Wikimania 2013 bids/Naples

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Wikimania 2013 candidate cities:

Final Candidate Cities: Hong Kong | London

Other Candidate Cities: Surakarta | Bristol | Naples

Why us[edit]

Wikipedia motto is “Be bold”, and we decided to be the boldest of all.

We candidate Naples as hosting town for Wikimania 2013 out of our hearts, more than our brains. We are a small group, heterogeneous, we never did something like this as a team before. We have not great funding sponsors, we have not a long wikimedian experience, none of us went to a Wikimania before. In Southern Italy, the Wikimedian community is underrepresented at best, donations to Wikimedia Foundation are negligible, and we cannot show any successful track in organizing wikimedian events.

But where others see uncertainty and void, we see opportunity.

Despite our apparent limitations, in these few months, we managed to involve the Mayor of our city in the Wikimania project and attract important service sponsors and prominent keynote speakers, that we hope will make Wikimania Naples 2013 an unforgettable event.

When in Naples, you will find the students and professors of five universities, almost three millennia of history, art and culture, and communities from all the places. Our dream is making Wikimedians and GLAM members of the first ones, WLM items of the second ones, and WMF donors of the third ones.

It is 2.700 years that Neapolitans welcome the world in their town.

Let us welcome you all.

Conference venue[edit]

Stazione Marittima (primary)[edit]

The Stazione Marittima

The Stazione Marittima, the cruise terminal of Naples, has been chosen as primary conference location. Placed in the very center of the city, it lies in proximity to the Maschio Angioino castle, and within walking distance from both Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace and its garden. The Stazione Marittima holds a 600 seats main room, plus five smaller rooms, capable of 90-280 seats each. Further to the congress rooms, there is an internal area where to spend time between sessions. Congressual facilities already present in place include: real-time translation facilities, videoprojectors, wireless connection, catering service. Contacts: Mr. Vincenzo Cocozza, Congress Area Commercial Manager (v.cocozza@terminalnapoli.it). Tel: +39 081 5514448; Fax: + 39 081 5519588; Fax Congress Area: +39 081 5514473.

A Stazione Marittima brochure, describing the structure, its facilities and services with photos of the internal spaces, is available for download (in English and Italian).

Other locations (alternative)[edit]

In case the Stazione Marittima would not be available for any reason, Castel dell'Ovo has been individuated as secondary location. The castle, in the disponibility of the City of Naples' administration, is in the center of the town, directly on the sea. Within walking distance from the castle, the Naples' City Garden (Villa Comunale) with the ancient Aquarium is easily reachable. Via Calabritto, Piazza dei Martiri and Chiaia, the most elegant streets of Naples, are also within 10 minutes walk.

The Castel dell'Ovo

We are currently discussing with the City of Naples about the possibility of obtaining Castel dell'Ovo or another historical building, for free, in order to save investments by WMF. In case of success, we reserve to move Castel dell'Ovo to the role of primary conference location. The castle holds a total of five congress rooms, with capacity between 150 and 250 seats each.

Accommodation[edit]

In Naples are available all sorts of accommodation types, from luxury 5 stars+ hotels to hostels.

Moving from a cost-containment standpoint, we choose to concentrate our research for candidature process on bed&breakfast and Youth Hostels typology only, while maintaining our disponibility to find accomodations in 3 stars+ hotels when asked from participants. As stated in his letter of support (see further in this page), the Mayor of Naples Luigi De Magistris gave us his disponibility to have a dialogue with hotel managers for negotiating discounted prices when this would be esteemed necessary.

A list of budget structures in Naples is presented hereinafter:

Event[edit]

Program outline[edit]

Hackathon Conference Public Talks Evening Entertainment
Wednesday 24 Jul 2013 Satellite Rooms
Thursday 25 Jul 2013 Satellite Rooms
Friday 26 Jul 2013 Satellite rooms + Main Auditorium Pietrarsa Railroad Museum Participants Dinner
Saturday 27 Jul 2013 Satellite rooms + Main Auditorium Main Auditorium Palazzo Reale Sponsors Dinner
Sunday 28 Jul 2013 Satellite rooms + Main Auditorium Main Auditorium


Keynote speakers[edit]

We currently are in advanced stage of discussion with the following individuals (2 confirmed, 1 probable):

  • David Orban entrepreneur, visionary, and analyst of the global high technology landscape.
David is Chief Executive Officer of dotSUB, a company producing a platform that powers captions and translations as subtitles in any language in online videos to remove barriers to multi-cultural communications. Among its different applications, dotSUB powers the multi-language subtitles system underlying TED Conference videos.
Together with Tim O'Reilly, Lawrence Lessig, and others, David is one of the founders of the Open Government Working Group. He also spoke at the Italian Parliament about open government data policies in December 2008, calling for a wider adoption of transparent policies, and accountability, criticizing current legislation about freedom of information.
He is also an Advisor and member of the Faculty of the Singularity University, the founder and director of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence Europe, and former Chairman, and a Director of Humanity+.
  • Colonel Umberto Rapetto, Commander, Cybercrime Unit (GAT) of Guardia di Finanza, the Italian Financial Crime Police.
An Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, as Commander of GAT, he led to definitive sentence the cybercriminals attacking Pentagon and NASA websites. Author of about one hundred publications and books, he teaches "Digital investigation techniques" in the Master in "Forensic Criminology" Istituto Cattaneo University (LIUC) Castellanza; "Open Source Intelligence" at the NATO School in Oberammergau (Germany); and "Security in telecommunications networks" the Faculty of Engineering, University of Genoa.
An Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, and a Bocconi University and INSEAD graduate, Ugo started-up EBay in Italy, successively becoming its Head of Trust & Safety. He also was General manager of Protect Veritas, a company delivering trademark & copyright protection in the web space. As Policy Officer at EGNOS/Galileo Program (the European GPS system), he is currently the focal point for implementation of the South Africa-EU Strategic Partnership on aspects related to satellite navigation. He also follows the international aspects of satellite navigation programmes in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Conference Themes[edit]

The definitive program's track will be depending by the inputs of the participants to the conference, but some of the aspects we would like to touch are as it follows.

GLAM[edit]

  • WLM: Italy has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but on 2011 it was not able to participate in Wiki Loves Monuments because of a law which is limiting the freedom of freely sharing images of monuments and cultural sites. Other countries across the world are in the same situation, and this is a serious obstacle to the free circulation of culture, a fundamental aspect of mutual understanding among people. During Wikimania 2013 in Naples, we want to involve representants from local Cultural Sites Management Authorities, and elicit discussion about how other countries resolved the contrast between the need of having monuments and cultural sites preserved, and the free fruition of these resources.
  • GLAMATHON: In order to make of Wikimania an event which is tangibly enriching the town when it is hold, we aim to organize an initiative we call GLAMATHON. In assonance with Hackathon, we coinceive GLAMATHON as Wikimedians to spend time before, during and after the conference in order to bring into Wikimedia projects (local Wikipedias, Commons, Wikiquote, etc.) the town where the event is hold. The Wikimania Naples 2013 Team aims to put on disposition of participants refined versions in English of the Wikipedia voices relative to the most notable cultural resources of Naples, so that they can be translated to any language. A separate list of stubs to be enriched will be also furnished, and used to launch a real-time, collaborative session of Wikipedia voices redaction in English. Once destubbed, the voices will be also translated into the other languages. We also plan to launch a contest among wikiphotographers, with the aim to capture professional images of Naples' monuments, that can be shared on Commons to enrich the newly-created voices.

Global South[edit]

  • Holding Wikimania in Naples gives the rare occasion for people from Global South, with particular reference to African countries, to get in contact with other Wikimedians, share their views and get inputs about how to better develop Wikimedia projects in their home countries. We would like to dedicate a specific trace of discussion to this priority in the framework of the Increase Reach Priority individuated in the context of the Strategic Plan 2010-2015.

Cross-cultural issues in Wikipedia[edit]

  • Objectivity and NPOV is one of the main pillars of Wikipedia redaction, and one of the most contentious things to obtain. This is particularly true, for example, when dealing with the redaction of voices regarding conflicts between different nations. We would like that a part of discussions would be dedicated to find common strategies for smoothing conflicts and enabling objective discussions between users.

Cultural event: Archeological Museum, Herculaneum, Pompeii[edit]

We are aiming to organize a guided tour to the Museo Archeologico or Herculaneum or Pompeii archeological site. Also other prominent Naples' landmarks can be considered for a visit. In order to select the most suitable one, we'll launch a website-based votation among all the participants before the event, so that the selected site encounters the maximum of favour. In parallel, we aim to prepare a number of materials which could enable a fruitful visit of the chosen location. We are also aiming to develop a dedicated App dedicated to the relevant site. Ideally, we want to dedicate to this visit the Friday morning, so that all the participants can have the occasion to be there.

Legacy: dotWiki, Wikimania in any language[edit]

By leveraging the partnership and support offered by dotSUB, we are aiming to build a resource which brings the Wikimania Conference to any Wikimedian in the world, and makes it accessible to the general public. We feel that this project could strongly support the Expanding Reach priority of the ongoing Strategic Plan. Our aim is building up a videoportal where all the videos of presentations hold in Wikimania could be hosted. By using the dotSUB technology, we can produce subtitles for the videos in any language of the world, and thus making the Conference contents available to the widest possible audience.

Party locations[edit]

Pietrarsa Railway Museum - Attendees party proposition[edit]

The main exhibition hall of the Pietrarsa Museum

The Pietrarsa Railway Museum lies south of Naples (5 km) just to the side of the Naples–Portici railway line, the first one in Italy. It is served by the Pietrarsa-S.Giorgio a Cremano station to which it is connected by a pedestrian subway. The museum contains original engines as well as scale models incorporated into a display of the history of trains in Italy. The museum is located on the premises of the former metal foundry of the Kingdom of Naples, a plant that produced most of the boilers for locomotives and steam-driven ships in the kingdom in the first half of the 19th century. The displays include, further to a huge number of historical locomotives and saloons, a copy of Bayard, the first locomotive in Italy, which started its run on the Naples-Portici railway line on 3 October 1838.

Directly placed on the sea, the Museum has both covered and open spaces which are used as a place for parties, and it allows a 180° view on the Gulf of Naples. The place is easily reached by train from the Naples Central station in about 10 minutes. In case the party gets long hours, we are informally exploring an agreement with a prominent taxi company, which would take people back to Naples at low cost.

Royal Palace of Naples - Sponsor party proposition[edit]

The Throne room of the Royal Palace of Naples

The Royal Palace of Naples is in Piazza del Plebiscito, the very center of Naples, within walking distance from the conference hall. It is one of the four residences used by the Bourbon Kings of Naples during their rule of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (1730-1860).

The Royal Palace is on the site of an earlier building meant to host King Philip III of Spain, who however never made the trip. The architect chosen for that palace was Domenico Fontana. The building was put up on the site of an even older Spanish viceroyal residence from the early 16th century. The royal residence was moved to Caserta in the 18th century, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault than Naples. The 17th century palace visible today is, however, the result of numerous additions and changes, including some by Luigi Vanvitelli in the mid-18th century.

In close proximity with the San Carlo Theater, and including the National Library of Naples, the Palace is nowadays used for official occasions and conceded for private parties.


Notes to party organization[edit]

Both Palazzo Reale and the Pietrarsa Museum have an agreement with the same company (SIRE Group, www.sirericevimenti.it) for the organization of parties. Therefore, it is possible to have consistent discounts on general organization. The same company also has similar agreements with other historical palaces and monuments in Naples, therefore it is quite easy to find a replacement in case one of the locations would not be available (July is high touristic season in Naples).

Logistics[edit]

Air transport[edit]

The main terminal of Naples International Airport
Naples International Airport - main hall
Naples International Airport - interior
  • The Naples International Airport hosts direct flights from all the major European cities, and serves a consistent number of worldwide locations. For the countries not directly served by Naples' hub, the two international airports of Rome Fiumicino (all airlines) and Rome Ciampino (low-cost airlines) are comfortably reached in 1 hour of high-speed train. An alternative to Rome airports are the international hubs of Milano Malpensa and Milano Linate, to which Naples is connected in 1 hour of flight.


Estimation of travel costs from all continents (prices include the return flight)[edit]

From Costs
Europe
Amsterdam € 235 /USD 309 (KL) (1S)
Athens € 202/USD 266 (AZ) (D)
Basel € 172 /USD 226 (EJ)
Berlin € 90 /USD 118 (EJ) (D)
Bruxelles € 241 /USD 317 (AZ) (1S)
Dublin € /USD
Frankfurt € 184 /USD 242 (1S)
Geneva € 210 /USD 276 (EJ) (D)
Istanbul € 360 /USD 474 (TA) (D)
Lisbon € 295/USD 388 (IB) (1S)
London Stansted € 178 /USD 234 (EJ)
London Gatwick € 210 /USD 276 (EJ)
Madrid € 83 /USD 109 (EJ)
Moscow € 353 /USD 465 (AB) (1S)
Oslo € 437/USD 575 (AB) (1S)
Paris Orly € 113 /USD 148 (EJ)
Prague € 202 /USD 266 (LH) (1S)
Reykjavik € 524/USD 690 (AB) (1S)
Vienna € 278 /USD 366 (AA) (D)
Warsaw € 243/USD 320(AZ) (1S)
From Costs
North America
Atlanta € 1.370 /USD 1.804 (AF) (1S)
Chicago € /USD
Houston € 1.260/USD 1.659 (AZ) (1S)
Los Angeles € 1.260/USD 1.659 (UA) (2S)
Mexico City € 1.437/USD 1.893 (AMA) (2S)
Miami € 1.064/USD 1.401 (AMA) (1S)
New York € 999 /USD 1.316 (AB) (1S)
San Francisco € /USD
Toronto € 1.158/USD 1.525 (TA) (1S)
Vancouver € 1.331/USD 1.753 (AB) (1S)
South America
Bogotá € 1.053/USD 1.387 (AZ) (1S)
Buenos Aires € 1.889 /USD 2.488 (IB) (1S)
Caracas € 1.467/USD 1.932 (AZ) (1S)
Rio de Janeiro € 1.320/USD 1.739 (TA) (1S)
Santiago € 1.630/USD 2.147 (AF) (1S)
From Costs
Oceania
Melbourne € 2.177/USD 2.868 (AF) (2S)
Sydney € 1.930/USD 2.542 (AMA) (2S)
Auckland € 2.010/USD 2.648 (LH) (2S)
Africa
Cairo € 471/USD 620 (TA) (1S)
Johannesburg € 946/USD 1.246 (AF) (1S)
Nairobi € 858/USD 1.130 (TA) (1S)
Asia
Bangkok € 1.047/USD 1.378 (AF) (2S)
Delhi € 850/USD 1.119 (AF) (1S)
Hong Kong € 1.098/USD 1.446 (AF) (1S)
Jakarta € 1.041/USD 1.371 (AB) (2S)
Seoul € 1.102/USD 1.451 (AC) (2S)
Singapore € 1.062/USD 1.399 (AF) (1S)
Taipei € 1.316/USD 1.733 (KL) (2S)
Tel Aviv € 528/USD 695 (LH) (1S)
Tokyo € 1.583/USD 2.085 (AZ) (1S)

Legend:
Airlines: AA Austrian Airlines; AB Air Berlin; AF Air France; AMA American Airlines; AZ Alitalia; EJ Easy Jet; IB Iberia; KL KLM; LH Lufthansa; TA TAM Airlines; UA US Airways
Number of stops: D direct; 1S one stop; 2S two stops.

All the costs have been calculated for a flight leaving the town on Sunday 22/7/2012 and returining on Saturday 28/7/2012.

Distance from international airport(s) and how do we get to the location[edit]

  • Naples International Airport is inside the town, at brief distance (5.9 km; 3.7 mi) from the city center, easily reached by ground transportation (bus, taxi). In about 15 minutes one of the stations of the Naples Metro is reachable, and this provides low-cost and rapid connection (1,20 € per ticket, valid 90 min. for all the means of transportation) to any point of the town. A direct metro line from airport to city center is currently under construction, and it should have to be ready on 2013. However, being an ongoing project, at the moment it should not have to be regarded as a confirmed option of transportation.
  • Rome Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino International Airports are connected to Roma Termini railway station with urban trains (costs variable between 2-18 €, depending on the airport). An (Eurostar high-speed train connects Termini station with Naples in about 1 hour (2nd class ticket cost:42 €).

Local transportation[edit]

Naples is an extremely well interconnected town, both internally and with its immediate surroundings.

Railroad lines[edit]

The city center is capillary served by the Naples Metro, a modern underground transportation system, which connects all the main point of interest and landmarks.

Naples Metro has different types of fares, as per the following table:

Ticket Price Validity Notes
Single €1.20 90 min Can be used multiple times with 90 minute validity on all forms of public transport
Day Pass €3.00 24 hours
Weekend Day Pass €2.50 24 hours Only available on Saturday or Sunday
Monthly Pass €35.00 30 days Unlimited travel within validity period


Naples Metro is directly linked both with Trenitalia national railroad system (which connects with Rome and the rest of the country); and the two regional railroads which serve the surroundings of Naples: Ferrovia Cumana (subdivided in Cumana and Circumflegrea lines) and Circumvesuviana). Of particular interest to tourists (see below) is the Circumvesuviana, which connects the center of Naples with Herculaneum (16 minutes, A/R ticket cost: € 4,20); Pompeii (35 minutes, A/R ticket cost: € 5,60); and Sorrento (50 minutes, A/R ticket cost: € 8,00).

Naples Metro is itself a tourist attraction, since many of its newest stations were built and decorated with modern art works. On 2009, it won the prize for the "Most Innovative Approach to Station Development" at Metros 2009.

Visa challenges[edit]

EU (Schengen) visa lists      EU member states     Visa-free access to the EU for 90 days - annex II countries     Visa required to enter the EU - annex I countries      Visa-status unknown

Italy is a member country of the European Union. This means that all citizens of EU member states with a valid travel document (passport or European ID card) are allowed to travel freely within Italy for up to 3 months. Citizens of other states may need Schengen visa, see the map for quick reference.

All the countries below have visa-free access to the EU for at least 90 days.

Andorra
Argentina
Australia
Austria*
Bahamas
Belgium*
Brazil
Bulgaria*
Canada
Chile
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus*
Czech Republic*
Denmark*
El Salvador
Estonia*
Finland*
France*
Germany*
Greece*
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary*
Iceland
Ireland*
Israel
Italy*
Japan
Latvia*
Liechtenstein
Lithuania*
Luxembourg*
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malta*
Mexico
Monaco
Netherlands*
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Poland*
Portugal*
Romania*
San Marino
Singapore
Slovakia*
Slovenia*
Republic of Korea
Spain*
Sweden*
Switzerland
United Kingdom*
United States
Uruguay
Vatican City State
Venezuela

* - EU member states

Foreign embassies in Naples[edit]

Foreign embassies and consulates either in Naples and/or in Rome      Countries with embassies or consulates in Naples      Countries with embassies or consulates in Rome      Countries with embassies or consulates in Naples and in Rome      No embassy or consulate in Naples and/or in Rome

As a prominent international city, Naples hosts 55 embassies and consulates from all over the world. This can greatly facilitate and speed up the process of visas obtainment for relevant participants. Plus, it gives a familial point of reference to which address for any problems/needs. A complete list of the countries for which a consulate or an embassy is available is shown hereinafter:

North America
  1. United States
  2. Canada
South America
  1. Uruguay
  2. Mexico
  3. Bolivia
  4. Venezuela
  5. Cuba
  6. Paraguay
  7. Chile
  8. Honduras
  9. Guatemala
  10. Perù
  11. Dominican Republic
  12. El Salvador
Europe
  1. Germany
  2. Netherlands
  3. Cyprus
  4. Ukraine
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Czech Republic
  7. Iceland
  8. Spain
  9. Hungary
  10. Luxembourg
  11. San Marino
  12. Austria
  13. Monaco
  14. Malta
  15. Turkey
  16. France
  17. Sweden
  18. Portugal
  19. Switzerland
  20. Belgium
  21. Greece
  22. Denmark
  23. Finland
  24. Norway
Africa
  1. Tunisia
  2. Niger
  3. Liberia
  4. Sierra Leone
  5. Senegal
  6. South Africa
  7. Algeria
  8. Cameroon
  9. Ivory Coast
  10. Cape Verde
  11. Gabon
Asia
  1. Indonesia
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Thailand
  4. Pakistan
  5. South Korea
  6. Sri Lanka

Living in Naples during Wikimania 2013[edit]

Local social opportunities[edit]

The Stazione Marittima is in the very center of Naples, directly on the sea, and opposite of the Maschio Angioino castle. Within walking distance it is available a wide array of places where to have dinner, from top-class restaurants, to countless "pizzerie", fast foods and ethnic restaurants (chinese and kebab are common). We especially recommend not to lose a walk through Via Toledo and Via Chiaia (5 minutes by walk), the main shopping streets in Naples, where many places where to eat and have a neapolitan coffee (plus a babà or a sfogliatella) are available. Also within walking distance (10 minutes) there is Piazza del Plebiscito, the square where both Palazzo Reale and its gardens, and S. Francesco di Paola church are. With a longer walk (15 minutes) or by taking tram just in front of Stazione Marittima, it is possible to reach Castel dell'Ovo, the Naples' City Garden (Villa Comunale), which is including the Naples' Aquarium and via Caracciolo, the panoramic street along sea side, visible in all Naples' iconic representations.

Food[edit]

Naples is a place where finding quality food at affordable price is not an issue at all.

Its nature as a sea port made available ingredients of the most diverse origin, which in connection with locally available elements resulted in an unparalleled mixture of flavours. Seafood is naturally a must, alone or in combination with types of local pasta types, as linguine and spaghetti. From the surrounding countryside come a vast variety of meats and cheeses. As a result, the Neapolitan cuisine is one of the most appreciated expressions of the Mediterranean diet.

Naples is the hometown of some very known and specific dishes and aliments, like Neapolitan pizza, Mozzarella di bufala, Neapolitan ice cream and Neapolitan babà.

Not to be neglected, the presence of foreign communities in Naples (especially Greek, Chinese, Northafrican and from many countries of Eastern Europe) make available the dishes of those cultures.

Tourism opportunities[edit]

Long and rich history of Naples and its surroundings makes available countless and heterogeneous opportunities of tourism.

Urban center of Naples[edit]


As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the center of Naples hosts a huge number of architectural landmarks. A non-comprehensive list of the most notable monuments and sites includes:

  • Albergo dei Poveri (Bourbon Hospice for the Poor) is a former public hospital/almshouse. It was designed by the architect Ferdinando Fuga, and construction was started in 1751. It is five storeys tall and about 300 m long. It was popularly known as "Palazzo Fuga". King Charles III of the House of Bourbon meant the facility to house the destitute and ill, as well as to provide a self-sufficient community where the poor would live and work. The building was originally designed with five courtyards and a church in the centre, but only the three innermost courtyards were built, and plans to complete the building according to the original design were finally abandoned in 1819. It is no longer a hospital, and has suffered much from neglect and earthquakes. The centre behind the entrance is used for exhibitions, conferences, and concerts. Recently (2006) the façade has undergone restoration as part of a plan to incorporate the facility into the working infrastructure of public buildings in Naples.
  • San Francesco di Paola is one of the main churches in Naples, located at the west side of Piazza del Plebiscito, the city's main square. The place was originally planned by King Joachim Murat of Naples (Napoleon's brother-in-law) as a tribute to the emperor. When Napoleon was dispatched, Ferdinand I of Bourbon continued the construction but converted the final product into the church one sees today. The church is reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. The façade is fronted by a portico resting on six columns and two Ionic pillars. Inside, the church is circular with two side chapels. The dome is 53 metres high.
  • Cappella Sansevero. Built on 1590, it contains works of art by some of the leading Italian artists of the 18th century, like the extraordinary Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino. It also has a high scientific interest because it hosts the anatomical machines, a still mysterious experiment by Raimondo Di Sangro, a prominent Renaissance scientist.
  • Castel dell'Ovo (Egg Castle) is a castle located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the Gulf of Naples. The castle's name comes from a legend about the Roman poet Virgil, who had a reputation in medieval times as a great sorcerer, that he put a magical egg into the foundations to support the fortifications. The island of Megaride was where Greek colonists from Cumae founded the original nucleus of the city in the 6th century BC. In the 1st century BC the Roman patrician Lucius Licinius Lucullus built the magnificent villa Castellum Lucullanum on the site. The first castle on the site was built by the Normans in the 12th century.
  • Castel Nuovo, ("New Castle"), often called Maschio Angioino, is a medieval castle and the main symbol of the architecture of the city. It was first begun in 1279 by Charles I of Anjou and completed three years later. Castel Nuovo soon became the nucleus of the historical center of the city, and was often the site of famous events. For example, on December 13, 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned as pope in a hall of the castle. The event was famously depicted by Dante Alighieri in his masterpiece la Divina Commedia, in the verse Colui che per viltade fece il gran rifiuto.
  • Certosa di San Martino, a former monastery complex, now a museum. It is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that commands the gulf. A Carthusian monastery, it was finished and inaugurated under the rule of Queen Joan I in 1368. In 1623, it was further expanded and became, under the direction of architect Cosimo Fanzago, essentially the structure one sees today. In the early 19th century, under French rule the monastery was closed and was abandoned by the religious order. Today, the buildings house a museum with a display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts, as well as displays of the presepe--Nativity scene—considered to be among the finest in the world.
  • Gesù Nuovo The Church of Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus) was originally a palace built in 1470 for Roberto Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno. The Jesuits had already built a church in Naples, now called Gesú Vecchio. Political intrigues caused the property to be confiscated, and eventually sold in the 1580s to the Jesuits to construct a church (1584–1601) under architect Giuseppe Valeriano. The unusual facade, unusually plain for a Baroque style church, is of rusticated ashlar and is the original façade of the palace. The church contains masterpieces of some of the most notables Neapolitan artists, namely Belisario Corenzio, Paolo de Matteis, Francesco Solimena, Giovanni Lanfranco and Massimo Stanzione.
  • Palazzo Reale is one of the four residences used by the Bourbon Kings of Naples during their rule of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (1730-1860). The Royal Palace is on the site of an earlier building meant to host King Philip III of Spain, who however never made the trip. The architect chosen for that palace was Domenico Fontana. The building was put up on the site of an even older Spanish viceroyal residence from the early 16th century. The 17th century palace visible today is the result of numerous additions and changes, including some by Luigi Vanvitelli in the mid-18th century and then by Gaetano Genovese.
Palazzo Donn'Anna in Posillipo
  • Posillipo, a district of Naples placed on the northwestern part of the town. The Greeks first named this place Pausílypon, meaning "respite from worry" for the enchanted calm of the shore. There are Roman ruins at waters edge, remains of the residence of Vedius Pollio. The area contains some notable historical buildings and landmarks. Among these is the Palazzo Donn'Anna and Villa Rosebery, the Italian President's residence during his stays in Naples.
  • San Domenico Maggiore is one of the most prominent churches of Naples. This Gothic church (est. 1283) incorporates a smaller, original church built on this site in the 10th century, San Michele Arcangelo a Morfisa. The monastery annexed to the church has been the home of prominent names in the history of religion and philosophy. It was the original seat of the University of Naples, where Thomas Aquinas, a former monk at San Domenico Maggiore, returned to teach theology in 1272. As well, the philosopher monk, Giordano Bruno, lived here. The sacristy houses a series of 45 sepulchres of members of the royal Aragonese family, including that of King Ferdinand I.
  • Santa Chiara a religious complex, that includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs and an archeological museum. The double monastic complex was built in 1313-1340 by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples. The original church was in traditional Provençal-Gothic style, but was decorated in the 1744 century in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. Santa Chiara was the largest Clarissan church ever built and it was the first Clarissan church built where the nuns in their choir would have been able to view the performance of Mass. The bell tower, separated from the main edifice, was begun in 1328 but was completed only in Reinassance times. The simple interior houses the tomb of King Robert and, in the side chapels, those of the Bourbon king of Naples, Francis II and his consort Maria Sophie of Bavaria, as well as of Queen Maria Christina of Savoy and of the national hero Salvo d'Acquisto (a carabiniere who sacrificed his own life to save the lives of 22 civilian hostages at the time of the Nazi occupation). Famous is the cloister of the Clarisses, transformed in 1742 by Vaccaro with the addition of precious majolica tiles in Rococò style. The Nuns' Choir houses fragments of frescoes by Giotto.
  • Teatro San Carlo, founded on 1737, it is the oldest continuously active opera house in Europe. In XVIII century, Naples was the capital of European music and even foreign composers like Hasse, Haydn, Johann Christian Bach and Gluck considered the performance of their compositions at the San Carlo theatre as the goal of their career. Two main Italian opera composers, Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti were artistic directors of the San Carlo for many years. Other prominent opera composers, like Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni and Leoncavallo staged here the very first representations of their works (like for example the famous Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti).
  • Galleria Umberto Iis a public shopping gallery, located directly across from the San Carlo opera house. It was designed by Emanuele Rocco, who employed modern architectural elements reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The Galleria was meant to combine businesses, shops, cafes and social life — public space — with private space in the apartments on the third floor.
  • Naples Cathedral, built in XIII century, is the main church of Naples. It is widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint. It was built on the foundations of two palaeo-Christian basilicas, whose traces can still be clearly seen. Underneath the building excavations have revealed Greek and Roman artifacts.

Museums[edit]

Naples' surroundings[edit]

  • Vesuvius (10 km). A stratovolcano placed directly on the coast in the middle of the homonimous National Park, it is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
  • Solfatara (12 km). It is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It is a dormant volcano, which still emits jets of steam with sulphurous fumes.
  • Herculaneum (13 km). A world-famous archeological site, part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. It was an ancient Roman town destroyed, together with Pompeii, Oplontis and Stabiae, by volcanic pyroclastic flows of Vesuvius, AD 79. It is famous as the source of the first Roman skeletal and physical remains available for study that were located by science, for the Romans almost universally cremated their dead.
  • Pompeii (25 km) The world-famous city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman urban center, and one of the best examples of Roman architecture in the world. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in the year AD 79. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1749. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year. Pompeii epopea was famously depicted in a huge number of movies, under the common name of The Last Days of Pompeii. Among the hundreds of scientific and fiction books written around its story, one of the most recent is Pompeii by Robert Harris.
  • Royal Palace of Caserta (37 km). A former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and one of the largest buildings erected in Europe during the 18th century. In 1997, the Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described in its nomination as "the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque, from which it adopted all the features needed to create the illusions of multidirectional space". Caserta was used as the location for Queen Amidala's Royal Palace on Naboo in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and again in the 2002 film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as Queen Jamilla's palace. The same room was also used in Mission: Impossible III as Vatican City. In fact, the square where the Lamborghini is blown up is actually the square inside the Palace. The main staircase is also used in Angels & Demons as the Vatican's staircase. The mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli used the palace as primary location for the film "L'art des castrats" that accompanies her album "Sacrificium", dedicated to the music written for the castrato singers of the baroque period.
  • Capri (40 km by boat or hydrofoil) An international turistic destination, it is an island on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, which has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic. Features of the island are the Marina Piccola (the little harbour), the Belvedere of Tragara, which is a high panoramic promenade lined with villas, the limestone crags called sea stacks that project above the sea (the Faraglioni), Anacapri, the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas. Capri is the place where the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus was emprisoned. The circumstance (and the imaginary salvatage of the emperor) has been featured in the movie The last legion, starring Colin Firth along with Sir Ben Kingsley and Aishwarya Rai.
  • Procida (37 km by boat or hydrofoil) Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples, it lies between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. Procida was held by Mycene in the period between the 16th and 15th centuries BC. During the 8th century BC the first Greek settlers to this island were immediately replaced by other Greek peoples coming from Cuma. During Roman rule, Procida became a renowned resort for the patrician class of Rome. Nowadays is a renowed balnear locality.
  • San Leucio (38 km) San Leucio is a frazione of the comune of Caserta, most notable for a resort developed around an old silk factory, included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list in 1997. In 1750 Charles VII of Naples selected this place for an unusual social and tecnological experiment, a different model of silk production based on technical innovation and alert to the needs of workers. It is considered one of the first examples of socialism, a closed community where life and work were closely connected and planned. Today the San Leucio heritage still survives today in the local silk and textile firms, which work on an international scale to elite foreign clients as the Buckingham Palace, the White House, the Quirinale Palace, the Palazzo Chigi.
  • Ischia (40 km by boat or hydrofoil) is a volcanic island which lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. The main industry is tourism, centering on thermal spas that cater mostly to European (especially German) and Asian tourists eager to enjoy the fruits of the island's natural volcanic activity, its thermal hot springs, and its volcanic mud. For many of the inhabitants on the Italian-speaking island, German and English are second languages. This is because of the large number of German- and English-speaking tourists who visit the island each year.
  • Sorrento (50 km). A popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti. Sorrento was the birthplace of the poet Torquato Tasso, author of the Gerusalemme Liberata. The town was quite famously featured in the early-20th-century song "Torna a Surriento" (Come Back to Sorrento) an iconic example of the Neapolitan song.
  • Amalfi coast (70 km) is a stretch of coastline in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy. It is a popular tourist destination for the region and Italy as a whole, attracting thousands of tourists annually. Aside from the chance to visit the renowed towns of Amalfi (one of the four ancient Maritime Republics of Italy), Positano and Ravello (which hosts the Wagner festival); the Amalfi coast offers to trekkers the opportunity of walking on the "Sentiero degli Dei" (The Walk of Gods), a stunning dirt road suspended on the cliffs between the Mediterranean sea and the mountains. The area is also well known for the limoncello, a digestive liquor made out of lemons.
  • Paestum Greek Temples (104 km). Three major temples in Doric style, dating from the first half of the 6th century BC. These were dedicated to Hera (only slightly smaller than the Parthenon); and Athena, and are one of the best conserved examples of Doric architecture.

Financial[edit]

Budget[edit]

The following budgets have been drawn considering two different scenarios, according to the average amount of participants who will plan to take part in the event. At the moment, as evidenced hereinafter, we managed to have the free support of Media coverage and Event production from private companies.

Scenario 1 – 750 participants
Type of expenditure Expenditure detail Downside Upside Notes
Location Galatea room (overall) 25,000 30,000 600 seats auditorium. List price, subjected to discount over 5 days and/or more than 1 room rented. It is including 3 projectors and screens, Bose audio speakers, 2 hostesses and 2 technicians
Dione room (overall) 10,000 13,500 150 seats
Foyer 6,000 7,500 190 sq.m.
Wireless Mounting of a wireless structure in the conference center 30,000 50,000 This cost could be met by a service sponsor (like Telecom Italia). Subject to technical verification
Cofee Break Overall Cost 17,850 17,850 Cost per 750 participants @ 7 € each. We would rather recommend to have breaks in town, where cost per participant can be reduced to 2 €
Buffet Lunch Overall Cost 73,950 73,950 Cost per 750 participants @ 29 € each. We would rather advice to leave participants free to have lunch in town, where cost can drop to 10-15 € maximum
VIP party Overall Cost 31,000 31,000 Cost per 40 participants. The cost is including the rental of the room, dinner, external elevator (for mounting/dismounting activities) and accessory services (cleaning, security) (tentative). The organization has to take care about the required technical authorizations and safety projects.
Participants party Overall Cost 35,000 35,000 Cost per 300 participants. The cost is including the renting of the locomotive hall, mounting/dismounting, accessory services, dinner. It is necessary to make an insurance to cover eventual damages (cost to be determined)
Museo Archeologico Ticket Overall Cost 1,950 3,750 Cost per 600 participants full €6.50; reduced €3.25; cost per groups as per negotiation
Pompeii Overall Cost 3,300 6,600 Cost per 600 participants full €11.00; reduced €5.50; cost per groups as per negotiation. Individual cost for reaching Pompeii by Circumvesuviana should have to be added
Accommodations for VIPs Cost per day 7,500 7,500 tentative, based on location. Based on a cost of 150 € per day for 10 people
Travel for VIPs Overall Cost 20,000 20,000 tentative, based on location. Based on a cost of 2,000 € per VIP (round travel)
Scholarships Overall Cost 90,000 90,000 tentative, based on € 3,000 per 30 participants
Promotional materials & supplies Overall Cost 7,500 7,500 tentative, based on a cost of 10 € for 750 participants
Participant gift bags Overall Cost 3,750 7,500 tentative, based on a cost of 5-10 € per bag for 750 participants
Total 362,800 401,800
Scenario 2 – 1100 participants
Type of expenditure Expenditure detail Downside Upside Notes
Location Galatea room (overall) 25,000 30,000 600 seats auditorium. List price, subjected to discount over 5 days and/or more than 1 room rented. It is including 3 projectors and screens, Bose audio speakers, 2 hostesses and 2 technicians
Elettra room (overall) 10,000 13,500 110 seats
Calipso room (overall) 5,000 6,000 100 seats
Perseide room (overall) 8,250 10,000 110 seats
Agave room (overall) 10,000 13,500 100 seats
Dione room (overall) 10,000 13,500 150 seats
Foyer 6000 7500 190 sq.m.
Wireless Mounting of a wireless structure in the conference center 30,000 50,000 This cost could be met by a service sponsor (like Telecom Italia). Subject to technical verification
Cofee Break Overall Cost 30,100 30,100 Cost per 1100 participants @ 7 € each. We would rather recommend to have breaks in town, where cost per participant can be reduced to 2 €
Buffet Lunch Overall Cost 113,100 113,100 Cost per 1100 participants @ 29 € each. We would rather advice to leave participants free to have lunch in town, where cost can drop to 10-15 € maximum
VIP party Overall Cost 31,000 31,000 Cost per 40 participants. The cost is including the rental of the room, dinner, external elevator (for mounting/dismounting activities) and accessory services (cleaning, security) (tentative). The organization has to take care about the required technical authorizations and safety projects.
Participants party Overall Cost 45,000 45,000 Cost per 550 participants. The cost is including the renting of the locomotive hall, mounting/dismounting, accessory services, dinner. It is necessary to make an insurance to cover eventual damages (cost to be determined)
Museo Archeologico Ticket Overall Cost 2,600 5,200 Cost per 800 participants full €6.50; reduced €3.25; cost per groups as per negotiation
Pompeii Overall Cost 4400 8800 Cost per 800 participants full €11.00; reduced €5.50; cost per groups as per negotiation. Individual cost for reaching Pompeii by Circumvesuviana should have to be added
Accommodations for VIPs Cost per day 7,500 7,500 tentative, based on location. Based on a cost of 150 € per day for 10 people
Travel for VIPs Overall Cost 20,000 20,000 tentative, based on location. Based on a cost of 2,000 € per VIP (round travel)
Scholarships Overall Cost 90,000 90,000 tentative, based on € 3000 per 30 participants
Promotional materials & supplies Overall Cost 11,000 11,000 tentative, based on a cost of 10 € for 1100 participants
Participant gift bags Overall Cost 5,500 11,000 tentative, based on a cost of 5-10 € per bag for 1100 participants
Total 466,200 514,950

Sponsorship[edit]

Finding sponsorship in Naples is no easy task, since most part of companies based in the town is of small/medium dimension. On the other side, we are in the process of involving in the fundraising process the main Italian companies.

It has to be noted that our Event Production partner, Frontiers of Interaction, has an extensive fundraising experience for tech events, an will work on its existing portfolio of contacts in order to find perspective sponsors.

Sponsorship Levels[edit]

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Supporting

Confirmed Sponsors[edit]

Publicis Healthware International.

Part of the Publicis Groupe, one of the top-three Advertising and Media Communications worldwide, it will use its professional resources to offer the Public relations and Media Management coverage of all the event.

Frontiers of Interaction.

An international Tech and Innovation Conference in Italy, will put for free its professional experience in organizing tech events. It will also put any effort in content and speaker curation, so as in funds and partners rising.

dotSUB.

An international, US-based technology company, producing a browser based, one-stop, self contained system for creating and viewing subtitles for videos in multiple languages across all platforms, including web based, mobile devices, and transcription and video editing systems. The platform, and dotSUB expertise will be put at the disposal of Wikimania 2013, completely free of charge, in support of the event.

Potential Sponsors[edit]

We are currently in the process of contacting a number of local and national sponsors to support our candidature. A preliminary, non-comprehensive list of potential funding bodies is listed hereinafter.

Relevance Business Companies
Global Fashion major firms: Luxottica; Dolce&Gabbana; Giorgio Armani; Prada; Benetton; Golden Lady Company; Valentino; Roberto Cavalli
minor firms: Morellato; Salvatore Ferragamo; Geox; Diesel; Tod's
Industry&IT Ferrari; Pirelli; Piaggio; Mapei; Dainese; Alitalia
Food Barilla; Illy; Lavazza; San Pellegrino; Ferrarelle; Peroni; Martini; Ferrero; Gancia; Ferrari; Parmigiano-Reggiano; Consorzio Prosciutto di Parma
Design Alessi; Artemide; Kartell; Natuzzi; Pininfarina
Banks Intesa Sanpaolo; UniCredit; Monte dei Paschi; Mediobanca;
Insurance Companies Assicurazioni Generali
National Fashion Freddy; Harmont&Blaine; Hogan; Intimissimi; Valleverde
Energy&Environment Edison; Eni
Industry&IT Alenia; Augusta; Finmeccanica; Telecom Italia
Tourism Alpitour; Autogrill; Francorosso; MSC Crociere
Food Garofalo; Kimbo; Acqua Lete; Segafredo
Entertainment&Publishing De Agostini; Feltrinelli; Filmauro; Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso; LA7; RAI; RCS MediaGroup; Sellerio Editore
Banks Banca d'Italia; Banco Popolare
Insurance Companies Fondiaria Sai; Lloyd Adriatico; Reale Mutua Assicurazioni
Cultural Sponsors Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli (SUN); Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa; Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”; Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale"; Teatro di San Carlo
Local Fashion E. Marinella; Il Tarì (jewelry consortium)
Industry&IT CIRA (Italian Center for Aerospace Research)
Tourism Grimaldi Lines
Entertainment&Publishing Il Mattino
Banks Banco di Napoli; Banca di Credito Popolare di Torre del Greco
Institutional Sponsors Comune di Napoli; Regione Campania; Unione Industriali di Napoli

Crowdfunding[edit]

Since we believe that Wikimania should be a really open event, we'll set up a website for collecting individual donations for financially supporting Wikimania in Naples. The website will be linked to a open-visualization (but closed-management) bank account, so that the single amounts collecting and utilization is completely transparent.

Local team[edit]

Name Role Languages Experience Wiki experience Notes
Ferdinando Scala Candidacy Leader;
Media Communications & Public Relations Leader
it-m, nap-m, en-4, fr-4, es-2 Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, MSc in Biological Sciences, currently pursuing a BSc in Communication Sciences.
International Digital Strategist at Publicis Groupe
Wikipedian from 2007, autopatrolled. Candidate at the Board of Trustees 2011-2013 elections A global marketing & communications professional, 10+ years experience in events organization
Stefano Schiazza Vice Candidacy Leader. Fundraising activities. Responsible for the activities in English language it-m, nap-m, en-4 fr-3 Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, BSc in Engineering and Management, currently pursuing a MSc in Industrial Engineering Recently activated Wikimedian. Wikipedia user. Secretary of the Directive Council at “Nunziatella Military School Young-Alumni Association” (2008-2010). Responsible for event and networking activities. Freelance Journalist at the online journal NuoveEnergieNove
ANGELUS Event Art Design it-m, en-3, es-1, fr-1 Law School student Autopatrolled, a pluri-awarded graphic on it-wiki. Rollbacker and file mover on the English Wikipedia. Rollbacker, patroller and file mover on Commons Designer of the Wikimania Naples 2013 logo
The White Lion Event Financial Management it-m, nap-m, en-3 Graduate in Communication Sciences. Bank employee. Wikipedian from 2009, autopatrolled
Archeo Contents and multimedia materials for the cultural activities it-m, en-3, fr-2, es-2, gr-2, ru-1 Archeologist Wikipedian from 2009, autopatrolled
Giovanni Marino Project management. Responsible for the activities in German language it-m, nap-m, en-4, de-4, fr-2, es-2 Researcher at Cranfield University, UK. Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, PhD in Telecommunications Engineering Not an active Wikimedian. Wikipedia user. Humanitarian volunteer at Santiago de Queretaro mission, Queretaro, Mexico, during 2008
Francesco Avallone Project management. Responsible for the accomodation planning activities it-m, nap-m, en-3 Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, MSc in Aerospace Engineering, currently pursuing a PhD in Fluidodynamics at Università Federico II Not an active Wikimedian. Wikipedia user.
Mario Russo Co-responsible for the Cultural Activities it-m, nap-m, en-3, fr-3 Alumnus of Scuola Militare Nunziatella, currently Law School Student at Università Federico II. He participated to a Summer School course in International Relations (Global Communications, Citizens and Cultural Politics) - London School of Economics Not an active Wikimedian. Wikipedia user. Long experience in cultural events organization, intern at National Monument of Girolamini, where he participated in the restauration of ancient books and the finding of the lost tomb of Giovan Battista Vico, a prominent Italian philosopher
Marcello Merlo Event production it-m, en-4, es-2 Conference Director @ Frontiers of Interaction, Event Designer, Event Manager. MSc in Advertising at University of Palermo Not an active Wikimedian. Wikipedia user.
Pinotto92 General support it-m, nap-m, en-2 Architecture student Wikipedian from 2006 (5.500+ contributions), autopatrolled
IlSistemone Event Financial management it-m, nap-m fr-3 MSc in Economics. Fiscal consultant Wikipedian from 2011 (7.500+ contributions), autopatrolled
Baku Co-responsible for the Cultural Activities it-m, nap-m, en-2 Call center operator. Currently pursuing a BSc in Administration of Cultural Resources Wikipedian from 2007 (14.000 contributions), autopatrolled Humanitarian volunteer. Strong professional experience in human relations management.
Devil90 (Claudio Cascone) General Support it-m, nap-m, en-2 Informatician Wikipedian from 2010 (9000+ contributions)
D.B. (David Bottan) General support it-m, en-2 High School student Wikipedian from 2010 (3.600+ contributions), autopatrolled. Pluri-awarded user (Nominated at Wikioscars 2011 as "User non-administrator - young promise"

Wikimania 2013 bids/Naples/Local Team/Notice

Our Service Partners[edit]

Name Responsibility Experience/Comments
Frontiers of Interaction Event production Consolidated experience in the organization of leading-edge science&tech events. Further to producing the event, FoI will help in fundraising activities.

Statements of support[edit]

Support from institutional and private bodies[edit]

Support from the Mayor of Naples
Support from the President of Publicis Healthware International
Support from Frontiers of Interaction
Support from David Orban, CEO of dotSUB
Support from the Innovative and Technological Services Group of Confindustria Salerno

Support from general public - Facebook page[edit]

Coherently with our aim to make of Wikimania an event truly involving general public in the mission and values of Wikimedia movement, when we started to prepare the candidacy, we built a Support Page for Wikimania Naples 2013 on Facebook. At the moment, 372 persons gave their support to the candidacy. Once obtained the nomination, we plan to transform the Facebook page in an informative platform, in order to use it as a countdown tool and communications medium for diffusing Conference's contents during and after Wikimania. We also plan to expand the number of languages in which the page is built, so to enlarge the potential audience and making possible to use the very same contents in cross-platform modality.

Miscellaneous[edit]

Universities in Naples[edit]

Naples is hosting five universities, for a total of 161.224 students, which are a primary potential recruiting target for Wikimedia projects:

The “Orientale” University of Naples is the oldest school of Sinology and Oriental Studies in Europe and has a strong tradition of language, cultural and social studies, both ancient and modern, relating to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. It was conceived in order to facilitate the cultural and economic relationships between the ancient Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, of which Naples was the capital town, and the Near and Far East.
It includes the Istituto Confucio, an institution created by the Chinese Ministry of Culture for the diffusion of the Chinese language and culture. The Naples' branch has been created in partnership with the Shanghai International Studies University; The Center for Berber Studies, dedicated to the study of the culture and socio-economic aspects of berber areas of Mediterranean, Sahelian and Saharian Africa; the Buddhist Studies Centre, dedicated to the studies of buddhist culture and its interactions with modern world; the Mediterranean Cultures Studies Centre, dedicated to the study of cultural complexity of Mediterranean and to facilitating the communications among the cultures insisting in the area; the Center for Jewish Studies, whose mission is studying and diffusing the Jewish culture, with special reference to its influence on Western civilization and its role in Southern Italy; The ITASEAS (Italian Association for Southest Asian Studies), aimed to the study and cultural exchange with South East Asia countries.
  • Università Parthenope (est. 1919), 5 faculties, 16.501 students
  • Università Suor Orsola Benincasa (est. 1864), 3 faculties, 9.833 students

Self-evaluation[edit]

Strenghts[edit]

Tolerance[edit]

Naples is a town where different people from all the parts of the world pacifically convive. A dialogue arena and a meeting point of cultures, it was never attained by the slightest menace or act connected to international or religious terrorism. While being a preminently Catholic place, it hosts many Evangelic communities, an Anglican church, a synagogue, a mosque and a Greek Orthodox church, while chinese community has scattered places of prayer. Coherently with the welcoming and inclusive character of Neapolitans, these communities live together in peace and never created any security problem.

Low Cost[edit]

Naples is a town where the cost of living is extremely low, when compared to other Italian or European cities. Sleeeping in Naples for five nights can cost between 200-300 € in Bed and Breakfast. It is comfortably possible to have meals within a budget of 20-30 € per day (for example, the average price for a pizza, which makes a good lunch, is around 5-6 €). Also the cost of public transportation is extremely low when compared to most Western cities.

Culture and Free Time[edit]

Naples and its surroundings offer an unparalleled amount of tourist and cultural occasions, such that require visitors to plan and concentrate on some of them in advance. It is also a very lively town, especially in summer, when people spend their time in the streets for a good part of the evening and night.

Location / 1[edit]

The chosen Conference Center is in the very center of the town, and it is served by a huge number of means of transportation. Most part of the budget accomodations are within 2-3km (but more often at about 1 km) from the Conference Center, and this allows a fast and comfortable commuting process. Furthermore, being in the very center of Naples means that all the historical area is within walking distance, with obvious advantages in terms of free time allocation.

Location / 2[edit]

Italy, and Naples in particular, is central with respect to the Mediterranean area, and this would allow an easier participation of delegates from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Africa and Middle East. Coupled with the abovementioned low cost of living, it would facilitate the involvement of Global South countries.

Sunshine guaranteed[edit]

Naples is blessed by a Southern Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. July is the month of the year with the lowest level of precipitation, only 24,3 mm / 2,3 days of rain per month on average[2]. In the same month, London has 48 mm / 10,1 days[3]; Hong Kong 376.5 mm / 17,6 days[4]; Surakarta 40,64 mm / 5,7 days[5].


A truly international Team[edit]

Further to Italian, our Team is able to communicate in English, French, German and Spanish at a near-native level, plus some other less common languages at a more limited level. When dealing with the organization of an event which is involving people from all over the world, we feel that this can be a definite advantage.

Weaknesses[edit]

Climate[edit]

As in most part of the Mediterranean, in July-August the weather in Naples can be consistently sunny and hot (average daytime temperature around 29 °C/85 °F). Participants from colder countries can find it uncomfortable.
Solution: An efficient way of dealing with high temperatures is simply following the Neapolitans’ habitudes. Drinking a sufficient amount of water, limiting the consumption of fat-rich food and alcohol during the day, and avoiding to get around in the hottest hours (between 12.00 and 4.00 pm) are normally effective measures. Very white, soft-skin individuals can easily avoid sunburns by wearing cotton or linen short-sleeve shirts, using appropriate solar creams and wearing sunglasses when exposing to daylight. The above-mentioned measures only apply to excursions in the city during the day, while no problems are perceivable in the interior of the buildings, namely the conference sites, which are all air-conditioned. At night, temperature significantly lowers (average is 18 °C/64 °F), and a frequent wind from the sea makes dining and walking outside very comfortable.

Team[edit]

Whilst including a number of experienced professionals, the proposing team has collectively no former experience of organizing global events, and it is not currently supported by the local WMF chapter.
Solution: The Team is composed by Wikipedians with long experience in working together on collaborative basis, mainly based in Naples or in near proximity to the town. Some of the Team members are former Cadets of the Nunziatella Military School of Naples and therefore share a strong bond and abitude to work together. In order to overcome operational difficulties, and reinforce the professional experience of some Team members in events organization, we involved a professional organization (Frontiers of Interaction) with long and consolidated experience in managing global, tech-related events.

Notes[edit]