Watching a football match in Venice is a unique experience – for now, anyway. The city’s football club, Venezia FC, play their matches at the historic Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, a stadium on an island at the eastern end of the tight-knit archipelago making up central Venice. The teams arrive by boat, as do most of the spectators. Joined onto the Sant’Elena district by a couple of bridges, the stadium can be reached easily on foot or by public boat (vaporetto) from other parts of the lagoon city.
The stadium is not particularly fancy, and has a rather makeshift feel, but it is atmospheric and loved. Its position is unmatchable. And in a city in which tourism and university are displacing residential communities, there is something really special about experiencing the tribal belonging and passion for calcio and for the home team here on the terraces. Disappointingly for visitors, though perhaps not for all fans, Venezia’s days at the Stadio Penzo are numbered: a grand new stadium is being built on the mainland to which the team’s matches are intended to switch late next year. In the meantime, here’s some advice for seeing Venezia play in Venice and my account of a match a couple of months ago.
Attending the football: an impulse on a sunny day
Venezia FC are in Serie B at the time of writing, and that day they had an afternoon match against Carrarese. A win would move the home team into first place in Serie B and closer to a return to Serie A, Italy’s top flight. It was a sunny January Saturday and Venice’s Carnival was just beginning.
I last saw Venezia play back in 2006 and I hadn’t planned to attend the football today. But during the morning I saw increasing numbers of locals and even a dog wearing the Venezia FC colours, orange, black, and green (the team are also known as the Arancioneroverdi). There was a buzz in the air; I chatted with the dog owner, checked the time on my watch and thought why not? There was just time to go home, eat a quick lunch, then catch a boat to the stadium. It was a gorgeous sunny winter afternoon; I’d not get too cold or wet. I checked tickets were available, and lacking time to go through an online purchase, I grabbed my things and headed out.
It’s easy to get to the stadium on foot from central Venice or by public waterbus (vaporetto). I was on the Giudecca island so I caught a boat that took me to Sant’Elena, a district/island at Venice’s eastern tip and the location of the football stadium. On the way, standing near a cluster of Venezia fans, I spotted Venice’s resident dolphin in the water near San Marco. Sunshine, football AND a dolphin: not bad for a winter day.
I bought my ticket at a kiosk by the Sant’Elena boat stop. ID is needed – I’d brought my passport along. They also sell Venezia scarves at the kiosk, though a woman before me bought the last one of the design I fancied. I’d looked at the online stadium plan and opted for a ticket in the Distinti Laterali (€25).
From the boat stop it’s just a few minutes’ walk through the park and to the bridge over a canal to the stadium, on its own island. I followed the stream of supporters. From the terraces I could hear the fans already singing and it made me smile, reminded of my time in Rome as a Lazio season ticket holder.
The keenest Venezia FC tifosi occupy the southern end of the stadium, the Curva Sud. There were bigger queues and stricter security checks for the Curva Sud entrance; fans with tickets for the Distinti sections took a different lane. Women were being sent to a female bag checker/searcher. I already knew you can’t take bottles in, so I’d left my flask at home.
The Distinti are named for Valeria Solesin, a young Venetian woman killed in the terrorist attack at the Bataclan in Paris, and there’s a dedicatory plaque on the side of the stand.
The stands are metal, not very permanent feeling, but fine on a dry day. If it’s rainy or cold, the only undercover option is the tribuna, the covered stand opposite me on the long western side of the pitch; the most expensive area to sit in.
At the end of my stand, a refreshments kiosk sold mulled wine, water, beer etc. Drinks can only be served in open beakers so naturally someone knocked over my water at half time. Things have moved on since my stadium days: you can order and pay for your drinks in advance using a QR code – though presumably you still have to queue for the bar to collect them.
There was also a merchandise kiosk where I bought a scarf for €20 euros. Unfortunately the only scarf I had with me in Venice that week was blue, the colour of Carrarese, so obviously I needed to purchase a more suitably-coloured accessory.
Tickets are sold for numbered seats, but it seemed debatable how strictly the allocation was observed. I picked a seat in an empty area a few rows up from the entrance. The highest rows of seats looked a bit crowded with young male fans and also possibly vertigo-inducing. Regulars were mostly already in their places. During the game however, some tardy arrivals (mostly young Americans chatting and laden with refreshments, perhaps not aware of soccer’s urgency) arrived and hunted for their numbered seats, meaning some shifting around.
For anyone, especially women, concerned about going to the football alone: Most spectators near me were male, but like all the matches I’ve attended in Italy since my twenties, no-one treated me any differently due to the fact I was a woman, alone, or look non-Italian. I did some people-watching. Near me were a few solitary local males: a friendly chain smoker on one side of me, and on the other a tough-looking bearded man who got very excitable as the match wore on, with a couple of young late-arrival American male students sitting beyond him. Behind me were some young boys with their dads.
These west-facing stands, the distinti, were in direct sunshine – a very good thing at this time of year, though in hotter weather at the start or end of the season this could be less of a benefit.
The match: Venezia – Carrarese 2-1
Venezia took the lead at the far end of the pitch, so fans didn’t get a great view. The scorer was a player who is a big fan favourite, Gianluca Busio – an American with an Italian father and Italian citizenship. The tifosi have chants in his honour, which they sang before, during and after the game, as well as after his goal. “Gianluca…. BUSIO”. There were big celebrations after that first goal, flags and scarves waving and the Curva chanting. This was a high stakes match with the top spot in Serie B in sight.
Carrarese fans were in decent numbers away in a corner of the stadium to my right, with their blue flags, striscioni their own noisy anthems.
At half time I braved the the women’s toilets on the corridor beneath the stand. I wouldn’t say the surroundings are luxurious, but the stadium has the necessary facilities. No seat, but there was paper, a lock and no queue when I got there. Football matches and Wagner operas are the only times I’ve found queues for men’s toilets but not womens.
The mood turned darker in the second half when Carrarese equalised. Singing is the only way that fans can feel they’re taking part in the action, and some of the Curva’s fan songs were simple and to the point: ‘we want to win’ and ‘score a goal for us’. Other songs, though, are lengthy and melodic and impressive in their stamina.
The match was an entertaining one, with enough action happening in both directions to keep things interesting. Venice were the better team, though their play wasn’t coherent enough to give them a bigger victory. I was really pleased to see a female referee, Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi, in charge (and also pleased that I didn’t pick up any particularly sexist/negative opinions on her from the fans near me during the game). There were the usual shouts when the crowd disagreed with her decisions, appeals, and applause depending on the team concerned. I felt she was firm but fair (quite a few yellows; on one occasion she’d booked the Venezia tackler but then booked the Carrarese man on the ground too). Afterwards I read that she’d won the IFFHS Women’s World Best Referee award in 2025.
I was actually filming the action when the second Venezia goal was banged in after a chaotic few seconds following a corner, so I caught the moment on camera. Celebrations were great, and the bearded bloke next to me was overcome with emotion, jumping around and then having a little dance (he’d merely boogied in his seat earlier for the first goal). I shared the excitement. Venezia had been pressing for a while and deserved this.
After the initial goal celebrations there was a cluster of players around the referee: VAR. It was obviously good news and a secondary cheer went up as the group dispersed. Then Venezia just had to hang on. A player was booked for time wasting. A lot of time was added on. Finally the victory was Venezia’s, and with it a rise to first place in Serie B.
Then it was time for more singing, celebrating, and chants for Busio, all very loud and heartfelt. The players came over to the curva along with the team’s lion mascot, to celebrate, then toured past our stand to salute the fans around the stadium.
The sun was setting by the time the match ended, the sky dappling pink over the Curva Sud. As we all headed away from the stadium through the Sant’Elena waterfront park, sunset was painting the sky bright red over the waters of the lagoon.
I walked in a long stream of fans past Venice’s winter waterfront funfair as dusk fell. A sea monster trundled along swooping metal tracks with the lagoon and San Marco in the background.
Reaching St Mark’s Square, I found a puffy-coat-and-cheap-mask-wearing tourist Carnival crowd milling around a ‘Bridgerton’-themed show in the Piazza. The decorations were scenic and there were a lot of people there, but the atmosphere felt artificial and empty compared with the vibrancy, emotions and authenticity of the football match. I’d come to check out the Carnival opening ceremony for work purposes, but my impulsive trip to the stadium had offered the day’s most rewarding experience. This was a Netflix-sponsored watered-down version of a long-ago Venice to attract tourists. Whereas the Stadio Penzo was where some soul remained. Venezia FC and the team’s fans were something much closer to the beating heart of a living city.
See Venezia FC play football at the Stadio Penzo, Venice
- Find latest fixtures, ticket links and on-sale dates, plus lists of ticket points on the club’s official website: https://www.veneziafc.it/
- Online ticket sales: https://veneziafc.vivaticket.it/. The Tribuna (top of plan) is more expensive and is under cover, with the exception of the blocks at either end. The Curva Sud is the home of the Venezia tifosi with their singing, flags, choreographies and politics. The Distinti sections along the eastern side of the pitch (bottom on stadium plan) are calmer. Away fans are in the section labelled Ospiti.
- Tickets on match day: a kiosk by the Sant’Elena boat stop sells tickets if the match isn’t sold out. Take photo ID.
- Plan how to reach the stadium: consult vaporetto timetables at https://avm.avmspa.it/it/content/orari-servizio-di-navigazione-0
- Find a place to stay: Where to stay in Venice (or see my tips below). Accommodation links are affiliate links and this website will earn a small commission from bookings, without you paying any extra. Thank you for using these links.
Where to stay
The Stadio Penzo is easy to reach from anywhere in Venice. It’s around a 25-minute scenic walk from St Mark’s Square. Boat services which circumnavigate Venice stop at Sant’Elena, as well as services which run down the Grand Canal and over to the Lido. It’s pleasant and easy to stroll along the waterfront towards St Mark’s after a game.
If you are looking for a place to stay near to the stadium, which might suit you best if you’re attending an evening game or visiting Venice on a tight schedule, I’d suggest accommodation in the eastern side of the Castello district. This is a ‘local’ area with an unpretentious residential feel, it’s cheaper than busier tourist areas, and you will be only a short walk from the stadium. If you really want to be close to the Stadio Penzo, you can’t get much nearer than the B&B BB Venezia or the Hotel Indigo, which are both in Sant’Elena.
If you are visiting from overnight lodgings on the Veneto mainland, where accommodation is cheaper still, look out for public transport updates on match days – info should be published on the ACTV and Venezia FC websites. To facilitate the arrival of fans in the city, some bus services from Mestre may be diverted to Tronchetto, a utilitarian island at the Venice end of the lagoon road bridge, from which a direct boat service would be laid on to Sant’Elena. Extra services are usually laid on for the regular vaporetto routes between the railway station (Ferrovia) and bus terminus (Piazzale Roma) and Sant’Elena.
Before a match both teams reportedly spent a night on the Lido, which is a short boat trip across the lagoon from the stadium. If you fancy combining your football trip with some time by the sea or on the beach (it’s a nice place to walk on a sunny winter day), you could consider doing the same.
- Accommodation in the Castello district
- Mainland accommodation in Mestre
- Lido hotels, B&Bs and apartments
- My advice on where to stay
- Full Venice accommodation search (with map and reviews)
Stadio Penzo tour
This month the Stadio Penzo has opened for guided tours, so even if there’s no match on, you get a chance to visit Venezia FC’s stadium. Tours run on midweek afternoons and you can buy tickets from the Venezia FC shop at Santi Apostoli or online from Vivaticket.
A stadium of the future
At the time of writing Venezia’s new 18,500-seater stadium on the mainland is due to be completed for October 2027. Being constructed at Tessera, near the airport, in a multi-purpose sports development, the Bosco dello Sport (Woodland of Sport), it’s modern, it’s bigger, it’s convenient for all those Venetians who’ve moved to the mainland and left lagoon life behind. It’ll be more up to the standards of Serie A, say its advocates.
But to me it seems another piece of heart being removed from Venice, another nail readied for the coffin of a living, breathing city. Even if most of the attendees travelled into the city today, like Venice’s workers and students and tourists, from mainland towns, at least here at the stadium you could feel a sense of everyday communal belonging in the historic lagoon city, even if it was a partial illusion. It would feel a bit perverse to me to be living or staying in Venice and have to head to the mainland to see the local football team. Still, apparently the design of the stadium will reflect the ‘waves of the lagoon’ and the ring from Venice’s traditional Marriage of the Sea ceremony, so it pays tribute to the city and will be interesting to see.
