America's Cup in Naples: Race Village Opens, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Today at 11am

Naples is preparing for its first major appointment toward the America's Cup 2027: as reported by Repubblica Napoli, today at 11am the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Race Village set up on the waterfront, at the level of the Acquario Anton Dohrn, is scheduled. It is the preview of the Preliminary Race, the regatta that according to Gazzetta dello Sport will bring nine crews on AC40 boats into the water, including Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand.

The Day's Schedule

After the inauguration, the schedule reported by Repubblica provides for training sessions from 4pm to 6pm, while at 6:30pm at Rotonda Diaz the official presentation of the teams to the city is planned, with mayor Gaetano Manfredi, followed by live music until 9pm.

Where the Races Take Place

As Repubblica writes, the races take place in the stretch of sea between Castel dell'Ovo and Posillipo. They do not award points valid for the actual America's Cup, which will take place in May 2027 with the larger AC75 hulls, but serve the teams to define their crews.

What You Can See for Free

As reported by Repubblica, 80,000 people are expected per day, while the Municipality estimates up to 600,000 total attendees over the four days of racing. The public will be able to follow the events from via Caracciolo, where four stands with platforms dedicated to people with disabilities have been set up, as well as two large screens, one on the beach and one near the Rotonda Diaz stage. On the waterfront there is also a photographic exhibition dedicated to Carlo Borlenghi, a historic sailing photographer who passed away last August.

The Transport Challenge

Controversy is not lacking: the USB union, as reported by Repubblica, has denounced the lack of an extraordinary public transport plan during the event, highlighting that Anm would not have invested in increasing staff.