Capturing the Soul of Hellas Verona at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi

May 7, 2024

Nestled in the heart of Verona, where the ancient streets whisper tales of love and tragedy, lies the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. Within its venerable walls, echoes of passion resonate with every match, as the faithful flock to witness the spectacle of Hellas Verona Football Club in action.

Hellas Verona, Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi — © Antonio Cunazza

Photographer Antonio Cunazza invites us on a visual journey into the vibrant tapestry of emotions that define the relationship between the city, its storied club, and its loyal supporters. Through his photos, we delve into the raw intensity of a matchday, where the boundaries between devotion and obsession blur, and the very air crackles with tension and anticipation.

“Football culture has so much to do with identity, friendship, devotion and there’s a strong connection between people and stadiums. I feel there’s an enormous cultural relevance in trying to depict these dynamics through photos.”
Antonio Cunazza

From the sea of yellow and blue adorning the stands to the chants that reverberate around the stadium, Cunazza’s images capture the essence of Hellas Verona. Explore the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi through the eyes of its most passionate inhabitants, where every cheer, every jeer, and every moment frozen in time speaks volumes about the unbreakable bond between a city, its team, and the timeless allure of football and Italian football culture.

‘My name is Antonio Cunazza. I was born in 1983 and I’m from Torino, Italy, where I live.

I’m a photographer, mainly photographing sports, and a sports architecture journalist.

This project was shot during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona and Lecce (2-2), on November 27th, 2023, at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona.

When Hellas Verona contacted me back in September 2023, they wanted to create something that could highlight the essence of the Stadio Bentegodi during a matchday, as the final months of the year marked the 60th birthday of the ground.

They knew about my work both in photographs and sports architecture, and I thought the best thing to do was to show the stadium as a constant presence during the match – and also as a comparison to the old Arena, to create a connection between those two places and their meaning for the city.

My favourite photo from this series could be the one of the stadium ticket offices painted with club’s colours yellow and blue and the stairs (symbol of the city) seen through a gate. It tells you a lot about how the ground is part of the fans identity.

But I have to say, I was extremely happy to see in person the 1990 World Cup logo and mascot still visible on some external stair of the stadium (Stadia Bentegodi hosted four matches during Italia 90).”

The Facts…

The Club | Founded in 1903, Hellas Verona Football Club has etched its name in Italian football culture and history. The club, based in the picturesque city of Verona in northern Italy, calls the iconic Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi its home. Known affectionately as “Gialloblu” (Yellow and Blues), Hellas Verona boasts a rich tradition and a fiercely loyal fanbase. Their supporters, known as “Gialloblu” (The Yellow and Blues) or “Mastini“, (The Mastiffs) fill the stands of the Bentegodi with a sea of yellow and blue on matchdays, infusing the stadium with an electric atmosphere. Rivalries run deep in Verona, with matches against local foes Chievo Verona and historic clashes with the likes of AC Milan and Juventus igniting passions both on and off the pitch.

The Stadium | Located in the enchanting city of Verona, Italy, the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of sport in the region. Constructed in 1963, this iconic stadium bears the name of Marcantonio Bentegodi, a renowned Veronese sports journalist of the early 20th century. With a seating capacity of over 39,000 spectators, the Bentegodi serves as the battleground for the city’s two footballing powerhouses, Hellas Verona and Chievo Verona. The stadium hosted four matches during World Cup Italia 1990.

“Inspite of this project, I’m a Torino FC fan, it’s my local club. I was born, grew up and still live in the “Filadelfia neighbourhood”, southern area of the town, a couple of blocks away from the historic ground of the club, the Stadio Filadelfia, and near to the actual stadium, the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Everything is about Toro around here, the club has its roots here and you can definitely feel that on matchdays, but you can see it on weekdays too.

Besides Torino, I support Arsenal for a number of different reasons: I was very much influenced by British culture during my youth in the 90s – music and football etc, and then there was the famous Arenal back four (Dixon, Adams, Bould, Winterburn), some fascinating stadiums in the English leagues, loads of iconic players, and so on.

So I’ve been a Toro fan all my life and an Arsenal fan since I was around 12-13 years old. I also love Olympique Marseille, for me there’s something magical about that city, the club and its fans.

My football heroes growing up would have to include: Ronaldo, the Fenomeno (the Phenomenon); and Gigi Lentini, Toro player from the early 90s, who had fantastic quality.

The first match I saw live I was when I was about 8 years old, here in Torino at the old Delle Alpi (former home to both Torino and rivals Juventus). The second game was the following year from the third tier in the San Siro. I’ve been a Torino season ticket holder in Curva ever since then, and I’ve always had great respect for the way football fans and ultras are attached to their clubs. And, as I grew up in the 90s, it was the perfect decade to absorb every aspect of this!

For me, football culture has so much to do with identity, friendship, devotion and there’s a strong connection between people and stadiums. I feel there’s an enormous cultural relevance in trying to depict these dynamics through photos.

My dad is a photographer (my grandpa was too) and he taught me a lot. I just adapt everything to what I love (football, stadiums, colours, pop culture), to my course of studies (architecture) and to my way of see things and to highlight details in photographs.

For me, an empty stadium is as fascinating as a full house during a game, it’s the two sides of the same coin.

I’m looking forward to keep doing what I do and explore it more (working with specific clubs, showing fans passion through my photos, celebrating stadiums as great places of architecture), trying and discovering new perspectives too.

Besides that, I’ve already wrote a book about Wembley Stadium and I have plans for a new one about some iconic European stadiums now demolished or long gone.”