On the eve of glory, Naples holds its breath but already celebrates
The streets of the city were teeming with people. Tourists mingled with the celebrations of locals who filled the atmosphere with anticipation and waited for the final explosion of glory.
Laura hitchhiked to Naples from Bologna, where she was on holiday. She, a 39-year-old Argentine who grew up with the cult of Diego Armando Maradona, decided to arrive in the city where he became eternal so as not to miss a unique moment.
"The passion I have for Maradona made me think I could not miss such an opportunity, and once I talked to some friends who live here, I said I had to be in Naples this weekend," said Laura, who with a friend decided to hitchhike, given the prices of a train from Bologna to Naples.
"We managed to get to a service station near Rome after catching a lift from a truck. Then we did the last leg by regional train. I couldn't miss this party."
She is staying on a couch with some friends, who couldn't resist receiving the impromptu guests.
Naples has been waiting for exactly 33 years for this day. More precisely, since that April when the Azzurri defeated Lazio and mathematically won their second ever Scudetto.
If back then it was Maradona, today it is the team's triumph, as reiterated by a group of people sitting at a table in the typical Forcella neighbourhood.
"Diego was an extraterrestrial. No-one else will be like him. At the time Napoli won because he was in the team, but today it is the victory of a group."
The atmosphere of joy and jubilation can be felt in every corner of the city. If walking through the streets of the Decumani, Forcella, Vasto and the Quartieri Spagnoli is already arduous in normal times, on the weekend when Napoli could officially celebrate its third title, the crowds are four times bigger than usual.
To reach the historic mural depicting Maradona in Via Emanuele De Deo, one has to scramble and dribble through the crowd. Among those present, apart from Laura, were other Argentines from Spain and other places around the world.
One of them, Gunter, is staying in Pompeii because he couldn't find a place in the city. But he, a fan of Argentinos Juniors, Maradona's first team, doesn't care: "It's enough for me to stay here. I can travel on foot."
After all, the Neapolitans' pilgrimage to Pompeii to ask for a pardon is something of a historic event, and many might decide to walk the 24km that separates the capital from the region's most important sanctuary in the event of a victory.
Tourists from all over Europe and the world joined locals in singing and dancing, with foreigners trying to communicate with those who have been running informal stalls for decades. The understanding was in gestures, because some of the local operators barely speak standard Italian, while English is only used by some of the youngsters.
Now, though, the only language that is needed is that of joy, the joy of a festive atmosphere that has been settling in the city's alleys for weeks and is now approaching its final climax.
The atmosphere was teeming with enthusiasm, firecrackers could be heard bursting everywhere and smoke could be glimpsed. The fans' choruses followed one another, while the mood seemed to be that of New Year's Eve, a moment when cars are kept in garages and the streets are fully occupied by the people.
Because the party belongs to the people, to the children who play innocently in the streets and hardly know what is happening, and to the elderly who have lived through the golden era when they populated the stands of the then San Paolo stadium.
It was a Saturday that, despite some rain and grey skies, was made serene by the people, people who have been waiting for this event for 33 years, after holding their breath to no end.
It was a Saturday in the city, a city that acts as if the waiting itself is the celebration. On Sunday, it will be another day, perhaps historic.
