Venezia was founded on 14 December 1907, in a small tavern in the city of canals. On 14 December 2026 it turns 119 years old. And it reaches its birthday as Serie B champion, back in the top flight.

Born in a tavern

The club was born in the "Da Nane" tavern, in Corte dell'Orso, near Campo San Bortolomio. There the football sections of two gymnastics clubs in the city, Palestra Marziale and Costantino Reyer, joined forces. Davide Fano became the first president.

The coach and captain was Walter Aemisseger, who came from Winterthur in Switzerland. The first match was played just eight days after the founding, on 22 December 1907, and ended 1-1 against Vicenza. The club's name changed many times during the 20th century, but the city always stayed at its heart.

Black, green and, later, orange

Venezia's original colours were black and green, the famous "neroverde". The sources we checked do not explain why they were chosen. Between 1930 and 1934 the team even went through a red period.

The big change came on 26 June 1987, when president Maurizio Zamparini merged Venezia with neighbouring Mestre. Mestre brought orange, and the colours became "arancioneroverde". On a 1992 Diadora shirt black became dominant, with a thin orange diagonal band.

The Lion of St Mark

Since 1930 the club crest has carried the winged Lion of St Mark, the symbol of Venice. The lion often appears on the shirts themselves too. In 1998-99, for example, Kronos put it on a black shirt airbrushed in green, orange and yellow.

The team plays at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, in the Sant'Elena district. It opened in 1927 and in 1931 took the name of the aviator Pier Luigi Penzo. In the Serie A years it held about 22,000 spectators, but its capacity was later cut sharply.

A cup, Mazzola and Recoba

The golden age came in the 1940s. In 1941 Venezia won the Coppa Italia, beating Roma 1-0 at the Penzo after a 3-3 draw in Rome. The following year it finished third in Serie A, the best placing in its history.

The heart of that side was the pairing of Valentino Mazzola and Ezio Loik, perhaps the finest players ever to wear this shirt. In January 1999 Álvaro Recoba arrived on loan from Inter. Together with Filippo Maniero he scored 23 goals and kept the team up.

Bankruptcies, comebacks and fashion shirts

After 2005 the club went bankrupt and was rebuilt more than once. In 2021 it returned to Serie A after 19 years, thanks to a 93rd-minute equaliser from Riccardo Bocalon in the play-off final.

That was also when the era began that made the shirt famous worldwide. The first Kappa home kit in 2021 carried the club name in gold capitals and a "V" made of gold dots. It was an instant hit, and Venezia's kit launches started to become real events.

Since August 2024 the kits have been designed by NOCTA, the Nike line linked to Drake. The 2026-27 home shirt is mostly black, with orange and green bands inspired by the flags in the stands. And we will see it in Serie A, since Giovanni Stroppa's team won the 2026 Serie B title with 82 points.

Celebrate with us

One hundred and nineteen years after the meeting in the tavern, Venezia remains the most stylish team in Italy. In December 2024 it even marked its birthday with a special patch on the shirt.

Happy birthday, Venezia! Welcome back to Serie A, and may there be plenty of goals at the Penzo.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo in Venice – kallerna, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.