Naples – An open-air gym by the sea, public and completely free: it is “Mappatella Gym”, the area set up with sports equipment on the beach of Round Diaz, on the seafront di Napoli.
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This morning the equipped space was officially delivered to Mayor Gaetano Manfredi by the Marinelli-Gaeta Foundation and the 100×100 Naples association, which financed and implemented the project thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of Naples.
Also present at the initiative were the councilors for Infrastructure and Mobility, Edoardo Cosenza, for Sport and Equal Opportunities, Emanuela Ferrante, and for Health and Green, Vincenzo Santagada.
The project was born from the desire to make sport accessible to all, transforming one of the most popular places in Naples into a center of aggregation and well-being. Mappatella Gym represents a model of social inclusion through sport, offering free professional equipment in a unique context on the Neapolitan seafront.
Mayor Manfredi: “Mappatella Gym is more beautiful than Rio de Janeiro”
According to Manfredi, “Mappatella Gym is more beautiful than Rio de Janeiro. Having public sports facilities on the waterfront – he added – is a further step towards ensuring free use and I see that there are hundreds of people who use this infrastructure. We will also try to replicate these projects in other parts of the city.
We are implementing the synergy between the public and private sectors in many things: from the management of green areas to the possibility of having free-to-use public sports facilities. An excellent collaboration is being created thanks to many operators who are giving a hand to the city. But a city with well-equipped public areas also requires the collaboration of citizens who must respect these spaces”.
Councilor Cosenza recalled that "Mappatella Beach is now an iconic beach for Neapolitans and we are trying to improve it little by little. Since last year in the summer season we have been providing platforms, umbrellas, showers and bathrooms.
From today, all year round, thanks to the patrons of 100X100 Naples, you can play sports like on the seafronts of the world, from Barcelona to Tel Aviv. A great initiative for Neapolitans, and it is also nice to see that there are private individuals who decide to invest their resources for the city”.
Councilor Ferrante stated: “A beautiful thing is being created, for which I thank those who made themselves available to make it happen. With this open-air field on the sea, Naples is increasingly European and I am sure that it will gather a lot of consensus. This is also a way to do sports and be together, not necessarily in large facilities, and it is part of the realization of Naples European Capital of Sport 2026”.
With this initiative, Santagada concluded, "we continue along the path of public-private partnership, in this case with the association 100×100 Naples and the commitment of several entrepreneurs. I believe this is the path to follow, always with the central coordination of the Administration".
Article published on 24 February 2025 - 13:50
It is a great initiative that can bring many benefits to the community but I have some doubts about how the equipment will be managed in the long term. I hope that it will not be damaged quickly and that citizens respect public spaces.