Arena Civica is a multi-purpose stadium

Multi-purpose stadium

Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...

 in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, which was opened on 18 August 1807 and is one of the city’s main examples of neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

. During its history it has been used for many kinds of events, including the reconstruction of naval battles; William Frederick Cody (“Buffalo Bill”) twice brought his “Wild West Show” here. Today it mainly hosts football and rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 matches, concerts and cultural events. The stadium holds 18,000–30,000.

Since 17 January 2010 the Arena is the home ground of Amatori Rugby Milano

Amatori Rugby Milano

Amatori Rugby Milano are an Italian rugby union team based in Milan that currently play in Serie A1 ....

, a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club founded in 1927 that won 18 Italian Championships. The stadium is also the host venue for an annual athletics meeting – the Notturna di Milano

Notturna di Milano

Notturna di Milano is an annual track and field meeting which is held in September at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy. First held in 1998, the meeting received IAAF permit meeting status the following year...

.

History

The Arena Civica opened on 18 August 1807. During its history it has been used for many kinds of events, including the reconstruction of naval battles; William Frederick Cody (“Buffalo Bill”) twice brought his “Wild West Show” here.
In 2003, the monumental Arena Civica was renamed "Arena Gianni Brera" in honor of the sportswriter Gianni Brera

Gianni Brera

Giovanni Luigi "Gianni" Brera was an Italian sports journalist and novelist.-Biography:Brera was born in San Zenone al Po, near Pavia, the son of Carlo, a tailor, and Marietta Ghisoni...

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Facilities

• one 8-lane/400 m track
  Track and field
  Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
  
  
• one soccer and rugby pitch (100 x 86 m)

See also

• Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (or San Siro Stadium)
• Gianni Brera
  Gianni Brera
  Giovanni Luigi "Gianni" Brera was an Italian sports journalist and novelist.-Biography:Brera was born in San Zenone al Po, near Pavia, the son of Carlo, a tailor, and Marietta Ghisoni...
  
  
• Parco Sempione
  Parco Sempione
  Parco Sempione is a large city park in Milan, Italy. Established in 1888, it has an overall area of 386,000 m², and it is located in the historic centre of the city, inside the Zone 1 administrative division. It owes its name to Corso Sempione, a major thoroughfare of Milan, dating back to the...
  
  

External links

• Description On Comune di Milano website
• ARENA CIVICA.doc , a document in Microsoft Word format from the Comune di Milano website offering a history of the arena.
• Arena Civica History of the Arena Civica (Italian)
• History of the Arena Civica (French)