Mattarella attends the inauguration of the European Volleyball Championships in Naples

Italy-Sweden, the opening match of Cev Enel EuroVolley 2026, begins 25 minutes late. The roar of the crowd in Piazza del Plebiscito welcomes the first point won by the Azzurri. At the moment it no longer rains on the open-air arena set up in the center of Naples.

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura, arrived in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples to watch Italy-Sweden, the opening match of the European men's volleyball championships.

It is the main appointment of the day in Naples for the Head of State who arrived late in the morning by train at the Central Station. In the afternoon, during the stay at Villa Rosebery, there was also a meeting with the Neapolitan mayor, Gaetano Manfredi. A conversation lasting about 40 minutes, we learn from Palazzo San Giacomo sources, with the main themes concerning the city at its centre. A few drops of rain wet the arrival of the President of the Republic in Piazza del Plebiscito, but there was a long round of applause from the public present at Mattarella's address who greeted the crowd before taking a seat next to the president of CONI, Luciano Buonfiglio. In the authority gallery built in front of the Royal Palace, together with the Italian Head of State, also the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, and the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi. Also present, among others, were the president of the Serie A Volleyball League, Claudio Durigon, and the number one of Fipav, Giuseppe Manfredi. For the municipality and Region of Campania, the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, and the governor Roberto Fico.