Few, very few, imagined that Naples would make it. In about a year. Instead Yes. The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, with his presence at the San Paolo stadium, testified the commitment and effort of a city and a Region to present itself to the world without the historical, how boring, dents of a beautiful and impossible city. The Universiade are a success for the whole of the South. They reflect the yellow-green rulers, who were not missed last night in a magnificent opening ceremony event. Vincendo De Luca, governor of Campania proudly claimed the organizational success of him and (without quoting him for local controversies) of Mayor De Magistris.
From the stadium that saw the great Maradona (the Argentine delegation exhibited his No. 10 shirt) the a collective feeling of participation, peace and solidarity. Mattarella said it and delegations from 130 countries arrived in the city of hospitality without borders. The 270 million euros invested are the signal that things can be done well. No regional reality has been forgotten, because the athletes will compete, as they have already started to do, in all the provinces of Campania. Plants abandoned or completely redone, until 14 July will give the image of a city capable of facing serious challenges and redemption. Other than the reclamation of the former Italsider site in Bagnoli, which has been talked about for 25 years and is destined to host sports facilities. 1.500 people worked on construction sites for the Universiade a turnover more or less equal to that of the Italia '90 World Cup.
No fake news, no harassing tweets towards Naples and the Neapolitans have so far come from frantic supporters of anti-southernism. Good to know. On the magical night of this July in the shadow of Vesuvius. Of the real one and the artistic one, illuminated by the ball of fire kicked by Lorenzo Insigne. It's nice that there's no speculation about Naples and the Neapolitans who need so many things, but not empty proclamations about investments and development. Here there are thousands of jobless people and businesses in crisis. World events such as the Universiade help the economy, society and the environment. We dare to think that in Rome someone has changed his mind about the capital city of the South.
