Estadio Moises Lucarelli

The Estádio Moisés Lucarelli in Campinas owes its existence to a crowd of supporters. They raised the money and laid the bricks themselves through the "Campanha do Tijolo", before the ground opened on September 12, 1948. The land was bought by club director Moysés Lucarelli, who refused to have the stadium named after him; the club simply changed the spelling of his name while he was away.

It is a structure that commands attention, which explains why a journalist in the 1940s dubbed it the "Estádio Majestoso". At the time of its opening, it was the third-largest stadium in Brazil, holding up to 35,000 people. The atmosphere here is no longer quite so vast, but the sense of permanence remains. The capacity has been trimmed over the decades to meet safety standards, settling at a figure around 19,700 today.

Outside the gates, the city moves on. The parking lot fills with cars on match days, and palm trees line the perimeter. The building is not untouched by commerce; a large sign for Bradesco sits atop the roof, and banners for local sponsors hang along the railings. Inside, the pitch is natural grass, played on since the first game against XV de Piracicaba. The ground has seen its share of high-stakes moments, including the 2008 final and a record crowd of 37,274 watching São Paulo in 1978. It is one of the few grounds in Brazil built entirely by private initiative, and it remains the heart of the city’s sporting life.