Stadiums.Architecture of a Myth

A stadium is more than just a physical space; it is a kaleidoscope through which one can observe myriad important dimensions relating to architecture, urban planning, economics, anthropology, politics and art. This book, which accompanies the first-ever Italian exhibition dedicated to stadiums, analyzes their transformation through time and space, taking an original comparative and multidisciplinary approach and employing a range of narrative registers: interviews, essays, photography projects and an anthology of literary extracts. A look at Italian stadiums and the current debate surrounding their modernization sits alongside analysis of these structures' sociological aspects and the different groups of people who attend them. A series of brief essays then investigates the relationship between stadiums and the arts, from the late nineteenth century through to the present day. The volume is rounded off by fifty profiles of stadiums located both in Italy and the rest of the world, from Archibald Leitch to Herzog & de Meuron, from Pier Luigi Nervi to Renzo Piano, as well as a series of photographic anthologies, including two unpublished ones signed by Stefano Graziani and Filippo Romano.