by C. P.
A frequent question we get from our guests is how to visit the football stadium in Rome when no sports or entertainment events are on. The Olympic Stadium is north of the city center, sitting at the base of the Monte Mario hill (Rome’s eighth hill!) and can be easily reached by a combination of buses and subway rides, but
The stadium has a complicated history and it attracts sports enthusiasts, history buffs and lovers of architecture.
In spite of its project dating back to the 1920s, these facilities were only really completed a few years before the Olympic Games were assigned to Rome (it was finally opened in 1953, while the Olympics took place in 1960). World War II and the fall of Benito Mussolini were factors in the delays of this massive building, which was originally designed by Enrico Del Debbio and, years later, taken up by Luigi Moretti, one of Italy’s major 20th century architects (although there were other architects included, too!).
While Romans are constantly talking about the need for a new stadium (the area for which may have been recently found by the river in the Ostiense district), this venue is a familiar presence in the city, the backdrop to many sports’ unmissable moments (the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, the Rugby Six Nations Championship…) and also the go-to-destination for many rockstars and popstars passing through Italy – a few of them include The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Beyoncé with Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran…
Sports fans (and not just them!) can now finally visit the Olympic Stadium, following in the footsteps of many other sports hubs.
While this stadium has obvious significance for Roman citizens, the tours are also conducted in English, and will take visitors through the history of the venue, showing areas that are usually off-limits to regular events attendees: among them are the mixed zone, the changing rooms, the trophy room.
Visitors will be able to walk pitchside, too, and for those with a soft spot for memorabilia there is going to be a stop at the official stadium store – where you won’t have to choose between AS Roma or SS Lazio, as both teams are collaborating for this project! A bistro is also available for those who may have worked an appetite exploring the different areas of the stadium.
Tickets for the visits can be bought onsite directly but also, and more conveniently, online at the dedicated page. We’ve been seeing resellers offering tickets for as high as 400 EUR, but there is no need to pay that much – it’s less than 20 EUR to go in buying from official channels.
Do keep in mind that in select weeks (or months) these tours may not be available due to other overlapping events, and therefore tickets are not always made available. If that happens to you, keep checking the link we provided!
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