Watching Venezia FC: One Last Season at the Stadio Penzo
There are football stadiums you visit for the match, and there are football stadiums where simply getting there is part of the experience.
The Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo in Venice most definitely belongs in the second category.
Why We Had to Visit the Stadio Penzo
Sitting on the edge of the Venetian Lagoon, surrounded by water and reached through one of the most extraordinary cities in the world, the home of Venezia FC is unlike almost anywhere else you can watch football.
And in 2026/27, there is an added reason to make the journey.
This is expected to be Venezia FC’s final season playing at the historic Penzo before the club moves to its new home at the Bosco dello Sport in Tessera.
The Penzo is the second-oldest stadium still in use in Italy, and for groundhoppers it has long been one of European football’s must-visit grounds. But it’s not just the stadium that makes a Venezia match special. It’s the journey through Venice, the boats carrying supporters towards the ground, the orange, black and green appearing amongst the canals and, eventually, the sight of the floodlights rising above Sant’Elena.
With a new era for Venezia FC getting closer, Covert Football Trips headed to Venice to experience a matchday at the Penzo while we still could.
Getting to Venice for a Venezia FC Match
Our journey began at London Stansted, with a 9:15am flight to Venice. Landing at 12:20pm local time gave us more than eight hours before the 8:45pm kick-off – plenty of time to make the journey into the heart of Venice, explore some of the city’s football history and soak up the atmosphere before heading towards the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo. With an evening kick-off ahead, we had almost a full day in Venice before the main event.
The Boat to the Stadio Penzo
For recent 2026/27 home games, the club has specifically confirmed that holders of a match ticket can use the dedicated supporter water transport at no additional cost. We however picked up a standard boat from outside the main train station. Watch our video below which shows the beautiful journey which we took.
Obtaining Match Tickets
To purchase match tickets in advance, we first needed to buy a Venezia membership/fan card, which cost around €35 per person. Once registered, this allowed us to log into the Vivaticket portal and purchase our match tickets.
The tickets themselves cost €30 each, but importantly, we both needed our own fan card — there didn’t appear to be an option for one person to purchase multiple tickets for the group. The process was slightly confusing because we never actually received a separate match ticket. Instead, the ticket was loaded directly onto the fan card, with the barcode on the card used to gain entry to the stadium. This caused a little head-scratching when we reached the turnstiles!
As with many Italian football stadiums, make sure you take photographic ID with you. The name associated with your ticket will be checked against your ID at the entrance, and without the correct identification you may be refused entry.
Inside the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo
Once inside the Penzo, the experience feels refreshingly old-school. This isn’t a modern stadium packed with concourses, bars and endless food outlets. Behind the stand, the food and drink options are fairly limited, with just a small selection available before the game and at half-time.
But in many ways, that’s part of the charm. You’re not coming to Venezia for a polished corporate matchday experience — you’re coming to watch football in one of the most unique stadium settings in Europe. With the water surrounding Sant’Elena, the compact stands and the character of the old ground, the Penzo feels completely different to the modern arenas we visit across Europe.
With Venezia preparing to eventually leave this historic home, it’s another reason why we wanted to experience a match here while we still could.
Match Build Up
As kick-off approached, the atmosphere began to build with a short pre-match light show inside the stadium. The floodlights were dimmed as lights flashed around the stands, accompanied by music designed to get the home supporters ready for the players’ arrival. It was only a brief show, but it added a surprisingly modern touch to the build-up — particularly in such a historic, old-school stadium. It was another of those little details that made watching Venezia at the Penzo feel like a very different football experience.
Venezia 0–2 Lazio
Unfortunately for the home supporters, the result didn’t quite match the occasion, with Lazio leaving the Penzo with a 2–0 victory. Venezia had their opportunities — including a missed penalty — but couldn’t find a way onto the scoresheet. Despite the result, the home support remained vocal and, for us, the evening was always about much more than the final score. Watching football in this remarkable setting, after arriving at the stadium by boat, made it a matchday experience we won’t forget.
This wasn’t just another football trip. This was a chance to say goodbye to one of European football’s most unique matchday experiences.
Want to Experience a European Football Weekend?
Trips like this are exactly why we created Covert Football Trips.
Since 2019, we’ve been sending football fans across Europe on unforgettable football weekends, taking care of the travel, accommodation and match tickets so you can concentrate on enjoying the experience.
Our Mystery Football Weekends add another dimension to the trip — you book without knowing where you’re heading, with your destination and match revealed closer to departure. We also offer European Match Breaks for supporters who would rather choose exactly where they’re going.
Whether it’s arriving at a stadium by boat in Venice, standing on a terrace in Germany or discovering a ground you might never have thought about visiting, we believe some of the best football experiences happen away from the usual destinations.
Where will football take you next?
