Stadio Danilo Martelli

Stadio Danilo Martelli

Interactive map of Stadio Danilo Martelli
Location	Mantua, Italy
Owner	Municipality of Mantua
Capacity	14,884
Surface	Grass
Construction
Groundbreaking	1947
Opened	1949
Renovated	2005
Tenant
A.C. Mantova

Stadio Danilo Martelli is the main stadium in Mantua, Italy. It is named Danilo Martelli, a Mantuan footballer from the 1940s, who died in the Superga air disaster of 1949. It is currently used mostly for football matches and, on occasion, for concerts. It is the home of A.C. Mantova.

History

The Mantova Stadium traces its roots back to 1930, the year in which engineer Aldo Badalotti took over the executive project to build a multipurpose facility capable of housing a velodrome, a soccer field, and an athletics track. Officially inaugurated in 1949, it was first named after Benito Mussolini, then Settimo Leoni, and finally John R. Nation, an American soldier who died in Mantua during World War II.

After the Superga tragedy, the stadium took its current name, finally dedicating it to Danilo Martelli, a native of the small town of Castellucchio who played for the Grande Torino coached by Egri Erbstein in the 1940s.

The stadium's capacity increased from 15,000 to 21,000 during the 190s. It was claimed to be golden decade for Mantova, which at that time was playing in Serie A, writing one of the most prestigious chapters in the football history of Mantova.

Subsequent renovations have modified the stadium's capacity several times over the years. Of these interventions, the most significant was undoubtedly the one in 2005, the year Mantova returned to Serie B with a brand-new and completely redesigned "Curva Te," which remains a focal point and home for the red and white fans today.

In 2025, the stadium officially changed its name to the Danilo Martelli Pata Stadium, cementing the name, now embraced by fans and institutions as an emblem of Mantua's football tradition.