The Arena Flegrea in the Mostra D'Oltremare in Naples, build, demolished and re-build, a faschinating and unique architectural case-study in contemporary architecture.

The Arena Flegrea in the Mostra D'Oltremare in Naples, built, demolished ad re-built, a fascinating and unique architectural case-study in contemporary architecture. Arch. Barbara Bertoli Ph.D Tecnologo CNR, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale U.O.S , Naples, Italy Via Pietro Castellino, 111 - Tel. 081 6132540 barbara.bertoli@cnr.it key words: modern architecture, preservation, enhancement Abstract: Implementing the works' knowledge which build the trace of the precious cultural heritage of Italian and Neapolitan modern architecture, appears to be the first step towards the enhancement of itself. To this purpose, it looks interesting to have a closer study of the Arena Flegrea, one of the most emblematic architecture works of Neapolitan's contemporary architecture. The Arena is an unique historical study object, and for certain reasons it has to be considered extreme, as it has been built, demolished and re-built in only 50 years by the same author, architect Giulio de Luca, renowned architect in the wide range of the second half of the 20th century's Neapolitan architecture. The Arena, first work of young de Luca, was planned and realized between 1938 and 1940 in the sphere of the works for the realization of the "Prima Mostra Triennale delle Terre Italiane d'Oltremare" (First Triennial Exhibition of the Italian Overseas Lands). Outdoor theatre for the great masses, amongst the greatest in Europe, reviewed by the times' critics as an authentic masterpiece, is located, with the complexity of the incident that lead to its destruction and following reconstruction, in the wider controversy connected to the protection and conservation of the modern architectural masterpieces in Italy. A clear lack of interest towards the conservation of modern architecture showed, during the second half of nineteen-hundreds in Naples and other parts of Italy, several cases of unfortunate demolitions, substitutions or radical modifications of famous and historical architectures. Maybe the lack or insufficient protection of the modern architectural heritage is a cultural problem connected to several factors analyzed more and more often by the insiders and about which we can find a wide reference literature. In this case, the inadequate estimation of the modern architectural heritage by many Neapolitan professionals, for several interests connected to personal profit, speculation and lack of legislation, lead over time the second half of 1900s to the tampering and distortions of many works of modern architecture, whose value has been superficially underestimated. For contemporary society, committed to the appreciation of the role of architecture, the restoration of modern architectural artifacts should be a tout court responsibility, but unfortunately several are the famous cases which demonstrate that this has never happened. Some of the most renowned "crimes" committed to Neapolitan modern architectures have been seen in the Mostra D'Oltremare where, other than the complete cancellation of the Arena Flegrea, designed in 1938 and then substituted with a new version in 2001, Carlo Cocchia's botanic greenhouses have been demolished together with several exhibition pavilions. The happening of the Arena is to be considered an real case-study, the paradigm of the many documents that have been lost and substituted, but at the same time also an unique happening as the demolition of the first version has been confirmed be Giulio de Luca itself, who's been so fortunate with the first version. The demolition, which has been a serious choice as it has deleted forever one of the most representative monuments in the architectural culture of the second half of the 20th century, appears to be paradoxically less serious than other famous destructions as de Luca, now older, has signed a "new " version of the Arena Flegrea that, even if less fascinating than the preceding one, holds in the same way the expertise and the synthesis of his most updated stylistic experimentations. In the following paper, the many versions of the Arena Flegrea will be introduced and studied, artwork wich completely resembles the figure of an architect such as Giulio de Luca, rich of complexity and genius.