Dacia Arena, the stadium in Udine

Art & Culture

12 July 2019

Art & Culture

Dacia Arena, the stadium in Udine

Today is my first day on the field.
And this is a real football field because I'm at the Dacia Arena, the stadium in Udine.
It is Saturday morning, a day when you can take part in the Stadium Experience (advance booking required). It is a guided tour of the ultra-modern sports complex that hosts the Udinese Calcio team. The tour takes about an hour and you won't get bored at all, not even those, like me, who are not football fans.

The fast-paced tour takes you to the areas not normally accessible to the public. From the Press room, to the VIP room, the gym and the long corridor with life-size pictures of the players. You feel like intruders snooping behind the scenes.
I linger in the changing rooms, where the players' kits are hanging up in a tidy manner, ready for the match that will be played that afternoon. I grasp the opportunity to take a selfie with the jerseys with the most famous names.

The most exciting moment is coming out of the entrance tunnel, the one used by the footballers. From here, I directly enter the heart of the Dacia Arena. Around me are the stands with their colourful chairs, large screens high up and the bright green football field in the middle.
It is perfect! But are we sure that they play here? Or do they enter the field in their slippers?
And the view: there are no barriers here to separate the players from the public and the match is spectacular from every angle.
As the Udinese anthem spreads throughout the stadium, I decide to conclude the tour with a visit to the souvenir shop upstairs to find a memento of this exciting visit, which allowed me to learn about top-level football games and from a different aspect.

facebook twitter

Where to stay

Age

Advanced Search

Esmeralda Perosa

I'm a slow tourist, with a backpack and map at my fingertips. I love cinema and old movies. I collect photos and extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Friuli is a mix of plain, sea and mountain, where special places are just around the corner.