In a bizarre twist of nature, construction of America’s Cup bases in the Italian city of Naples continues unaffected by an earthquake which has displaced thousands of residents in a neighbouring town.
A fortnight after the 4.7 quake in Pozzuoli on July 31, around 2,000 people have been displaced, and 125 buildings evacuated, with locals staging a protest march over their plight.
The team bases and facilities for the mid-2027 event are being built on a former industrial precinct in Bagnoli, west of Naples, on the Gulf of Pozzuoli.
Just 7km further along the coast, Pozzuoli sits in an almost continually active seismic and volcanic area known as the Phlegraean Fields.
Naples was chosen as the venue for the 38th America’s Cup, by the defender Team New Zealand after Italy’s government paid $160m for the hosting rights, with a further $180m of public money to go into groundworks and permanent amenities in Bagnoli.
“There were no injuries to AC or team personnel following the earthquake, and no damage to the team bases currently under construction in Bagnoli. In short, we are completely unscathed,” said the regatta organiser America’s Cup Partnership (ACP).
“For context, earthquakes are a relatively common occurrence in the region, and we are working closely with the Mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, and all host partners to ensure the America’s Cup continues exactly as planned,” ACP told Newsroom.
Life down the road in Pozzuoli is anything but, “as planned”. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, which began shortly before 8pm, 26 people were injured, five admitted to hospital and two were in a critical condition.
The following day a couple escaped injury when a large rock was dislodged from a slope and struck their car.
The quake was the biggest in 40 years, but Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) recorded a 4.4 quake in 2024, and a 4.6 in 2025.
In a swarm of quakes in February 2025, there were more than 500 tremors measured in one day.
Groups of Pozzuoli residents have harangued visiting officials and politicians, and hundreds staged a protest last weekend, demanding a bigger official response, and more help facing the future in the well-known seismic field.
“We’re exhausted, there’s no water, we can’t wash ourselves, we go swimming in the sea to clean ourselves,” one local told Italy’s state television network RAI.
“Everything arrived (after the quakes) in 1983, caravans, assistance, we had everything – but today, nothing,” he said.
The government has responded, providing 6 million Euros of immediate grants, in sums ranging from 400-900 Euros for re-housing costs, and a further 100m Euros to strengthen housing over the next two years.
Other funding is being allocated to repair water networks and other infrastructure.
Bagnoli, home to the America’s Cup, sits on or beyond the fringe of the historically active Phlegraean Fields, which has been studied for centuries due to its mix of volcanic and seismic activity.
The area is a rare example of what is called Bradyseism, which in simple terms is the gradual lifting and falling of ground levels, driven by underground volcanic activity. The Italian government lodged a submission in 2006 with UNESCO, seeking its recognition as a World Heritage Site.
Many residents, particularly in Pozzuoli’s historic centre, had to abandon their homes after upheavals in 1969-72 and 1982-84.
Over the past week some residents are frustrated that while the area’s characteristics have been known and studied for centuries, they feel that they are badly treated by official processes designed to respond to unexpected civil emergencies.
“We’re people who live in our area, and want to continue living there safely – unfortunately we can’t move forward,” one told RAI.
Ten minutes back along the suburban train line to Naples, in Bagnoli the big task of turning a long-abandoned, toxic industrial precinct into an America’s Cup venue, continues.
“We are monitoring developments closely and remain in regular contact with our local partners,” ACP told Newsroom in a statement.
Team New Zealand had finished its Italian summer season of testing their smaller AC40 boats in Naples at the time of the quake, and was unaffected.
A Preliminary regatta using the AC40 foiling monohulls will be held in Naples from September 24, but as planned, will operate from a temporary cup village on the city’s waterfront, while construction continues at Bagnoli towards the main event from May 2027.
A graphic of a 2025 swarm of quakes around Pozzuoli shows the relationship to the America’s Cup area at Bagnoli, circled in purple. (Supplied INGV)
Masonry crushed a parked car in the July 31 quake in Pozzuoli, Naples (Supplied RAI)
Progress in June 2026 as America’s Cup team bases are built on former industrial land in Bagnoli, Naples (Americascup.com)
Work begins in June 2026 on the first base building at the America’s Cup village in Bagnoli, Naples (americascup.com)
