Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – There's an increasingly ambitious football team, a picture-perfect stadium on the rise, and a school slated for closure. We're in Como, and the issue concerns the Corridoni elementary school on Via Sinigaglia, not far from the stadium that hosts Como's home games. Fabregas's team is coming off a historic winning debut in the Champions League against Leipzig, but the controversy surrounding the school's closure near the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium to build a parking lot is also causing controversy in the city.
While many parents of the approximately two hundred children ready to begin the school year complain about disorganization surrounding the transfer to Venini Elementary School, the Council of State has blocked the move for now.
Como Mayor Alessandro Rapinese clarified the matter to Adnkronos: “This is a decision made by three different bodies.
That is, by the municipality of Como, the province of Como, and the Lombardy region. The closure of the school on Via Sinigaglia was sanctioned by a regional document in October 2025. I'd say there was nothing sudden or unusual about it. Nothing like the opposition has been boasting about."
The mayor responded to criticism regarding a possible connection with the exploits of Fabregas' team, which has attracted considerable attention outside of Italy in recent months: "The football team? I'd say that's a very bold comparison, in the sense that it depends on what you mean.
Today, perhaps Como is being talked about for their great performance in the Champions League, and someone might want to say something. I'm talking about objective data; it seems natural to me that an abandoned building should have a purpose, in this case a parking lot. Or, we can leave it there and forget about it. The Como City Council has also passed a motion to evaluate its possible transformation, without enforcement implications. And besides, we've just built a parking lot and will soon open one nearby. Calcio Como itself has identified another area.
Rapinese addresses the issue by referring to the documents: "We're talking about a document approved across three different bodies. I have a majority in only one, in the province I'm one councilor out of 12, and the entire Provincial Council approved it, and on October 27, 2025, the entire Regional Council approved it as well, where I have no representatives. Just to give you an idea of the situation."
There's a safety issue in the matter of moving students: "It's a legal requirement, something that can only be done in compliance with all legal requirements, and they have been." The mayor explains that since 2025, "there has been zero cooperation from the Corridoni school management; they've always talked only about appeals. These are issues that have nothing to do with the subject of the case, so much so that safety was discussed after the request for a stay at the Regional Administrative Court, after the ruling at the Regional Administrative Court, and after the request for a stay at the Council of State, which we won. That's when the issue of safety came up, as if it were a minor issue."
The mayor adds: "From a practical standpoint, there are some aspects that were clearly stated on September 13, 2022, by the school's Head of Prevention and Protection Services, who, for the Corridoni school, speaks of 'several external load-bearing pillars showing signs of corrosion and deterioration.' It's surprising, however, that the RSPP of the school the children are going to, the one on Via Venini, says the school has some problems and can't even give a very good rating, yet forgets how serious the problems are at the school they're sending to. The school they're sending to is much less safe than the school they're sending to, and I've reiterated this several times."
Rapinese concludes his speech, avoiding the controversy: "I'll just say that parking plays a central role in my electoral platform, that's true, but we did the same thing at another school, in Ponte Chiasso, which was closed with plans to turn it into a parking lot. But that one is in Ponte Chiasso, and it has nothing to do with Como. So it seems rather bold to me to say that this move is for Como Calcio. Besides, it wouldn't change anything for the club, because they're building another one just a few meters away."
And now, how will the matter be resolved? "We are in the hands of the Council of State," Rapinese clarifies, "but here, something from October 2025 is being passed off as sudden news. If there's any responsibility for the lack of organization to date, it simply lies with the school administration, which has never cooperated because it's busy with legal challenges. When they gave us guidance, we were actually accused of being too quick to act and prepare the spaces they're now contesting, citing safety concerns."
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