the chairman of Palermo during the club's last Serie A tenure, as well as the two Coppa Italia finals throughout the 1960s and the 1970s, who had died that same year on 19 May. In the Serie A 2004–05 campaign, which marked Palermo's first appearance in the top division for over 30 years, all seats in the stadium were already sold before the season began to season-ticket holders. However, this was not repeated in the following years.
In May 2026, the city announced a plan for redevelopment of the stadium. The goal would be to have the redevelopment reintegrated into UEFA Euro 2032 hosting as well as allow the stadium to host other competitions and events. The redevelopment would include a fully covered roof, stands closer to the pitch, new hospitality suites, improved disability access, and larger areas for concessions and special events. A new club headquarters would be built as part of the redevelopment featuring a club museum, offices, and fan experiences.
Transport The stadium is linked to the city center and the central railway station by regular bus route 101.
1990 FIFA World Cup The stadium was one of the venues of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and staged the following matches:
DateTeam #1Res.Team #2Round12 June 19901–1Group F17 June 19900–021 June 19901–1
Concerts The stadium was frequently used as a music concert venue during the 1980s. Starting in the 1990s, however, concerts and other cultural events were gradually banned from the stadium due to fears they could damage the grass on the field. The Renzo Barbera Stadium is currently the only stadium in Italy where concerts are prohibited. From the early 1990s, large open air concerts in Palermo were held at the Velodromo Paolo Borsellino instead.
Below is a list of artists who have performed at the Renzo Barbera Stadium in the past. DateBand/ArtistTourNotes17, 18, 19 July 1970Italian article and photographs of the Palermo Pop Festival '70Aretha Franklin; Duke Ellington; Johnny Halliday; Arthur Brown; Little Tony; Rosa Balistreri; Ricchi e Poveri; and othersPalermo Pop Festival 70Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones were announced as headliners, but both bands cancelled their appearances. Arthur Brown was arrested after an impromptu striptease on stage. He was released on the premise that he would never return to Sicily again.5, 6, 7 September 1971Black Sabbath; Manfred Mann's Earth Band; The Pretty Things; and othersPalermo Pop Festival 7117 July 1980Antonello VendittiBuona Domenica Tour14 July 1982Frank Zappa1982 European TourA riot occurred during "Cocaine Decisions" in which the police fired tear-gas into the crowd. Zappa was reported as stating "We played for an hour and a half with tear-gas in our face and everything else, and when it was all over we went off stage and we were trapped inside this place. It wasn't a lot of fun". The riot inspired the back cover of the album The Man From Utopia.21 July 1982Claudio BaglioniAlè-oò Tour22 August 1985Vasco RossiCosa succede in città Tour5 to 11 July 1986Italian article about Miles Davis' performance at the stadiumMiles Davis; Herbie Hancock with Branford Marsalis; Pat Metheny Trio; Wayne Shorter Quartet; and othersJazz Estate '86: Fusion Time FestivalThe festival was held over a period of one week. Due to concerns over the grass, the playing field remained off-limits for the audience. The stage was set up in front of the southern tribune stands. Attendance averaged 10,000 patrons per day.28 May 1987Duran DuranThe Strange Behaviour Tour13 June 1987Frank SinatraItalian Tour4 August 1987Spandau BalletThrough the Barricades Tour11 August 1987Antonello VendittiVenditti e segreti Tour27 August 1992Antonello VendittiAlta marea Tour10 June 1994Pino Daniele, Eros Ramazzotti & JovanottiPino, Jova, Eros in concerto29 September 1994Adriano CelentanoEuropean TourCancelled due to US Palermo's concerns about possible damage to the grass on the playing field. The concert was scheduled to take place only 4 days before a match.28 September 1995Antonello VendittiOgni volta Tour1 July 1997ZuccheroThe Best Of Tour13 August 1998Claudio BaglioniDa me a te TourThe concert was promoted as an anti-mafia event in the press and attracted around 41,000 fans, grossing 2 billion Italian lira (US$1.2 million), becoming the highest grossing non-sporting event at the stadium.12 July 2003Claudio BaglioniTutto in un abbraccio TourCancelled due to restructuring works on the field.22, 23 June 2023Vasco RossiVasco Live 2023
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