The Mostra d'Oltremare: yesterday, today and tomorrow!

It was officially inaugurated on 9 May 1940 by the Hon. Vincenzo Tecchio, then president of the Mostra, in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III. The "I Mostra Triennale delle Terre Italiane d'Oltremare" (First Triennial Exhibition of Italy's Overseas Territories), however, came to an end just one month later, due to the outbreak of the Second World War and the subsequent bombings that struck it, with 60% of the buildings suffering severe damage.

Just at the beginning of May, it hosted Comicon, the famous comic book exhibition that, for twenty years now, has been held in the exhibition complex, in the heart of Fuorigrotta, drawing thousands of young people from every corner of Campania.

Of course, we're talking about the Mostra d'Oltremare, which has by now become an institution for Neapolitans, hosting events such as the Fiera della casa (Home Fair) and the Fiera del baratto e dell'usato (Swap and Second-Hand Fair).

History

Its long history begins during the Fascist period, in 1937, when it was born as the "Esposizione Tematica Universale" (Universal Themed Exhibition), with the purpose of hosting an event meant to celebrate the political and economic expansion of Fascist Italy across the seas and the so-called "overseas territories"; it was precisely because of its position in the Mediterranean that Naples was chosen.

After much discussion about where to locate it, the Conca Flegrea (Phlegraean Basin) was indeed chosen for its flat terrain, its proximity to the sea and to the archaeological sites of Cuma and Averno, fitting in too with the vision Mussolini had for the city, summed up in the five points of his 1931 speech to the Neapolitans: "Agriculture, Navigation, Industry, Craftsmanship, Tourism".

Building the entire complex, which radically transformed the surrounding urban landscape, took just sixteen months: the final result was 1,000,000 m², 36 exhibition pavilions, an office building, an open-air arena with a capacity of over 10,000 people, two theatres, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, restaurants and cafés, an amusement park, a wildlife park and a tropical aquarium, as well as a pre-existing archaeological site from the Roman era, included within the perimeter.

It was only in 1948 that reconstruction work resumed for the reopening, which took place in 1952, when the "I Mostra Triennale del Lavoro Italiano nel Mondo" (First Triennial Exhibition of Italian Labour in the World) was inaugurated. Unfortunately, the event failed, worsening an already precarious economic situation and leading to the cancellation of all the projects undertaken.

The exhibition was therefore closed once again, giving way, from the 1960s onwards, to a long process of stripping and unauthorised occupation of the spaces, where the displaced people of the 1980 earthquake settled.

Since January 1999, the complex has finally been reborn and, since 2001, it has been run by "Mostra d'Oltremare Spa", a new company jointly owned by the Municipality of Naples, the Campania Region, the Province of Naples and the Naples Chamber of Commerce, setting in motion a programme of redevelopment and enhancement, together with a project of economic and business development.

Today

Today, the complex hosts numerous facilities: among them, the beautiful Fontana dell'Esedra (Exedra Fountain) which, drawing inspiration from the installations at the Reggia di Caserta (Royal Palace of Caserta), is one of the city's monumental fountains, and the Arena Flegrea, now a landmark venue for numerous concerts and festivals, including the Premio Carosone (Carosone Prize).

Furthermore, in the enchanting Fasilides lake, the castle of "Gondar" has been faithfully rebuilt along with its pool, originally from the imperial city of Facil Ghebbì, in Africa.

Finally, the Arena itself is experiencing a period of renewed splendour thanks to the management of entrepreneur Floro Flores, who has made possible the staging of the Noisy Naples Fest, an event that, in this year's edition, will see performances by artists of the calibre of Sting and Noel Gallagher with the Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.