The Palacatagna was recently renewed; the arena is able to seat up to 950 spectators, and it is at the center of a series of initiatives carried out by the town of Sant’Angelo.
The inhabitants of Sant’Angelo, are very active in the national sport field, where there is a strong volleyball and handball tradition with Pallamano CSA team and Volley CSA team. For some years the Palacatagna is the home of the ACQUA&SAPONE team that employs the arena to play in the championship with all the categories starting from the youngest to the Serie A.
At the same time the municipality of Sant’Angelo uses this space (arena and neighbouring areas) for the Chestnut Festival, that is a particularly significant event for the citizens of the place.
The size of the field and the pitch make easier the running and the game speed. The surface allows you to wear indoor and outdoor footbal boots. Escape routes make the building safe; the seats in the stands offer a high quality vision. The arena has not spectacular finishes, but certainly unique, capable of enhancing the technical and aerobic of the finest quality players.
THE SPORTS HALL DEDICATED TO CASTAGNA, KING OF ANGOLAN HANDBALL
The sports hall of Città Sant’Angelo from now on will be called PalaCastagna, in honor of the founder and first president of the men’s handball club of Città Sant’Angelo, Tonino Castagna. The naming ceremony of the sports facility took place on Saturday 17 September 2011, in the presence of many citizens and handball fans. The team that will face the Serie A1 championship in this new season was also presented, Pharmapiù Sport Città Sant’Angelo, chaired by Enio Remigio.
THE STORY OF THE MASTER TONINO CASTAGNA
In 1978 Tonino Castagna, together with Domenico Terenzi, gave rise to the Handball Club Città S. Angelo. The sporting project exceeded all expectations, reaching the Serie A, starting from the Serie D category, in the year 1980/1981. In the Serie D championship, the Handball Club Città Sant’Angelo presents itself with a shortlist of young kids, concluding with its first experience in 6th place in the championship standings. In 1988/89 the Abruzzo club won Serie A, thanks to the various signings made by the maestro Castagna and after the memorable play-off against Fondi; a magical moment in the history of this company.
In 1989/1990 the team played an extraordinary Serie A1 championship, ending the season in eighth place in the standings. As soon as they reached the pinnacle of success, the Angolans found themselves in severe financial difficulties, and without a sports facility to use, so much so that in the 1990/91 season the Handball Club Città Sant’Angelo was relegated.
The years 1993/1994 and 1994/1995 are the darkest years of this glorious society. These are dangerous years for the continuation of handball in Città Sant’Angelo, but the new stadium is about to be completed. Enio Remigio is back in the team, the conditions are recreated to bring back both Enrico De Luca and Enzo D’Arcangelo (several years of militancy in Serie A1 in Conversano); many young people stand out among which Nicola D’Arcangelo stands out.
In the 1995/1996 championship the “Angolan handball” project starts again, but for the first time the master Tonino Castagna will not participate in the project, who becomes irreversibly ill; he has time to inaugurate the sports hall. Within 15 days, Castagna dies, Città Sant’Angelo wins the championship, subverting all predictions, beating Chieti in the last memorable match.
Following the disappearance of Castagna, a group of friends carried out his project; the only goal is the sports education of many Angolan children. The elected president is the former Teramo champion Gabriele Di Domenico and in 1996/1997 the A2 handball is fourth in the final championship standings.
This is how the story of a great character ends, that of maestro Tonino Campagna, who made Sant’Angelo one of the nerve centers of Italian handball.