A voice out of the chorus on the future of the Sinigaglia stadium, close to demolition and reconstruction, is that of the architect Davide Mantero, which, together with the Teco studio of Bergamo, was responsible for the last renovation of the facility, which in 2002 led to the complete reconstruction of the current guest curve. Son and grandson of art (his father Enrico was also an architect, while his grandfather Gianni was the first to renovate the facility on the basis of the existing neoclassical style stadium of Giovanni Greppi), Mantero says he is against the demolition but, above all, he highlights what in his opinion would be the main obstacles on a path which, if we listen to him, risks proving to be very fraught.
«My personal idea – he says – is that the new stadium should be built elsewhere, perhaps in Ticosa itself. I say this a bit provocatively but in fact there would be spaces, compatibly with the cemetery restrictions, or to the south, more on the outskirts, where there would be no shortage of spaces… The old stadium should be restored to make it the home of sport of everyone, starting with schools and athletics, still relegated to the CONI field. Having said that, be careful, because there are many problems, and I say this by granting maximum credit to the current designers.”
The first point concerns the famous monumental constraint. Does it exist or not? Because history speaks clearly: grandstand completely renovated in 1991, badges redone in 1998, west curve demolished in 2002. Where was the Superintendency? «The two curves have never been subject to constraints, at least not as wall structures. However, there is an environmental and architectural constraint that affects the entire lakeside area, and which requires a sort of particular attention to the context. A case in point is that of the East Curve rebuilt in 2002: the Superintendency required us not to exceed a height of 6.5 meters and to open a space in the center of the structure in the center that would allow the maintenance of the visual cone from the grandstand towards the gardens and the Volta Temple. The indications of the superintendency are discretionary and at the same time binding. You can’t ignore it. If it gives me so much, there is a risk that not even the other one, the blue curve, will be able to exceed the height of the hangar, which is also restricted.”
In any case, that too was demolished without too much difficulty. «It was demolished because it was dilapidated, without the authorizations and certifications needed to allow its use. The current metal structure was authorized at the time because it was not permanent, while the distinct ones were never demolished. The current prefabricated superstructure for the public was created and supporting reinforcement was built on the exterior. Building two curves with 5,000 seats won’t be easy.” And the rest of the Stadium? The Tribune? «The old one was renovated because the roof was at risk of collapsing, with pillars which, as older fans will remember, were placed between the seats, preventing a safe evacuation. Here, however, the monumental restriction exists on the facades facing Via Sinigaglia as well as on the old ticket offices, in this case also those on the curves, which in fact were never affected by any type of intervention”.
According to Mantero, the difficulties would not be linked only to cohabitation with the Superintendence. There is also a subsoil problem: «A few meters deep there is the lake aquifer, and I know this because at the end of the war, during the Nazi retreat, the parking of tanks in the area was prohibited for fear that the terrain could not support the weight. My grandfather used to say that under the Sinigaglia grass there are tens of meters of bundles of river wood, and then water. I would have some doubts about the geological stability of the area.” Finally, the spaces: «There is no point in comparing it with the stadium in Bergamo. Previously it had 13 thousand seats, today it has 19 thousand in an area of 35 thousand square metres. Sinigaglia today has 7,00 seats on an area of 26 thousand. The numbers don’t lie.” Solutions? “I said it. My idea is to do it elsewhere, but I understand that unfortunately the direction taken is now another. The fact remains that while we want to give all possible credit to the designers of the new stadium, the path ahead will be a long and difficult one. I fully understand the charm deriving from its location but this continuous drip of interventions is starting to seem almost like a therapeutic fury.”
