Naples – Barely had the marble's new splendor been inaugurated before incivility had already presented its bill. The Galleria Umberto I, Naples' monumental heart, woke up Monday morning transformed into an open-air landfill.
The elegant geometry of the recently renovated pavement, which has been handed over to the public, stands out in stark contrast to the piles of cardboard boxes, glasses, and food scraps left on the ground by weekend visitors.
The carpet of degradation
The complaint, filed by a group of exasperated residents, landed on the desk of MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli (Green-Left Alliance), accompanied by an unequivocal photographic dossier.
The images show the access stairs and the main body of the Galleria buried under waste from local fast food restaurants. It's not just paper and plastic: the state of the marble surfaces is worrying, already deeply stained by drippings of sauces and organic residues that risk permanently damaging the recently completed work.
"Is it possible that with pavement redone just a few days ago, we must already return to this state of total decay?" the residents ask in their report.
Borrelli's attack: "Zero tolerance"
Francesco Emilio Borrelli, a longtime advocate for urban decorum, quickly responded. The MP pointed the finger at the systematic disrespect for the city's historical and artistic heritage, calling for a robust response that goes beyond simple post-event cleanup.
"It's unacceptable that one of Naples' symbols is reduced to a garbage dump every Sunday," Borrelli declared. "We need severe penalties for those who litter, but also accountability on the part of the businesses that generate these huge customer flows."
Security and video surveillance plan
The demands put forward by residents and supported by the MP are clear: to prevent redevelopment efforts from being undermined in a matter of weeks, a radical change in public order management is needed.
Permanent presence: Presence of law enforcement or local police during critical nightlife hours.
Electronic eye: Enhanced video surveillance to identify and fine those who abandon waste.
Extraordinary cleaning: A coordinated plan that goes into action immediately after weekend peaks.
The risk, the signatories of the complaint emphasize, is that administrative inertia will once again transform the Galleria into a free zone, returning it to the decline from which, with huge investments, it was laboriously trying to emerge.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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