Perugia has co-dedicated the Santa Giuliana stadium, on the outskirts of the city centre, to Ilario Castagner, the coach of the "Perugia dei miracoli" (Perugia of miracles). A venue that today serves as a temple of athletics but for many years was the stage for the deeds of the red-and-whites. Castagner, who passed away in February 2023, in that stadium "led a team, a club, an entire city to Serie A for the first time," as recalled by the plaque unveiled by Mrs Liliana, Castagner's wife, accompanied by their children, including Federico, who thanked the city and the Municipality for "a bipartisan project that began under one administration and was completed under another." "It represents what dad was — someone who brought people together and built groups," he emphasised. "We are emotional and so very happy," Federico Castagner concluded.
The ceremony, opened with speeches by the municipal councillor for Sport Pierluigi Vossi, Mayor Vittoria Ferdinandi, councillor Francesca Tizi and Prefect Francesco Zito, was also attended by many longtime Perugia supporters and players. It was at that ground that the club, in the 1974-1975 season, secured its first promotion to Serie A at the end of a championship that went down in the club's history, closing a cycle that was followed by the subsequent move to the new stadium at Pian di Massiano. Castagner, a native of Vittorio Veneto who as a player had his first experience in red-and-white colours in the early 1960s, maintained a very long bond with the club. The pinnacle came during the golden era between 1974 and 1980. Legendary was the 1978-1979 season, that of the "Perugia dei miracoli," which finished the Serie A campaign unbeaten in second place.
"Ilario is a citizen of this city; he belonged to it in a profound way, and today we give him the recognition he deserves," said Vossi and Ferdinandi.
