Distinti Sud Est - Tutto il calcio del Salento · Michele De Vitis

Con Diego Frigino (Passione Lecce) sugli stadi progettati e mai realizzati in città

·13 min·1 clip

Diego Frigino reveals two 1950s stadium projects for Lecce that were never built, including one with no curves near Piazza Mazzini.

The episode begins with host Michele De Vitis introducing guest Diego Frigino from the association Passione Lecce. Frigino explains his historical research methodology, which involves scouring digital archives of early to mid-20th century newspapers and documents. He discovered discrepancies and unpublished details about the history of Lecce football, including the Sporting Club era. This work parallels efforts by other researchers like Davide De Santis. The core revelation is two stadium projects from the 1950s, conceived before the eventual construction of the Via del Mare stadium. The first project, proposed by US Lecce between 1953-54, was planned at the end of Via Trinchese (now Via Salandra), near the city's ring road. The second, advanced by municipal technicians, was intended for the San Cesario road area near Viale Grassi. This second design was particularly unusual as it lacked curved stands, instead featuring two-tiered tribunes. Frigino details the proposed capacity of 15,000 seats, with documentation noting potential 'supercapacity' up to 21,000 under older, less regulated crowd density standards. The conversation then explores the likely reasons for both projects' failure. Frigino speculates the Via Trinchese project was scrapped due to the municipality pursuing other urban development plans and potential residential expansion conflicts. The municipal project, which was more advanced and even included expropriation lists, might have been abandoned in favor of the more peripheral Via del Mare location. He also mentions the possible impact of the accidental death of municipal engineer Sarno in 1957. Frigino frames this research as an 'open construction site' meant to pose new questions and invite public contributions to Lecce's football history. The discussion shifts to the strategic thinking behind the municipal project's location, intended to better connect with surrounding provincial towns. The host references two specific articles by Gabriele De Giorgi on LeccePrima detailing these findings. The episode concludes by linking this historical work to the upcoming 2027 centenary of US Lecce, advocating for the creation of an official club archive or museum to centralize such research while preserving independent efforts. Frigino hints at upcoming revelations about the origins of the club's red-and-black kit colors.

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