George Young scours football’s lower leagues so you don’t have to! At Verbania Calcio on the shores of Lake Maggiore he uncovered a hidden gem of the Italian game.
I love exploring the lower levels of Italian football, there is so much to discover among the dilettanti. You might learn about a legend of the game, come across a ground in a beautiful setting, or chance upon a remarkable kit design.
Verbania Calcio in the Piedmont Eccellenza Girone A ticks all three boxes.
A kit to rival Sampdoria’s as the best in Italy, a glorious lakeside location, and the place that launched the coaching career of the man behind the most extraordinary Serie A triumph of all time.
A glorious lakeside setting
Verbania is a charming town on the shores of Lake Maggiore, Italy’s second biggest lake, its deep turquoise water surrounded by the wooded foothills of the Alps. The town is one of a number of delightful old belle époque resorts scattered around the lake. A ferry putters back and forth all day between Verbania and Laveno linking Piedmont with Lombardy whilst the prices in the local shops make them popular with residents in Switzerland, just a 20-minute drive away.
The lake is central to Verbania’s history and even its name, which comes from the Latin name for Lake Maggiore, Lacus Verbanus. For many centuries, its waters would have been the main transport route in this region, safer and quicker than navigating the wild and inhospitable Alpine passes. The town’s location gave it many advantages but it also made it a target for other regional powers, which is why it has changed hands many times throughout history. Over the centuries, Verbania has been part of France, the Habsburg Empire and a host of Duchies and Bishoprics.
The advent of the railways was another important step for Verbania, with the construction of the famous Simplon Pass being less than an hour away, whilst the Swiss cities of Locarno and Lugano were valuable trading partners in the new industrial age. The early 20th century was marked by fears of an invasion from powers to the north exploiting Swiss neutrality to invade Italy and attack its industrial centres of Milan and Turin. The response was the famous Linea Cadorna, a chain of defences high in the mountains and named after General Luigi Cadorna, the head of the Italian army who was born in Verbania. There are still many old tunnels, trenches and gun positions in the mountains above Verbania, now a popular visitor attraction.
The best kit in Italy
The town’s football club was founded in the aftermath of World War II, a merger of two historic clubs named Libertas Pallanza and Verbania Sportiva. The new side took the yellow and blue colours of Libertas and the red of Verbania Sportiva and incorporated them into the new shirt in the form of a distinctive tricolour chest band. The result is a spectacular shirt design which, like the famous blucerchiati of Sampdoria, another club formed by a merger, is hard to beat. Verbania’s away shirt is usually black and also features the chest tricolour. Simple yet so effective.
On the pitch, the club’s highest point came in the late 1960s when they spent seven consecutive seasons in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football, their best finish being a 5th place in 1967/68.
That golden age ended in 1973, and they have spent most of their time since in the regional and provincial semi-professional leagues. During that time in Serie C, the team’s midfield featured a future legend in the form of Osvaldo Bagnoli, who went on to make his coaching debut during Verbania’s final season in Serie C.
A famous scudetto
Bagnoli had played for a number of bigger clubs including Milan, Catanzaro, and Verona before arriving on Lake Maggiore in 1968. Like Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson, a serious injury brought his career to a premature end and led to his early appointment as manager.
The gap between Serie C and Serie D is a big one and when Verbania were relegated out of the professional leagues, Bagnoli left to continue his coaching career at Como. He would go on to enjoy successful spells at Rimini, Fano and Cesena before taking the helm at Hellas Verona in 1981. Just four years later, he would lead the Scaligeri to a famous Scudetto, perhaps the most remarkable achievement in Italian footballing history.
In the shadow of Monte Rosso
Another notable name among Verbania’s former players is that of Maltese striker Carmel Busuttil, who spent a season on loan there in 1988. Whilst his record with the Biancocerchiati was modest, Busuttil is still the second highest scorer for the Maltese national team, netting an impressive 23 times in 113 matches. His record stood for nearly 20 years until it was beaten by former Coventry City striker Michael Mifsud.
Verbania Calcio home games take place at the Stadio Carlo Pedroli, in the shadow of Monte Rosso, one of the many hills that surround the town. The ground is named after one of the club’s founding fathers and is typical of many lower league Italian grounds.
It boasts a beautiful entrance gate flanked by pillbox-like ticket booths, whilst inside a small grandstand is shaded by tall pine trees opposite an uncovered terrace. The blue, yellow and red tricolour motif is used everywhere, leaving you in no doubt which club you are watching. Sadly, there is no view of the lake from the stands but that is more than offset by the sight of the tree-covered hills and mountains.
Dreaming of Serie C
These days, the town of Verbania is better known as a quiet lakeside resort, a place where you can while away the day in a shady piazza, strolling along the shore, or taking a boat trip to the grand villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands. Across the bay is Stresa, home to Verbania’s nearest rivals Stresa Vergante, but much better known as an historic tourist resort with its Grand Hotel, 19th century villas, and elegant promenade.
Verbania Calcio finished the 2023/24 season with a 2-1 home defeat to second-placed Oleggio Sportiva, who will contest the play-offs for promotion to Serie D (4th tier). Verbania’s final position of tenth is typical of their recent seasons since relegation from Serie D in 2020.
Maybe next season will see the Biancocerchiati make a fresh attempt at promotion and, who knows, even dream of Serie C?