Naples reclaims its sea: five hundred people gather at the lighthouse for the festival's premiere.

Naples — Over five hundred people crowded the Molo San Vincenzo for the debut of the second edition of the "Al Faro Festival," the festival that transforms one of the city's most evocative and historically inaccessible locations into a captivating open-air theater. Under the artistic direction of Laura Valente, this year's edition focuses on the sea: memory, departures, arrivals, and, above all, hope.

The grand opening was attended by a large number of cultural institutions and figures: Mayor Gaetano Manfredi and Tourism Councilor Teresa Armato were joined by Regional Culture Councilor Ninni Cutaia, City Councilor for Digital Transition Valerio Di Pietro, MEP Lucia Annunziata, and Capodimonte Museum Director Eike Schmidt.

"The Lighthouse is a place of the soul for Neapolitans: it conveys the sense of an international Naples capable of looking beyond the horizon without losing its identity."

— Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples

"Our goal," added the mayor, "is to continue to open up the San Vincenzo Pier to the city, restoring to residents and tourists an extraordinary space that has remained closed for too long."

A concept echoed by Councilor Teresa Armato, who emphasized the site's symbolic value: "We are between the lighthouse and the statue of San Gennaro. The sea has brought civilization and culture to Naples, but it is also the place from which so many Neapolitans departed. In a historical moment marked by war and migration, the sea must once again represent hope."

The stage debut: words, tango and memory
The opening night was hosted by writer Maurizio De Giovanni with his show "El Mar De Dios." An emotional journey inspired by Diego Armando Maradona's famous "goal of the century," it celebrated the visceral bond between Naples and Argentina.

"Let's talk about the Mediterranean, a sea that should be a bridge and a place of celebration, but too often it has become a source of pain," De Giovanni declared from the stage. "We must restore its welcoming nature. For me, the sea is home; it's this city's passport."

The performance intertwined the writer's words with the piano music of Gloria Campaner and the bandoneon of Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, blending Neapolitan tradition with the compositions of Gardel and Piazzolla. Completing the performances were soprano Nadezhda Nesterova, the dancers of the Balletto di Roma, and the visual impact of the works of Roxy in the Box, who created the image of Maradona alongside iconic reinterpretations of San Gennaro and the Siren.

The participatory work
Finally, at the entrance to the pier, spectators were greeted by an installation by Ivan Tresoldi, a visual poet and leading figure in Italian street poetry. His "forest of letters," tied together by red threads, transformed the pier into a collective workshop: an invitation to leave a message, a voice, or a story destined to grow throughout the festival, just like the sea that flows alongside it.