Graffiti on Scampia's Vele Demolition Site Demands a Museum

During the demolition of the Vele di Scampia, part of the Restart Scampia urban renewal project in northern Naples, an unknown hand spray-painted "DATECI UN MUSEO" (Give us a museum) on the concrete Jersey barriers surrounding the construction site. The Vele, notorious as the backdrop for the TV series Gomorra, are being torn down to rehabilitate the area. The graffiti echoes the urgency of Roberto Ciuni's "FATE PRESTO" (Hurry up) headline in Il Mattino after the 1980 earthquake, later turned into a monumental work by Andy Warhol for gallerist Lucio Amelio. Scampia has a history of street art as protest, with the local association GRIDAS using murals since the 1980s to blend political protest and decoration, inspired by Goya's "El sueño de la razon produce monstros." Other writings on the Vela include "Scampia non solo Gomorra" and "Formare cittadini liberi e consapevoli," turning the building into a stone diary of fears and hopes. The article argues that Scampia lacks an attitude toward beauty and culture, and the plea for a museum reflects a desire for spiritual renewal before physical rebuilding.