The buildings of the Neapolitan neighborhood Scampia are rising

Naples - In the Neapolitan suburb of Scampia, which has gained public attention in recent years due to the series Gomorrah about the local mafia, the demolition of three more high-rise buildings has begun. The suburb aims to rid itself of its past, notoriously intertwined with organized crime, wrote The Local.

The high-rise buildings are referred to as Le vele (the sails) due to their unusual shape, and the first three were demolished between 1997 and 2003. The complex was built in the northern part of Naples in the 1960s and 70s according to the project of architect Franz Di Salva. He has been involved in social housing since 1945 and designed a combination of two types of houses for the Neapolitan suburb - towers and the aforementioned "sails".

Since the 1980s, the complex has become a symbol of poverty and decay. In Italy and beyond, Scampia has become infamous as a stronghold of the Neapolitan mafia Camorra. In recent years, the unusually shaped buildings gained notoriety thanks to the popular series Gomorrah. The show is based on the bestseller by Neapolitan native Roberto Saviano and describes the story of the Neapolitan mafia and how organized crime affects the suburb and Naples itself.

Concrete blocks laced with asbestos and surrounded by no man's land full of trash dominated the northern part of Naples for five decades. Activists have tried to clean up the location's reputation and its image in the media, and in recent years, conditions have indeed improved. Nevertheless, many locals paradoxically wish for the buildings' disappearance the most. Before the demolition began, supporters, along with Neapolitan mayor Luigi de Magistris, unfurled a banner reading "The fight ended with victory. Goodbye".

No explosives will be used during the demolition; authorities opted for a slower method - special demolition machines will dismantle the concrete structures with pincers.

Only one of the buildings will be preserved from the complex, which will be occupied by the local municipality. The redevelopment of the area will include new roads, parks, and a network of public services.