On the western edge of Naples, the former industrial district of Bagnoli is being rapidly reshaped into the operational heart of the world's oldest international sporting competition. Only months ago the site was dominated by construction machinery and earthworks. Now the structures of the America's Cup team bases are clearly visible, several nearing completion, with the supporting infrastructure taking shape around them.
Progress on site has moved fast. Roads, utilities and services are going in alongside the bases, while the waterfront is being prepared for the enormous technical and logistical demands of a modern America's Cup campaign. Each syndicate needs more than a hangar for its AC75 and AC40 yachts. It needs a proper engineering facility, one capable of supporting design, construction, maintenance and daily operations right through the campaign.
Giacomo Vinci, who is responsible for the engineering management of the infrastructure and facilities for the America's Cup Event, described the operation on a tour of the site. "The America's Cup is a trigger, and in Italy you need a trigger to start everything," he said. "It was maybe a four- or five-year-old project, but just waiting for something to happen, just for it to start. It is a massive thing for the city of Napoli, and not only for the things that we see, but everything that you do not see, new roads, new electricity, new places, and everything will be for Napoli to perform at its best during 2027."
Vinci continued: "What we see here is the whole area of Bagnoli and the hangars for the teams at different stages. Starting from north, we see Emirates Team New Zealand and GB1. Then we see Luna Rossa and Tudor Team Alinghi, La Roche-Posay Racing Team and Team Australia. We currently miss the last hangar, which will be ARC Team USA. So this is a massive job, and my role is trying to coordinate the activities coming, the requests coming from the teams and making a connection to the site."
"What we don't see yet, because the construction has not started yet, is the massive cranes, about 40 to 44 metres tall, which take the boats from the apron area of the hangars to the sea and reverse," he said. "This activity will start in the next week because it has to be coordinated with the concrete pouring of the apron area. You have to wait for four weeks before you can just work on concrete, so everything has to be managed and working together to have the concrete base of the hangars working together with the concrete base of the cranes. It's a massive coordination effort."
Bagnoli is more than temporary event infrastructure. The America's Cup has become a catalyst for accelerating the regeneration of an area that has waited decades for redevelopment following the closure of its heavy industries.
With the Louis Vuitton Cup beginning in May 2027 and the America's Cup Match starting on 10 July, the construction programme has little room for delay. Vinci also pointed to the Race Village and technical areas currently under way. "The public will not have access to the forecourts because you see the sheds are open," he said. "At the back of the bases there will be different activities like simulators and dedicated shops for teams, bars and restaurants, so I think it will be a fantastic experience being here. It will be different because the conception is different. This will be more for technical fans, super fans of the America's Cup, but open to all."
What stands out on the ground is just how fast the landscape is changing. The skeletons of the team bases have quickly turned into recognisable compounds, access routes are appearing, and essential infrastructure is already being embedded across the site.
For anyone who saw Bagnoli before construction began, the contrast is stark. Month by month, and increasingly week by week, a former industrial waterfront is turning into an America's Cup village, with Emirates Team New Zealand's base among those already taking clear shape at the northern end of the site.
Naples 2027 is no longer just a plan on a drawing board. At Bagnoli, it is becoming real, and fast.
