Naples, the Scandone swimming pool and the red thread that started with the Universiade

Ernesto Testa, who was he? A semi-serious, or terribly serious, story of an Italian mystery. Ernesto Testa was a worker who had the privilege and honor of diving in December 1982 into the "Scandone", which had been closed for ten and a half years. One of the many Neapolitan scandals. The photograph with a car in the pool will go down in history, abandoned, destroyed, a bit like the Mario Argento sports hall is today. Built in 1963, when it hosted the Mediterranean Games, renovated in the 80s, the "Scandone" represents for what it is of its kind - for size, capacity and morphology of the "architecture of water" - a heritage of Naples. Felice Scandone, from Avellino, first goalkeeper of the Naples football team. He coached Napoli at the end of the 20s; he then founded and directed the tri-weekly "Mezzogiorno Sportivo". He is also remembered for having directed the first official radio commentary of Napoli football. And the facility that became dilapidated in the 70s before a long closure and reopening in '82 is named after him.

They have made it, and make it their home, Posillipo, Canottieri, Acquachiara, Rari Nantes, Cesport and all the Neapolitan water polo teams. During the XXX edition of the Naples Universiade, the "revolution", complete with restyling: new pool covered by a tensile structure, new lighting and air conditioning system, new Scandone, the Posillipo vault that won us Champions Cups and championships. Scandone is now a jewel, it carries with it the good times of the past - two Champions League Final Fours (1997 and 1999), two Euroleague finals (2005 and 2010), one Euro Cup (2015) - and what it has returned to being. The International Swimming League, with the swimming champions of Tokyo 2021, starting with Federica Pellegrini, and the swimming and water polo competitions of the Universiade. Meanwhile, the Italian national open water swimming team has made the Gulf its natural habitat and many of the world medalists train in what is now a Federal Technical Center of Excellence according to an agreement between the Italian Swimming Federation and the Municipality of Naples, which started the renovation project. Scandone is the jewel in the crown with the women's national water polo team coached by Carlo Silipo who prepared for the Paris Olympics in Naples. And on Sundays, thousands of children in the stands for regional and interregional competitions. There is a future...