Naples authorities on Monday embarked on a project to demolish one of the Vele housing blocks that have become notorious symbols of urban decay and organised crime in the southern Italian city. The demolition of the Vela Gialla, in the drug-ridden Scampia suburb to the north of the city, took place in the presence of Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi who hailed it as "a truly beautiful day".

Built between 1962 and 1975 as part of the seven-building Vele (Sails) residential complex, the Vela Gialla formed the backdrop to the hit TV show Gomorrah based on Roberto Saviano's book about the Naples-based Camorra mafia. Four of the seven Vele blocks were demolished between 1997 and 2020, leaving three, including Vela Celeste where three people died and 11 were injured after a walkway collapsed last July.