Naples Christmas tree stolen within 24 hours of being erected

Although the tree was later returned, the theft has prompted an outpouring of soul-searching in the city

The owners of Caffe Gambrinus, who donated the tree, have said it's a symbol of 'resistance' to crime (Facebook/Massimiliano Rosati)

The Christmas spirit ended a little early in Naples this year after a Christmas tree on public display was stolen less than 24 hours after being erected – and was subsequently vandalised, after being returned by police.

The tree, put up on 21 December in the Galleria Umberto I – a 19th-century covered mall and architectural masterpiece – had disappeared by the following morning. A single branch, covered in baubles, plus the stump – rooted in a gold-covered container – were the only signs of its brief existence.

It was found the same day, and returned to the mall. However, it has been repeatedly vandalised since then.

The six-metre fir tree had been donated to the mall by the Caffe Gambrinus, a 19th-century coffeehouse and Neapolitan landmark. Festooned with baubles and topped with a huge red bow, the owners had called it a “present” for the city – something which somebody took rather too literally.

Residents were outraged at the theft of the tree. “The tree destroyed by the ‘baby gang’,” read one sign, affixed to the stump. Local newspapers were horrified at its loss, and business owners did public soul-searching about the direction of the city.

After the tree was found on Friday afternoon in the Quartieri Spagnoli district, locals pledged to return it as a “symbol of resistance” to crime.

“We will not be hostages to youngsters,” Massimiliano Rosati of Caffe Gambrinus told La Repubblica. “We will take it back, replant it and show that we get back on our feet, we will not give way to abuse.”

However, not everyone has shown such Christmas spirit. On Christmas Day, Caffe Gambrinus posted a photo on its Facebook page, showing the tree vandalised, with its decorations thrown to the ground.

By Boxing Day, it had been knocked to the ground by vandals.

“Fortunately, whoever did this was not able to steal it,” they wrote. “We will re-erect it this very day. This is a slap in the face to everyone.”

Christmas tree-stealing is a common event in Naples, with people wanting the wood for the bonfires which are traditionally lit on 17 January to celebrate the feast day of St Anthony Abbot. The fires symbolise purification and a renunciation of what has passed.

In 2015, the Galleria Umberto’s tree was stripped of its decoration and dragged out of the mall by a gang. However, reports The Local, they were stopped by soldiers before they got out of the building. The tree was replaced and secured with steel cables.