The Sails Of Sociopolis By Mario Trifuoggo
Naples plans symbolic demolition of iconic mafia ghetto
No buildings are as emblematic of Naples' failure to deal with organized crime as the Sails of Scampia, the four, triangular, 16-storey public housing blocks that dominate the city's northern skyline.
Famously, the sails form the backdrop to Gomorrah, Roberto Saviano's 2006 account of the Naples mafia, which has since spawned an award-winning film and T.V series. But in spite of their 'celebrity' status, Naples council last month announced plans to demolish three of the sails and covert the fourth into a set of municipal offices.
“The plans are highly symbolic,” explained Mario Trifuoggi, a 30-year-old Neapolitan sociologist who studies mafia phenomenon in the city.
“Sure, sails are …show more content…
The estate, Originally featured seven sail shaped buildings, each capable of housing up to 190 families. But by packing so many people into an area where there were no jobs, banks, supermarkets, cinemas or places of aggregation people quickly turned to organized crime to meet their needs. The estate became a hotbed of mafia activity, largely thanks to it's unique architecture.
The inside each structure is a complex 16-storey network stairwells and iron walkways, which link up apartments across a central courtyard. Each block is also connected to a network of underground garages. In short, they are a perfect place evade police capture and hide illegal goods.
By 2003, three of the sails had been demolished, the whole of Scampia, but the remaining three had become the biggest black marketplace in the city and the area of Scampia was a mafia …show more content…
But spite of their lofty symbolism, the plans have been greeted with skepticism by many, not least the sails long-suffering inhabitants.
Today four sails are half-derelict. Officially, they house just 1,500 tenants, although there are plenty of illegal squatters who live alongside them amid the rubbish, broken windows and graffiti.
In one of the sails, the internal courtyard is filled with filled with foul-smelling water. Plastic bags, beer cans, and broken furniture bob on it's surface. Directly above the cesspit, sandwiched between two derelict apartments, a tenant has hung their washing out to dry.
“The state has abandoned us here,” said Maria, a 51-year-old mother of three, who has lived in the sails for the last 38 years. Her three sons and eight grandchildren all live in the same building.
“We shouldn't have to live in conditions like this."
Under new plans Maria and her family will be moved into newly-built accommodation nearby, but she's not getting her hopes up.
“I'll believe it when I see it,” she said. “This type of talk has been going on for decades, but so far I'm still
No buildings are as emblematic of Naples' failure to deal with organized crime as the Sails of Scampia, the four, triangular, 16-storey public housing blocks that dominate the city's northern skyline.
Famously, the sails form the backdrop to Gomorrah, Roberto Saviano's 2006 account of the Naples mafia, which has since spawned an award-winning film and T.V series. But in spite of their 'celebrity' status, Naples council last month announced plans to demolish three of the sails and covert the fourth into a set of municipal offices.
“The plans are highly symbolic,” explained Mario Trifuoggi, a 30-year-old Neapolitan sociologist who studies mafia phenomenon in the city.
“Sure, sails are …show more content…
The estate, Originally featured seven sail shaped buildings, each capable of housing up to 190 families. But by packing so many people into an area where there were no jobs, banks, supermarkets, cinemas or places of aggregation people quickly turned to organized crime to meet their needs. The estate became a hotbed of mafia activity, largely thanks to it's unique architecture.
The inside each structure is a complex 16-storey network stairwells and iron walkways, which link up apartments across a central courtyard. Each block is also connected to a network of underground garages. In short, they are a perfect place evade police capture and hide illegal goods.
By 2003, three of the sails had been demolished, the whole of Scampia, but the remaining three had become the biggest black marketplace in the city and the area of Scampia was a mafia …show more content…
But spite of their lofty symbolism, the plans have been greeted with skepticism by many, not least the sails long-suffering inhabitants.
Today four sails are half-derelict. Officially, they house just 1,500 tenants, although there are plenty of illegal squatters who live alongside them amid the rubbish, broken windows and graffiti.
In one of the sails, the internal courtyard is filled with filled with foul-smelling water. Plastic bags, beer cans, and broken furniture bob on it's surface. Directly above the cesspit, sandwiched between two derelict apartments, a tenant has hung their washing out to dry.
“The state has abandoned us here,” said Maria, a 51-year-old mother of three, who has lived in the sails for the last 38 years. Her three sons and eight grandchildren all live in the same building.
“We shouldn't have to live in conditions like this."
Under new plans Maria and her family will be moved into newly-built accommodation nearby, but she's not getting her hopes up.
“I'll believe it when I see it,” she said. “This type of talk has been going on for decades, but so far I'm still