There Sails of Scampia I am residential buildings constructed in Naples between 1962 and 1975 based on the architect’s design Franz DiSalvoToday only the following remain standing: three sails from the seven original and it is July 22nd collapse of an external balcony of the sky sail, which caused the death of three people. The buildings were designed to be a modern and functional residential complex, but since the 1980s they have become a symbol of degradation and a place where it thrives Camorrawhich can make converts thanks to the socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants and the absence of institutions. A project is currently underway that includes the demolition of two of the surviving sails (the “red” one and the “yellow” one) and the redevelopment of the third. It is precisely September 10th thatorder of the mayor Manfredi of partial eviction of the two surviving sails, which will involve about a thousand people (who have a few days to find replacement housing while waiting to receive new accommodation from the Municipality of Naples). It is impossible to say how long it will take for the demolition and regeneration project to be completed and whether it will really be sufficient to redevelop the sails and the Scampia neighborhood.
What are the sails of Scampia and how were they born?
The sails are triangular-shaped residential buildings built in Scampia, a peripheral neighborhood of Naples. They have this name because their shape vaguely resembles those of the sail of a ship. Originally there were seven sails and included altogether 1,192 apartmentswhich were supposed to accommodate approximately 6,500 people.
The sails were built between 1962 and 1975 as a complex of public housingbased on law no. 167 of 1962. Each sail is high 45 metersfor total 14 floorsand is approximately long 100 meters. At the time of construction, the seven buildings were given names based on the letters of the alphabet, from A to D and from F to H.
The construction of the complex was intended to regulate the expansion of Naples and its suburbswhich in the post-war period experienced a significant increase in population. The sails were the basis of the demographic and urban growth of Scampiawhich until the 70s was a small village and later became a populous neighborhood, which today is home to more than 40,000 inhabitants.
The design of the sails was drawn up by the architect Franz DiSalvowinner of the competition announced by the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno. Di Salvo drew inspiration from some of the most innovative architectural theories, including that of housing units by Le Corbusier. In the intentions of the designer, the space of the apartments in the sails was to be reduced to advantage of common areassuch as the long galleries planned in each building: the aim was to develop a sense of community and reproduce the condition of the alleys of the historic centre of Naples, where the population lives in small homes and carries out part of its activities outdoors and in public places. It is no coincidence that, together with the construction of the residential buildings, Di Salvo also designed various common spaces: green areas and places to host school and commercial services, etc.
Why the sail project failed: the story of a degeneration
The sails soon transformed into a symbol of degradation. The common spaces envisaged by Di Salvo were not built and the design of the buildings also underwent some changes. Furthermore, after the 1980 earthquake, many of the complex’s lodgings were illegally occupied and in this way they found the sails housing many more residents than expectedthus creating an overpopulated environment.
Many residents were unemployed or underemployed and the institutions were unable to propose effective measures to counteract the degeneration. The fate of Scampia was the same as many other Italian and other countries’ urban suburbs, condemned to abandonment, but the level of degradation reached particularly worrying levels. In the 1980s, the Camorrawhich made Scampia one of the most important drug markets in Europeas well as the theatre of bloody feuds between clans. It is no coincidence that many scenes from the film were set in the buildings Gomorrah of 2008, of the homonymous television series of 2014-2021 and of other cinematographic works dedicated to the Camorra.
The demolition of four sails and the current situation
Since the 80s the population of Scampia began to protest for the degradation and already in 1986 the Sails Committeewhich fights to improve the conditions of the complex. In the wake of the protests, the institutions had to deal with the issue and at the end of the 80s the demolition of the sails began to be discussed, partially carried out a few years later. Between 1997 and 2003 they were demolished three sails shot down: F, G and H. Residents were assigned other accommodations. The other four sails took on color names: green, yellow, red and light blue. The green sail (sail A) was torn down in 2020, the other three are still standing.
Organised crime has continued to prosper, thanks to the difficult conditions in which the population finds itself, but in Scampia new gangs have also arisen citizens’ associations fighting for the redevelopment of the neighborhood and for the fight against the Camorra and degradation. Another initiative to redevelop the area was promoted by the Federico II University of Naples, which in 2022 inaugurated its own structure on the site of the H sail. The structure currently hosts some departments and courses of study for health professions.
Initiatives of this kind, however, have not stopped the degradation of the complex, as was evident from the collapse of an external balcony of the sky sail, which occurred last July 22, which caused the death of three people. For this reason, the municipality of Naples on September 10, 2024 ordered the partial evacuation of still inhabited apartments of two of the three surviving sails (the “red” and the “yellow”).
Future prospects: what will happen to the sails of Scampia
The process is currently underway ReStart Scampia projectpromoted by the municipality of Naples, which includes the demolition of the yellow sail and the red sail and the redevelopment of the light blue sail, which will be used to house offices, as well as the construction of new residential buildings and new public spaces. The project should be completed in 2027.
Of course, it is not possible to know whether the deadlines will be respected. It must also be considered that the socio-economic hardship derives from deep-rooted causes, such as overpopulationand to eradicate it, not only economic investments are needed, but also a greater commitment from the institutions and a new attitude from all citizens.
