Inaugurated as a state-of-the-art facility and as one of Italy's finest venues in 1963, the stadium appeared excessive for Hellas Verona, that had spent the best part of the previous 35 years in Serie B. 

For the 1990 FIFA World Cup renovations included an extra tier and a roof to cover all sections, improved visibility, public transport connections, an urban motorway connecting the city centre with the stadium and the Verona Nord motorway exit and services.

The emergence of Chievo on the Serie A stage in recent years has split the city into two smaller groups of archrival fans, both very loyal to their respective cause, these days with Chievo constantly battling to survive relegation in Serie A, and Hellas Verona playing to a lower division, after having won a scudetto in 1985.

Despite playing two divisions lower than Chievo and missing out on travelling supporters from the large Serie A teams, Hellas Verona the city's traditionally bigger team still manage to maintain higher average attendances than their rival.