Renzo Piano launches €250 million restyling of San Nicola di Bari
The restyling project of Bari's San Nicola stadium enters a decisive phase: the Renzo Piano Building Workshop has confirmed its willingness to collaborate with Stadio&Co, while the total investment has been set at €250 million for the redevelopment.
Collaboration and commitment of the project
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the firm that designed the facility, formalized its availability with a letter sent to Alexander Gregory Vaughn after a meeting at Piano's studio. During the meeting the American entrepreneur presented his vision for the revival of San Nicola. «A great opportunity for the whole city of Bari», the firm commented, reaffirming its interest in deepening the assignment.
San Nicola has been recognized as a work of particular artistic character and is protected by copyright; therefore every restyling intervention must respect the original design and obtain the architect’s authorization. This protection requires the new plan to preserve the distinctive elements conceived by Renzo Piano.
Stadio&Co has proposed a 99‑year concession for the facilities, including not only San Nicola but also the Vittoria stadium. The latter is expected to host sporting activities during the works on the main venue and to become a multifunctional facility.
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Technical interventions and UEFA requirements
The works planned for San Nicola include bringing the stands closer to the pitch, upgrading the technical facilities and creating new hospitality areas, with the aim of preserving Piano’s architectural elements. The renovation is also necessary to make the stadium compliant with UEFA regulations ahead of EURO 2032.
The operation foresees a total investment of roughly €250 million. A significant portion of the private capital comes from Sixth Street, an American fund already involved in the redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabéu, while Stadio&Co aims to raise about €60 million in public resources through the Special Economic Zone and the sport credit.
The next appointment is set for October 6, when the service conference will examine the proposal. The meeting will be attended by the Region and the Superintendency, called upon to give their respective opinions on the project.
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The works on San Nicola are closely linked to Bari’s bid for Euro 2032, a tournament that Italy will host together with Turkey. The municipality has included Stadio&Co’s proposal in the dossier sent to the FIGC, which in turn has forwarded the dossiers to UEFA authorities, keeping Bari in the race to host matches of the competition.