Forte di Vigliena – Memory, Restoration, and Future: An Event for East Naples

Saturday June 13 2026, Hall of the Workshops of the San Carlo Theatre, in the former Cirio factories in Vigliena, will host a public awareness day dedicated to the valorisation and recovery of the Forte di Vigliena, one of the most important and at the same time most neglected historical sites in eastern Naples. The initiative is titled "Forte di Vigliena – Memory, Restoration, and the Future" and intertwines history, environment, rights, and civic participation to bring attention to one of the most symbolic places in the Eastern Area of ​​the city.

The Vigliena Fort is not just a monument. It is a piece of collective memory linked to the Neapolitan Republic of 1799, when young idealists—inspired by the principles of the French Revolution—sacrificed themselves for the republican ideal. A momentous occasion in Neapolitan and Italian history, which today returns to the center of public debate.

The tone of the event is anything but purely celebratory. The strength of the message lies precisely in the contradiction The organizers wish to highlight this: the Fort is a symbol of republican resistance and the defense of fundamental principles, yet it stands in an area marked by decades of pollution, land use, and environmental problems. Memory thus becomes a tool for interpreting the present and demanding a more just future for the Eastern Area.

Objectives of the initiative

The event has three main objectives:

• Remembering the historical value of the Fort of Vigliena, symbol of the Neapolitan Republic of 1799;
• Discuss possible interventions of recovery and restoration of the monument;
• Involving institutions, universities, associations and citizens in the future of the eastern area of ​​Naples.

The historical context: the Fort, not the Fortino

The organizers would like to point out a detail that is far from secondary: we are talking about High, not Fortino. A lexical choice intended to reiterate the symbolic and historical value of the place. The history of the Fort is linked to the Neapolitan Republic of 1799 and its defenders, young, cultured, driven by the ideals of freedom and equality. An episode that marked the history not only of Naples but of Italy as a whole.

Already in 1891, the Honorable Matteo Imbriani Poerio he presented a bill consisting of a single article: “Fortino Vigliena is declared a national monument”In his speech to Parliament, he denounced the concrete risk of the Fort being sold and transformed into an oil depot. A battle that has lasted over a century, and which today is reignited with renewed awareness.

The program of the day

The appointment is for 10:00 at Hall of the Workshops of the San Carlo Theatre, in the former Cirio factories in Vigliena. The first part of the morning will be dedicated to cultural and historical insights.

10:00 a.m. — Cultural and historical insights

The morning opens with a reading by the actor Domenico Ingenito taken from the play "On the order and disorder of the former public slaughterhouse" di Enzo Moscato.

To follow, the historical report by Professor Anna Maria Rao of the University of Naples Federico II, on the topic “The Neapolitan Republic of 1799: Ideals and Memory”.

The following then intervenes: Dr. Giorgia Scognamiglio, researcher, with a speech on the themes of environmental and land justice, which links the historical memory of the Fort to the environmental problems of the Eastern Area of ​​Naples.

Institutional interventions

Representatives of the institutions and the academic world then took the floor:

• Laura Lieto, Deputy Mayor of Naples
• Eliseo Cuccaro, President of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea Port System Authority
• Renata DeLorenzo, President of the Neapolitan Society of National History
• Pius Vincenzo Feola, ABC Naples
• Alessandro Fucito, President of the VI Municipality
• Sergio MarottaSuor Orsola Benincasa University

Interventions, observations and proposals from the members are also expected. territorial committees and participating associations.

12:30 PM — At the Vigliena Fort: symbolic and informative activities

All 12:30 the program moves directly to the Forte di Vigliena (Stradone Vigliena), where symbolic and informative activities are planned:

• Throwing flowers in the Piazza d'Armi, a commemorative gesture dedicated to the memory of the place;
• Inauguration of a QR Code linked to a web page dedicated to the history of the Fort, edited by the Gioco Immagini e Parole Association;
• Exhibition on the Vigliena Fort created by students of the Faculty of Engineering at Federico II University, directed by Professor Flavia Fascia, in collaboration with the ACLI Cultural Heritage Club;
• Cultural and recreational initiatives dedicated to Neapolitan tradition, curated by the association “Il Mondo che Vorrei”;
• Open space for proposals and interventions by associations and committees.

An unprecedented civic mobilization

From the event's poster it is clear that this is not a simple academic conference, but a civic and cultural mobilization Very broad. Among the promoters are dozens of local and national organizations, including:

• Neapolitan Society of Homeland History
• FAI Naples
• Italia Nostra
• Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies
• Archeoclub Naples
• ACLI
• ANPI Eastern Naples
• ABC Naples
• Numerous territorial committees of San Giovanni a Teduccio, Barra and East Naples

Active memory for a sustainable future

The message of the event is clear: the Forte di Vigliena It should not be considered just a historical ruin, but a heritage to be recovered and reintroduced in the cultural and social life of East Naples. The initiative combines historical memory, territorial protection, and a political proposal for the monument's recovery.

The resistance evoked by the Vigliena Fort continues today through the request for land reclamation, environmental protection, and the construction of an innovative development model that respects fundamental rights. An unmissable event for those who believe that memory can become a driver of change.