2023-04-24 16:48:02
NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Before he was elected mayor of Naples in 2021, Gaetano Manfredi was a university professor specializing in earthquake engineering — the study and design of buildings that can withstand earthquakes.
As Manfredi rose through the ranks to become the rector of the University of Naples Federico II, a study was ordered to measure the impact of fans when they celebrated Napoli’s goals inside the stadium that today bears the name of Diego Armando Maradona.
“The headquarters of the engineering department is near the stadium and there was a seismograph that, following a Napoli goal, confirmed that the shaking was strong enough to register as an earthquake,” Manfredi told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
What will be the magnitude of the seismograph when Napoli win their first Italian league title in more than three decades? With a 17-point lead and seven games to play, the first opportunity to secure the consecration will be this weekend, the Labor Day holiday in Europe.
“We can’t predict the number, but we’re definitely going to have a lot of vibrations,” Manfredi said, moving one hand up and down to simulate a tremor. “An earthquake. A huge earthquake of joy”.
The mayor is not exaggerating.
Napoli fervor is like a religion in the southern city and the club have not been crowned Serie A champions since Diego Maradona led them to their only titles in 1987 and 1990.
“The passion for football in Naples is one of the greatest passions in the world,” Manfredi said.
It’s so big that Neapolitans have put aside their conjectures regarding celebrating — even mentioning — the word “scudetto” before it comes to fruition. They’ve decorated the city with posters, banners, flags and images featuring Napoli players — all with the blue color of the club.
The title might also be a balm on Naples, a city plagued by problems of insecurity and garbage collection, seen as the poor sister of Milan and Turin, the traditional soccer capitals in the north.
“If we achieve this, we are going to be etched on the walls of Naples forever,” said Napoli coach Luciano Spalleti, careful not to utter the word “scudetto.”
Every neighborhood in the city, from the steep alleys of the Spanish Quarter to the more modern Fuorigrotta district where the stadium is located, has its own way of highlighting the club.
A banner unfurled in a street in the Forcella neighborhood of the historic center, known for its mural of San Gennaro, the city’s saint, reads “Scusate per il ritardo” or “Sorry for taking so long” — an allusion to the title of the 1983 film directed by the Neapolitan actor Massimo Troisi, also for the 33 years that have elapsed since the last consecration of Napoli.
“We are unique. There is no other place in the world like Naples. Naples is an open theater”, said the taxi driver Giovanni Murri, referring to the poem by the Neapolitan playwright Eduardo De Filippo.
There is another phrase that is now repeated a lot in the city: “The festivities in Naples are unbeatable.”
As the mayor explained: “That is due to the joy of the Neapolitan. The joy of Naples is recognized around the world”.
THE GOMORRAH
Naples has waited so long for this moment that the city has prepared all kinds of festivities.
A spontaneous celebration is expected when the team secures the title, and it might stretch out for days, weeks, or even months.
“Of course we don’t know when it’s going to happen or what’s going to happen,” the mayor said.
The plan is to have a formal celebration in Piazza Plebiscito on June 4, following the club receives the Serie A trophy following the last game of the season.
“It will be like celebrating the New Year twice — maybe bigger than the New Year,” said Vincenzo Masiello, owner of the ‘O Vesuvio trattoria and pizzeria in the Spanish Quarter.
To avoid the congestion in the center or the chaos seen when the Argentina team returned to the country with the World Cup trophy, the city has planned simultaneous celebrations on June 4 in various neighborhoods, including one in Scampia, the suburb and symbol of organized crime who became known for “Gomorrah” — Roberto Saviano’s novel, then the film and finally the television series.
MARADONA
Even two and a half years following his death, Maradona’s legacy is very strong in Naples.
In the Spanish Quarter, a huge mural of Maradona serves as the unofficial museum of Argentine myth.
“It’s a problem because it attracts a lot of people,” Manfredi said. “It’s like a secular cult, which is really appreciated.”
The mayor says that on days when Napoli play or on holidays, up to 30,000 people flock to “Piazza Maradona” every day, making it one of Italy’s top tourist attractions.
“Even following his death, he continues to attract people to Naples,” said Antonio Tortora, another taxi driver. “He is a saint.”
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