By Clarus Real Estate, Christine Baird | 31 August 2017
I recently went for a holiday, a real holiday with no laptop, although I did have my mobile phones, for a few days on the island of La Maddalena in Sardinia, Italy which is I think is one of the most stunning locations on the Mediterranean. Registered as a National Marine Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sardinian archipelagos have some of the most pristine beaches, crystal clear waters and beautiful scenery.
I flew to the city of Olbia, located off the coasts of France and Italy in the Province of Olbia-Tempio on the main island of Sardinia, south of the French owned island of Corsica, which I also visited in the past and likewise has an interesting history.
Traveling north for a 50 minute winding road trip, I reach Palau and make the ferry trip over to the picturesque seaside village of La Maddelena. Besides the charming Italian style 3-4 story stucco buildings, I notice buildings that are not characteristic of a historical Mediterranean village. Additionally, I see what appears to be large old military facilities and barracks and, in contrast, recently built but not occupied large modern buildings scattered over a large area and what look like ghost hotels just to the east of the main village.
Inquiring about the out of place buildings, the locals told me that the old buildings were indeed military facilities and the modern buildings were built to host a G8 meeting but the G8 never met in La Maddelena and the project was abandoned.
Of course my love of architecture and travel mixed with my curious nature led me to research the history of these buildings and this is what I found.
The military buildings were not only Italian but were also once a US Naval military base from 1972 until 2008. There was also a NATO base on the nearby island of Santo Stefano. The NATO base housed an Italian Navy barracks and it served as the home port for several US Navy submarines over the years. The US Naval Support Activity officially closed in early 2008 which ended the 35 year US presence in La Maddalena.
Now some of the dilapidated military buildings are occupied by Italian officials and some were converted such as to the super chic five-star La Maddalena Hotel & Yacht Club which stands on the site of a former military arsenal.
And now the story of the modern ghost buildings.
In March 2008, the Sardinia Regional Council approved eleven confidential building projects with the intent of hosting the 2009 G8 Summit.
In 1976, the original Group of Seven (G7) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries included France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States and Canada and with the addition of Russia and the President of the European Commission made up the G8.
However, the 35th G8 Summit, hosted by then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, was never held in La Maddalena and the building projects were abandoned. Instead the G8 Summit was moved to L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, announced by Berlusconi to help redistribute disaster funds after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. Some reports indicate there was also a concern for security on La Maddelena.
The new buildings now stand mostly empty except for a lone car parked inside the gates and an eerie light emitting from a random room which I imagine to be a security guard. I wonder why a developer does not want to make a deal. As a developer, I ponder the idea and think there must be a reason why after 8 years. But it is probably just a matter of time since the beauty of Sardinia is so enchanting.
In his 1921 novel, Sea and Sardinia, D H Lawrence said, “This land resembles no other place. Sardinia is something else. Enchanting spaces and distances to travel-nothing finished, nothing definitive. It is like freedom itself.”
Clarus Real Estate News 