Scampia is the name of a small rural village, which fell within the nearby municipality of Secondigliano. Some remains of a Roman villa survive as evidence of the original agricultural vocation. It was, in fact, a land rich in fruit trees, especially walnuts and apples. The first modern residential nucleus dates back to the second post-war period, but the real building boom took place only in the twenty years of the 70s and 90s (over 80% of the buildings date back to that period), when the neighborhood was established as the 21st district of Naples. Since 2006 it has been part of the VIII Municipality of the Municipality of Naples together with the neighboring districts of Piscinola-Marianella and Chiaiano. Scampia was built as a
commuter town in the 1960s. The area was mostly developed in the 1970s and 1980s with huge, high-rise residential blocks, in particular after the 1980 earthquake with construction of housing in the area called "167" for displaced Neapolitans. Huge apartment complexes, wide boulevards and a massive park were built, without commercial districts or entertainment venues. Many people, however, were not placed in Scampia because of the problems caused by the earthquake. They occupied house in different buildings of the neighbourhood, in particular many houses in the "Vele". That was especially due to the
Camorra crime syndicate, that took control of the "Vele" and turned them into their own space in which drugs could be sold or hidden from the police. Large metal gates on some of the walkways and stairs in the blocks of flats have been put there, not by the council, but by the Camorra itself, so they can be locked by drug pushers as they flee the police. With over 50% unemployment, the area had in fact a very high crime rate, with
heroin (including its low-grade form,
kobret) and
cocaine sold, and used openly, in the streets. Scampia was also the territory of the
Di Lauro clan, which controlled the drug trade and most other illegal activities in the area. In 2004 a bloody
gang war erupted in the area, the so-called
Scampia feud, between the Di Lauro family and a breakaway faction, the "
secessionists". The death of an innocent woman,
Gelsomina Verde, caused widespread public revulsion and led to a major crackdown by the authorities. She was abducted, brutally beaten in an effort to get her to disclose the whereabouts of a gang member involved in the feud, and finally shot in the neck. Her body was stuffed in a car that was set on fire. Although most of the services are of a public nature (Municipality, Local Health Authority, UTB), even associations in the form of committees have taken root in the culture of the neighbourhood: for the house, for the felling of the Sails, for the LSU and for the Bros. In addition to these, there are the actors of the voluntary sector and the third sector who have activated various services for the prevention and fight against marginalization such as, for example, the "Arci Scampia" football school, the "Finestra adolescents" project and the "Aizo" association for the social integration of nomadic populations. Furthermore, on 3 January 2006, the Iervolino junta established "Napolinord", the urban transformation company with a share capital of 500 million euros. In 2008, with the help of European funds, many projects were presented with the intention of improving the area. First of all, one of the headquarters' of the Medical Department of the
University of Naples Federico II. Moreover, in 2010 many military forces have been placed outside the subway station of "Piscinola" and also in the vicinity of the "Vele" in order to offer more security to the area. In 2016 many residents that lived in the "Vele" started being placed in the new buildings erected in an area close to the station, in order to carry on the project of demolishing them, in order to also eliminate the symbol of Camorra. The project that has allowed this relocation has been actually named "Restart Scampia". The Scampia university complex was inaugurated in October 2022, located in Viale della Resistenza in a circular building. The structure houses the three-year and master's courses for the health professions of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery with the degree courses in Nutrition and Dietetics. == Geography ==