Naples' Al Faro Festival opens with 500+ spectators at San Vincenzo Pier

The second edition of the Al Faro Festival launched at Naples’ historic San Vincenzo pier, attracting more than 500 attendees. Under artistic director Laura Valente, the 2026 programme is dedicated to the sea as a space of memory, departure and hope. Mayor Gaetano Manfredi called the lighthouse “a place of the soul for Neapolitans” and highlighted its role in connecting the city to the wider world. The opening show, “El Mar De Dios” by writer Maurizio De Giovanni, linked the legacy of Diego Maradona with Mediterranean culture, featuring music by Gardel and Piazzolla alongside Neapolitan traditions. The event was attended by regional culture officials Ninni Cutaia, tourism councillor Teresa Armato, digital‑transition councillor Valerio Di Pietro, EU parliamentarian Lucia Annunziata, and museum director Eike Schmidt, who all praised the festival’s aim to transform the lighthouse into a shared, living cultural space.