What is it?
This massive football shrine – one of the largest stadiums in Europe and the largest in Italy – is a testament to the popularity of both A.C. Milan and Inter. The stadium was consistently enlarged over the first half of the 20th century to accommodate more and more fans, eventually reaching a capacity of around 80,000 people.
Is it worth visiting?
If you think Italians are passionate, just wait until you pack into San Siro Stadium to watch a football match. Especially if you manage to get tickets for the Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Milan derby, between A.C. Milan and Inter, both of which consider San Siro to be their home stadium. Just imagine the roar of 80,000 people when a winning goal is scored – that’s what you call passion.
What can I do there?
Thankfully, you don’t just have to wait until a match day to visit San Siro. Plenty of guided tours are available San Siro’s website and on Get Your Guide (just click the ‘Book Online’ button to see them), which include viewing the press room and stepping out onto the pitch itself. Most tours start at San Siro Museum (which is, admittedly, just one room), which displays jerseys from some of the team’s most well-known players.
Time Out tip
Leonardo da Vinci began several projects that he never finished, one being a horse sculpture commissioned by Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan, in 1482. But thanks to the dedicated enthusiasm of an American art collector and an experienced animal sculptor, this equine statue–which at the time was intended to be the largest such statue in the world–was completed in 1999 and is now on display a few hundred meters away from the stadium.