There are many cities capable of hosting major sporting events. Only a handful, however, have a natural setting that can turn a sporting competition into a spectacle embraced by the entire city. Naples is one of them. Framed by the Gulf, its waterfront and the hills that rise above it, the city forms a natural amphitheatre overlooking the racecourse.
From 24 to 27 September, Naples will host the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta, the second stage of the Road to Naples 2027, the journey that will culminate with the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in 2027. Racing will take place in the waters off Lungomare Caracciolo, between Castel dell’Ovo and Rotonda Diaz, bringing the America’s Cup into the visual heart of the city before the arrival of the iconic AC75 in 2027.
One of the features that makes Naples such a spectacular America’s Cup venue is the shape of its Gulf. A broad bay on the Tyrrhenian Sea, stretching between the Phlegraean coastline and the Sorrentine Peninsula, where Mount Vesuvius, a volcanic landscape, the islands and the city’s distinctive skyline combine to create one of the Mediterranean’s most recognisable settings. It is far more than a backdrop. It is a natural stage where sea, landscape and city have coexisted for centuries.
It is within this landscape that Naples has taken shape. Since the foundation of ancient Neapolis, the city has grown by adapting to the natural contours of the land. Its earliest settlement developed on a plateau between the sea and the first hills, while successive centuries saw the urban fabric gradually extend from the waterfront towards the higher ground. As Naples expanded, its relationship with the Gulf was never broken. Instead, it became even stronger, creating an urban landscape where sea and city remain seamlessly connected.
That continuity is still visible today. Along the waterfront, the historic centre, Chiaia, Santa Lucia and Lungomare Caracciolo maintain a direct relationship with the sea. Higher up, Pizzofalcone, the Vomero hill crowned by the Certosa di San Martino, and Posillipo offer entirely different perspectives across the Gulf, creating the succession of viewpoints that gives Naples its naturally dramatic character. These are more than simply panoramic viewpoints; they are the expression of a city whose identity has been shaped both horizontally and vertically.
The city’s historic stairways tell the same story. Naples is often described as an “oblique city”, where staircases, ramps and stepped streets have connected the hills with the coastline for centuries. Routes such as the Pedamentina di San Martino, the Petraio steps and the Gradoni di Chiaia are not simply picturesque features of the urban landscape. They are tangible reminders of how the city learned to embrace its changing levels, turning steep terrain into part of its identity.
Together, these elements make Naples a truly distinctive America’s Cup venue. The racecourse will not simply sit in front of the city; it will be woven into one of the Mediterranean’s most recognisable urban landscapes, where the waterfront and the hills form a single, uninterrupted setting. It is a rare quality for any sailing venue and one that will give the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta its own unmistakable identity.
Naples will offer more than spectacular scenery. The city embraces major sporting occasions with an enthusiasm that spills into its streets, squares and waterfront. The America’s Cup World Series in 2012 and 2013 offered a glimpse of that atmosphere, with an estimated one million spectators gathering along the seafront to watch the racing. That same sense of shared excitement will once again help shape the atmosphere of the Road to Naples 2027.
When racing begins, the Gulf will become the stage. All around it, Naples will naturally form a vast grandstand overlooking the action. It is this unique combination of geography, urban history, waterfront and collective energy that makes the city one of the most spectacular venues in the history of the America’s Cup.
