The work is finished. The newly restored Largo Maradona is now awaiting the final bureaucratic formalities before its official reopening, which is expected within days, with Mayor Gaetano Manfredi and other guests in attendance.
Those behind the project had hoped to open the site around the mural on Via Emanuele De Deo, in the Spanish Quarter, on 30 October, to mark Diego’s 66th birthday. But a few permits are still outstanding. The ribbon-cutting ceremony, as mentioned, is now just days away.
In the meantime, fans, tourists and admirers will still make their pilgrimage to the mural to celebrate the birthday of El Diez, as Maradona was affectionately known.
The PegaOnda musical march, backed by the Second Municipal District and local associations, will also pass through the neighbourhood’s streets.
The square on Via De Deo remains closed to the public, although its new look is already visible from outside.
The recently completed works followed an administrative process to regularise the site's status with the city council and Chamber of Commerce, following a police raid.
The aim was to turn Italy’s second most visited site, known around the world since the spontaneous gathering following Diego’s death on 25 November 2020, into a privately owned area for public use.
The renovation was undertaken by the site’s operators, including Antonio Esposito, known as “Bostik”, of La Bodega de Dios, one of the people behind the original mural in 1990.
The €150,000 project was funded by sponsor Idir Group, owned by the Monzeglio family. The plans, approved by the heritage authorities, were drawn up by architect Giuseppe Klain, who created the iconic portrait of Maradona inside a fingerprint.
That image now takes pride of place in Largo Maradona, alongside two new kiosks painted yellow and blue, the colours of Boca Juniors, Maradona’s former Argentine club.
There are also panels telling Diego’s story and celebrating his “Goal of the Century” against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, as well as colourful lighting system, benches, flower planters, new paving, portraits of El Pibe de Oro and a small shrine displaying memorabilia donated over the years by football legends and fans.
Working with Napoli Servizi, the city council has installed bollards beside the square to prevent scooters from parking there and repaired potholes in the stone paving — another sign that the inauguration is approaching.
The final part of the makeover was completed in recent days: a mural by Argentine artist Ezequiel Brisenio and the collective Muro Sur.
“Un sueño cumplido. De Fiorito a Nápoles” — “A dream come true. From Fiorito to Naples” — reads the inscription accompanying the work.
It depicts Diego as a child during his impoverished childhood in the Villa Fiorito neighbourhood, alongside a portrait of Maradona wearing Napoli’s sky-blue shirt during the years when the club won its two league titles and the UEFA Cup.
The Muro Sur painting has already proved popular with visitors to Largo Maradona. But opinions remain divided over the restoration of the original mural of El Diez, which was repainted in 2016 and has now been given a fresh coat of paint against a grey background, standing out sharply against the building’s peeling wall.
“You wouldn’t think it was nearly 40 years old. It has lost its historical character,” says a German tourist.
“And you can no longer see the banners and other murals created over the years, including the one commemorating his free-kick against Juventus, with its seemingly impossible trajectory,” adds Antonio, a Neapolitan in his thirties.
Others are in favour of the restoration.
“The wall was falling apart. A place that has helped revive the Spanish Quarter and ranks second in Italy for visitor numbers needed a makeover. I’m convinced it will be even more attractive now,” says a resident of Via De Deo.
Despite some initial scepticism, there is plenty of support for the restoration among residents of the Spanish Quarter.
“The spirit of this place will always remain the same: magical, spontaneous and rooted in the people. Largo Maradona belongs to everyone, and it always will,” say people at a nearby café.
Anticipation is growing as the reopening approaches.
This article was reviewed by an external translation partner