The demolition of the Vela Gialla, or Yellow Sail, was attended by Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, deputy mayor and urban policies councillor, Laura Lieto and other local authorities and representatives of the community.
The operation is part of a ‘restyling’ of the area which is trying to make a civic comeback after years of being identified with the Camorra mafia and drug pushing.
Vela Gialla is one of the Sails which served as an iconic backdrop in the hit Camorra TV show Gomorra (Gomorrah), based on Roberto Saviano’s expose’ of the same name.
“Today is a truly beautiful day, important for Naples and Scampia,” said the mayor, explaining it was a “symbolic moment”.
The mayor also remembered the victims of the collapse of a gallery at another Sail, Vela Celeste, in which three people died and 11 others were injured, including seven children.
The Naples Prosecutor’s Office is probing the collapse of the Vela Celeste gallery that occurred last July.
Twelve new buildings will replace the Sails, whose design was inspired by one of the fathers of modern architecture, Swiss-French architect and designer Le Corbusier, each built to house about 35 families.
The Vela Celeste will be the only Sail left standing out of the seven designed by Francesco Di Salvo - all built between the 1960s and 70s.
The ‘Restart’ project to restyle Scampia is set to be completed in 2027, but construction work on the first apartment buildings set to replace the demolished Sails should be completed by mid-2026, according to local authorities.
ANSA
