Arezzo Stadium to Become Multifunctional Urban Hub Under Italy's 'Stadium Law'

The Stadio Comunale Città di Arezzo is set for a €28 million transformation into a multifunctional urban infrastructure, marking the first application in Italy of the 'Stadium Law' (Legge stadi) enacted in 2021. The project, led by M28Studio in collaboration with Studio SPSK*, aims to retain only the central grandstand while demolishing both curves and the Maratona stand, replacing them with lateral stands to improve visibility. The new stadium will have 12,500 covered seats and meet FIGC, Serie A, Serie B, and UEFA infrastructure criteria. Beyond sports, it will feature a 1,500 sqm commercial zone with dining and services, a directional area with offices and event spaces, and a green ring with flexible green areas and pedestrian access, conceived as a new 'urban piazza.' The project targets energy self-sufficiency via 1.3 MWp photovoltaic panels, rainwater recovery, and CO2 mitigation through new plantings. A preliminary services conference on December 10, 2024, unanimously approved the feasibility document. Completion is expected by 2030. Architect Carlo Antonio Fayer of M28Studio notes that this model could be replicated in other mid-sized Italian cities (50,000–100,000 inhabitants) like Mantua, where post-war stadiums built on peripheries have become central. He emphasizes the need to transform these aging, underused municipal properties into year-round service infrastructures, not just weekly match venues.