Napoli Campione d’Italia

It was April 29, 1990 when Napoli won its second Scudetto, thanks also to the contribution of the legendary Maradona. Try to imagine the excitement of the whole city  waiting for this immense party, a victory that has been awaited for 33 years.

In 1987, when they won their first Scudetto, the Neapolitans poured into the streets for the celebrations: it was the biggest popular festival ever seen up to that moment.

Let’s go back to present day, on May 4th Napoli mathematically obtained the victory of their third championship, even before the official end of the Italian Serie A Championship.

The celebrations started immediately that evening, continuing throughout the night and even for the following days: all of Naples took to the streets, filling the squares and making circulation impossible for several hours, a real human tide colored every street in Naples between dances, songs and fireworks never seen, not even on New Year’s Eve.

There is one important factor to keep in mind in order to understand this unique situation. Naples together with the small towns that surround it, has a population of over 3 million inhabitants. Unlike other large Italian cities, where fans are usually divided into two groups (e.g. in Milan they support Milan or Inter, in Turin they support Juventus or Turin, etc.) in Naples practically everyone only supports Napoli.

That’s why the whole city has become a single color: blue, the color of Naples. So much so that the municipality, in anticipation of the exaggerated celebrations, had to implement a real action plan for the safety of the city, from traffic to public order. Considering the fact that for months the whole city had been waiting for nothing but to pour out into the streets for the great celebrations, it was logical that the Municipality collaborated with the Prefecture to organize and prepare as best as possible in managing the event, precisely to avoid being caught unprepared and undermine public safety.

Despite the immense party, which lasted for days, there were no major inconveniences. Upon the team’s arrival at the airport the following day, no less than six thousand fans welcomed their champions. The Napoli coach, Luciano Spalletti, then declared on Instagram “Three are the rules to be Champions: passionate city, fantastic players and strong destinies.”

On Sunday May 7, the official celebrations of the team and their coach took place at the Maradona stadium in Naples in a riot of colors, music and joy.