Above the rooftops of Naples
The track in the “Parco Virgiliano”, an old, terraced park set in the hills of the Italian port city of Naples, is certainly one of the most beautiful sports venues in Europe. The view far out and over the Gulf of Naples, the Amalfi coast, Vesuvius and the city of Naples is particular breathtaking. The picturesque Parco Virgiliano owes its name to the Roman poet Virgil, who was born in the year 70 BC and whose tomb is located in the park.
With a natural grass field, the athletics facility has been serving the “Virgilian Athletics” club as a training venue for about 40 years. It is situated on a plateau with cliffs dropping down to the sea on three sides. On the coast side there is an uncovered spectator stand, while several buildings are located on the land side.
In June 2019 the six-lane track was retopped with the high-tech Rekortan M synthetic surface from Polytan. The colour chosen was a classic brick red, which harmonises expressively with the intensive green shades of the surrounding hill and the blue shades of the Mediterranean. For the Polytan team, the challenges associated with the resurfacing of the tartan track lay both in the short installation period of just 21 days and in the fact that the historic, archaeologically influenced environment required a sensitive approach and logistics, but they were able to overcome both supremely well.
