Inside abandoned football stadium once home to AS Roma taken over by weeds & debris after years of neglect
A former large football stadium that was home to AS Roma has been left in disrepair decades after it was built.
Campo Testaccio was first built in 1929, just two years after the football club was founded – but in later years it fell into disrepair.
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The new stadium was state-of-the-art at the time of its construction, with drainage systems for rain and lush turf.
The Roman stadium seats 20,000 spectators and even has a tunnel for players to run through. This set a precedent for other football venues in Italy.
And the construction of the stadium in the Roman district of Testaccio was of great importance for the poor people who lived there.
The construction of a local slaughterhouse brought Jobs and the stadium provided a community area for meetings and a support team.
Over the years, however, the club outgrew the formerly large stadium and moved to a nearby venue.
The original plan was to convert the site into a public garden, but plans changed after the start of World War II.
Underground Changing rooms were converted into bomb shelters and the surface was used to grow crops.
The site was never opened for use again until 2000 – until it was partially converted for local teams.
But in 2011, the stadium was finally demolished – dashing the local’s hopes of a rebirth of the beloved stadium.
Many attempted to repurpose the facility in the years that followed, but the vision was never fully restored – the once large stadium fell into disrepair and became overgrown with weeds.
In 2019, rumors spread in Rome about another attempt to rebuild the stadium – although they have not been confirmed.
Another stadium is currently deserted after a blunder caused the stands to face the wrong direction.
Strangely, there are seats on the Kosovo ground that are not within sight of the pitch.
A new stand was built overlooking an abandoned field, behind which is the team’s soccer field.
Fans were amazed by the stadium, with one saying: “This is strange.”
Another joked: “I wish Manchester United played there.”
But there is an explanation for the confusion at the stadium near the towns of Magure and Dobraje.
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