Aironi
Aironi Rugby (Italian for heron) is a new rugby franchise in the North of Italy which will join the Magners League in season 2010/2011.
The formation of the franchise was made possible by the co-operation of 8 existing rugby clubs Rugby Viadana 54%, Colorno 15%, Gran Parma Rugby 10%, Rugby Parma 10%, Noceto 5%, Reggio Emilia 2%, Modena 2% and Mantova 2%.
The team play in Viadana at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella. It was expected that Reggio Emilia‘s Stadio Giglio would be used for larger games but none have so far requied its near 30,000 capicity. Parma‘s Stadio XXV Aprile or Stadio Tardini may also be used. Last season (2010-11) all matches were played at the 7,000 capacity Stadio Luigi Zaffanella with the largest attendance being 4,000 for the Bath game.
TRAVEL FOR PARMA TO VIADANA HERE
How to get there.
There are four airports all within a couple of hours of Viadana and Regio Emilio as follows: -
| Airport |
Travel Time |
| Bologna | 1hr 15min |
| Milan | 2hr 00min |
| Pisa | 2hr 30min |
| Venice | 2hr 45min |
Note the travel times are approximate and are an indication of time from the airport to Viadanna we do recommend however that you look to stay in nearby Parma if you are going to stay for longer than the match.
There are no direct flights from Belfast but Milan is serviced from Belfast with Flybe.com via Birmingham and returning through Manchester and that appears to be a weekday only service.
There are a few more options from Dublin and the easy to reach UK Airports of Bristol and East Midlands also have flights and there are also occasional flights from Stansted by Ryanair to the very central Parma but there are is no timetable available yet for flights after 29th October 2011.
You can view the details below: -
| Ryanair (Dublin) |
Aer Lingus (Dublin) |
EasyJet (Bristol) |
|
Bologna |
Bologna Milan Venice |
Milan Venice Pisa |
| Flybe (Belfast) |
bmibaby (East Midlands) |
Ryanair (Stansted) |
| Milan | Venice | Parma |
Last season the Ryanair and Aer Lingus flights to Milan proved the most popular with the URSC and Aironi supporters club organising transport for selected flights. However if you’ve got a few day’s to spare I strongly recommend taking a few days to explore this part of the world. Flying into Venice and training across would give you the option of visiting Cities like Bologna and Padova which are well worth the trip, especially if you have already done the Venice thing.
I had a particularly pleasant stay in Padova for the 2011 JWC and it’s a fantastic spot – very cheep with hundreds of bar/restaurants in the old walled city. Just make sure you head right into the heart of the city as the “newer” industrialised outskirts are a bit grubby to say the least.
We will contact our friends in the Aironi Supporters Club once the fixture has been confirmed for the 2011-12 season and post further travel details on the site.
This is from their Website!! Has anyone managed to crack the accommodation and travel issues yet? Seems to be a challenge that does not make sense for a Team to be in European competition when the town doesn’t even have a Taxi company!
When host teams supporters come, there may be problems finding suitable accomodation nearby, as there is limited hotel spaces available due to a distinct lack of hotels within a 20 mile radius of Viadana etc.
There is also major problems of access, as Viadana is not served by Rail, bus services are limited generally to school hours, and the town doesn’t have a taxi company.
Generally visitors from other clubs are restricted to staying in Parma – about 40 mins drive away, Reggio nel’Emilia 40 minutes drive away, or Mantova which is also 40 minutes drive away, and may find that although travelling to Viadana by Parma, Reggio or Mantova based taxi firms is an option, return travel to Parma, Reggio or Mantova later on in the evening can become problematic to say the least.
The match could be played in Reggio nel’Emilia so hire a car stay there and get a sober driver if it is in Viadana.