Even those who aren't following this World Cup know the images of the gigantic stadiums that Qatar has pounded out of the desert sand.

Will they become soulless monsters after the World Cup or write new stories?

Will they one day be seen as temples of memory, of passion, of emotion, like some stadiums elsewhere?

Such a temple is undoubtedly the San Siro Stadium in Milan, actually called the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.

Nobody calls it that.

It is and will always be San Siro that Italians refer to as “La Scala del calcio” when they want to emphasize its cultural and emotional importance.

Because on the lawn of San Siro and its terraces, which can accommodate almost 76,000 spectators, things are no less dramatic than on the city's opera stage.

Emotions run high

Emotions are running high, especially now that San Siro is about to be demolished to make way for a modern arena.

For many, the idea of ​​the home of Inter and AC Milan being reduced to rubble is like wiping out Milan Cathedral.

The writer Alessandro Manzoni is said to have prayed there for his salvation while writing The Betrothed.

It is among Italy's best-known literary works, but the real Italian favorite is Calcio, football, and the best passages of it were written in San Siro.

Generations of Italians and fans and players who have traveled from other countries have met, argued and made peace there.

Schalke 04 lifted the UEFA Cup there in 1997, Bayern Munich won the Champions League in Milan in 2001.

And then the 1990 World Cup: the 4-1 victory of the DFB selection against Yugoslavia, later the victory against Holland, which brought the team to Rome and the World Cup title.

Jerseys and football boots from that time can be seen in the stadium museum.

It is one of the stops on the stadium tour that you can do in San Siro and which is more popular than ever, with children's birthday groups also attending.

They can't do anything with anecdotes about Antonio Angelillo or Beckenbauer that make their parents' eyes light up.

They prefer to storm into Ibrahimovic's place in the AC Milan dressing room.

Francesco, who does such tours, now prefers wild groups of children to adult fans.

Now that the end of San Siro is near, nothing is safe from them.

They love this place so much that they want to take some of it home with them.

You don't tear down a temple.

If necessary, he will be incorporated.