Milan football guide

Despite boasting one of the iconic football temples of the world, Milan wouldn’t strike many as a destination for a football trip as it has just one major stadium. However, within an hour’s journey, there are many more options including some of Italy’s traditional clubs

Milan Football – in numbers

No. of major clubs in Milan*: 3
No. of major clubs in Milan metro area*: 11
No. of major clubs in Milan wider region*: 14

Average stadium capacity Milan metro: 16,817
Largest stadium: San Siro (80,018)
Smallest stadium: Stadio Citta di Gorgonzola (3,766)

Inhabitants Milan metro area: 8.2mln
Inhabitants per club: 747,273
Inhabitants per stadium seat: 51.9

* Clubs in the top two leagues or that have played in the highest two divisions in their past.

Which stadiums to pick

There is a match every week at the San Siro, one of the world’s iconic stadiums, so make sure to make this top of your list. And unless Milan or Inter are battling for the title, getting tickets is generally not very hard.

Atalanta, a team on the up in a renovated stadium, also stands out, and make sure to combine your visit with the splendid city of Bergamo.

There are a few more familiar names that have played Serie A football in the last few decades, including Brescia, Piacenza, Cremonese, and Novara, that all play at classic Italian somewhat ramshackle stadiums with capacities of around 15-20k.

These cities all have lovely historic centres well worth a stroll, but Como and Lecco have the edge by being able to combine that with being on the shores of the spectacular Lake Como, which makes for a perfect day out.

Finally, there are a bunch of smaller stadiums with capacities of around 5K, typically of clubs that have hovered between the Serie B and D in their history.

Milan Stadiums

San Siro

Club: Milan & Internazionale | Opening: 1926 | Capacity: 80,018

Stadio Breda

Club: Pro Sesto | Opening: 1913 | Capacity: 4,500 seats

Milan Metro Area Stadiums

Gewiss Stadium

Club: Atalanta | Opening: 1928 | Capacity: 26,562 seats

Stadio Brianteo

Club: Monza | Opening: 1988 | Capacity: 7,499 seats

Milan football – getting around

Both Milan stadiums, including San Siro, are on the Milan metro network, and even Stadio di Citta di Gorgonzale can be reached by metro.

All other stadiums require a train ride, generally by suburban or regional train, typically of between 30 and 60 minutes depending on the destination. Note that Milan has various railway station so trains can leave from Centrale, Garibaldi, or Cadorna railway station.

In many cases, including Como, Lecco, Monza, Atalanta, Cremonese, and Pro Patria, it is only a short walk of max. half an hour to get from the railway station to the stadium.

Other stadiums, including Novara, Piacenza, and Varese, lie further out of the city centre and require and additional bus or taxi ride to get to the stadium. In the case of Brescia, which has its own metro line, this is the metro.

Stadio G. Sinigaglia

Club: Como | Opening: 1927 | Capacity: 8,028 seats

Stadio Silvio Piola

Club: Novara | Opening: 1976 | Capacity: 17,875 seats

Stadio Franco Ossola

Club: none | Opening: 1935 | Capacity: 9,926 seats

Milan football – eat, drink & sleep

The area around San Siro is a rather bland residential area with little around besides the stadium, so if you are not in a hurry, stay more central in Milan instead.

Milan’s city centre is packed with bars and restaurants, or check out the lively Navigli and Brera areas. Further out of the centre there are other pleasant areas to stay, e.g. Porta Romana, Isola, Wagner, Porta Venezia, or Lambrate.

Bergamo is a perfect alternative to Milan at a smaller scale with a splendid historic centre, or base yourself in the lake area, for example in Como or Lecco. Milan’s suburbs are less interesting, but cities like Brescia, Cremona, or Piacenza have a lot of charm.

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Stadio Citta di Gorgonzola

Club: Giana Erminio & Albinoleffe | Opening: 1958 | Capacity: 3,766 seats

Stadio Rigamonti-Ceppi

Club: Lecco | Opening: 1924 | Capacity: 4,997

Stadio Carlo Speroni

Club: Pro Patria | Opening: 1927 | Capacity: 5,000