Italian ghost ports and whose fault it is, part 2. Our investigation continues

Why do some of our country’s marinas struggle to get off the ground, remain at the pole and turn out years later as woefully unrealized projects? Our investigation of Italy’s “ghost ports” continues with more cases of failed management.

Italian Ghost Ports – The second installment

It made a lot of noise and elicited a lot of appreciation from the community of readers of the Sailing Newspaper our recent investigation of the so-called “Italian ghost ports.” Why did we call them “ghosts”? Simple, because they are tourist landings and marinas that, despite tenders, territorial studies, rivers of money, technical approvals and concessions, in fact remain unrealized projects. Stuck by bureaucratic knots, administrative stops, exhausting waits for permits, institutional diatribes and legal disputes between public and private entities.

From the South to the North, practically along all the Italian coasts, these “ghost” ports represent absurd and paradoxical situations that, although isolated, become the emblem of a system of tourist ports that in our country still struggles, shows little maturity and little foresight. Shedding light on these problems and also telling what does not work in our boating industry is part of the work of a specialized newspaper like the Giornale della Vela, and alongside the support of readers, we inevitably register the dismay and discomfort on the part of those who would like to live in respect of the rules, but also in absolute freedom their passion on a welcoming territory and at the forefront on the front of nautical services and environmental issues.

The other “critical” ports reported by you readers

In that investigation we talked about some particularly large and important “shadow” ports that testify to macroscopic situations of failed management that have been dragging on for years: Fiumicino, Civitavecchia, Formia, Torre del Greco, Marsala, Marina di Ravenna, Senigallia and Ospedaletti. But these are certainly not the only critical cases in Italy.

Our readers have rightly pointed out others to us, and starting precisely from the in-depth study of those reports, we want in this second installment of the investigation to tell about other projects of marinas and marinas that, however loudly announced in recent years, are still there, woefully unfinished, inconveniencing the area, the economy and the sailing community.

Port of Vibo Marina, a 20-year-long “fog”

They have called it the “port of mists,” after Georges Simenon’s famous noir novel, or even the “black hole” of the Coast of the Gods. What is certain is that Vibo marina is one of the most problematic and controversial ports in Italy. Over the past 20 years, the new port facility project has been subject to blockades and controversy, including funding problems and revocation of concessions. In particular, an 18 million euro grant was blocked due to bureaucratic problems. In addition, the same project was ousted from the Development and Cohesion Fund, and the Catanzaro Regional Administrative Court confirmed the exclusion of a yachting association from the port of call due to alleged mafia infiltration. In short, a port nipped in the bud by a virulent combination of politics, bureaucracy and administration that has prevented its development, with catastrophic implications for tourism and employment not only of Vibo Marina, but of the entire province.

Last March 7, having closed the judicial-administrative chapter that saw him prevail over the City of Vibo in all degrees, entrepreneur Francesco Cascasi finally illustrated the project of the new port. The various works, amounting to 27 million euros, include 300 berths, various resorts and accommodation facilities, a yard intended for refitting, a Club House” with related offices, services and lounge bar. All should see the light of day by 2027. Fog permitting…

Port of Ponza, after 7 years tender to be remade

In the area of Cala dell’Acqua, on the northwestern coast of Ponza, near the locality of Le Forna, there has been talk for years about the project of a new marina, modern and functional, capable of redeveloping the entire area, formerly Samip, once the site of a bentonite mine until the 1970s. In 2016 the company Marina di Cala dell’Acqua Srl was selected at a Services Conference to present the final design. The plan for the new harbor, developed by CNR and La Sapienza University of Rome, initially calls for 450 berths with piers, docks, fingers and moorings, shoreline lines and deadhead. Berths available for boats with a maximum length of 50 meters and a maximum draft of 16 meters, as the rocky seabed of the area inside the breakwater, is particularly deep. The new facility also includes some cutting-edge solutions, including an innovative system that uses wave motion to produce energy, which seem to convince local and regional institutions to start with the work.

Instead, in the July 2017 Services Conference, the entire project gets a series of negative opinions, particularly from the Civil Engineering Technical Committee for Maritime Works, in addition to the fact that preliminary SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) and EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) opinions are missing. There also comes the stop by the Superintendent of Public Works. Then begins a long dispute between the Marina di Cala dell’Acqua Srl company itself and the municipality. Until the beginning of March 2025 when the Council of State agrees with the current junta and mandates that the entire procedure for awarding the design contract for the new marina must be redone from scratch.

Work also blocked at Torregrande marina

One of the most recent marina redevelopment projects struggling to get off the ground due to bureaucratic delays is the Torregrande marina in the center of Sardinia’s west coast. In charge of the work, for an investment of 5 million euros, is the company Marine Oristanesi led by Gianni Salis, which at the end of 2024 will collect the okay from the municipality. The work involves the refurbishment of two concrete piers and the replacement of four floating docks, with the installation of new water and electricity facilities for the use of shipowners.

January 7, 2025 is initially given as the starting date for the construction site, and in fact the docks are being cleared for that day: so away go 90 berths to make room for mechanical equipment and workers. Later, however, the municipality itself announces a one-month postponement and January 7 becomes February 7. Then it turns out that the Region asks for additional documentation to give clearance to the project, and from February it goes to March, then from March it goes to April. Finally you get to May 2025 and nothing has moved yet. So far because of the delays, the Marine Oristanesi company has lost between 120 and 150 thousand euros because of unallocated berths and boat owners do not have berths for the season.

Civitanova Marche: port restyling remains a mirage

On June 21, 2021, the Eurobuilding company led by entrepreneur Umberto Antonelli presented to the Municipality of Civitanova and the Marche Region an ambitious project to expand the city port, with the intention of transforming it into a port of call for large yachts with residential, hotel, commercial and shipbuilding buildings. A revolution involving 200,000 square meters on land and 300,000 square meters of water surface, for which a regular application for a 90-year state concession is being submitted, motivated by the need for investors to recoup the pharaonic costs of the project. The city council, however, by resolution on March 3, 2022, declares Eurobuilding’s proposal inadmissible.

The company then appeals to the Tar and accuses the municipality of having delayed the terms of the procedure, but above all of having considered the project a “project financing” proposal when instead the reference legislation was Presidential Decree 509/97, i.e., the regulation governing the procedure of the concession of maritime state property. The Tar in March 2023 rejected Eurobuilding’s appeal, but the Council of State instead in September 2024 upheld it and, indeed, asked for clarifications from the region, postponing the final ruling in the coming months. Mariners and citizens meanwhile still wait to see the new port…

Talamone, the port between logistical and speculative problems

Talamone’s new marina has been talked about for many years, but it was in 2023 that the City of Orbetello concretely opened the file. In July last year, the town council identifies the various technical-legal options for evaluating the route and creates a specific working group. The Talamone Tourist Port Company, formed by local entrepreneurs, comes forward with a project of more than 40 million euros that follows the pre-feasibility financial plan commissioned by the town administration itself. Against the entire project, however, rise up most of the holders of the concessions for the Talamone piers, the many local “blue” businesses and the residents themselves. Together they form the “Salviamo Talamone” committee, which accuses the municipality of wanting to speculate on the operation and get its hands on the 18 concessions now issued to various entities, including small private businesses and amateur sports associations, which have been key players in the smooth operation and development of the port for decades.

Also put on the plate are the many critical issues related to the full operation and capacity of the bay. Such a large project runs the risk of kicking off a construction site that would be completed no sooner than 7 years, triggering major problems for some 600 existing berths used by vacationers and residents, with consequent economic damage to the entire town. The committee therefore appeals to the Tar, which on February 20, 2025 annuls all the tender acts and the procedure of the Municipality of Orbetello related to the transformation of the Talamone landing place into a marina, judging them illegitimate. All to be redone therefore…

Port of Riposto, 2 years waiting for work to begin

Another paradoxical situation is that of the port of Riposto, in the province of Catania. The dock currently presents a bleak picture with dilapidated structures, garbage, incomplete redevelopment work and a general state of neglect. The redevelopment of the port area, launched in May 2021 by the municipality as the contracting station to a company awarded the contract, was supposed to be an opportunity to boost the local economy, improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance the cultural and environmental heritage of the area. Instead, for more than 2 years the area has been interdicted to pedestrians and vehicles, being used as a construction site for the construction of a pier brush and related mooring works. It is a pity, however, that the construction site, financed by the Region with an allocation of 895 thousand euros, has remained incomplete, as well as there is no news for the start of the second step, related to the construction of the aforementioned pier brush.

Meanwhile, old docks and dozens of fingers have been allocated in the outdoor area, all waiting to be landfilled and exposed to daily degradation. Wooden cottages for guarding the site remain in the extensive dock, which have been vandalized over the years, with broken glass and trash of all kinds piled near the entrances. As if that were not enough, on the seabed of the body of water affected by the interventions, there are some anchor structures of the removed pontoons and other submerged structures that hinder the execution of the work. No one, meanwhile, moves a finger. A deafening silence that shakes the frustration and helplessness of citizens and boaters in the face of institutional inaction.

Rio Martino, the port-canal that sands and dies

Another long and troubled affair is that of the Rio Martino canal port, located on the Latium coast on the border between Latina and Sabaudia. To date the facility is interdicted by the Terracina Coast Guard because the channel is completely silted up. Impossible the transit for any unit both fishing and pleasure craft with enormous inconvenience not only of the maritime operators, but of the whole surrounding area. To think that about 20 years ago there was a world around that canal: active docks, fishermen, the fuel station, four restaurants and the dredge always ready to make the entrance and exit of the small port usable. There were about 2,000 boats moored there. Then in 2002 the local institutions decided that it was all abusive: there were seizures of recreational boat landings. The canal was promoted to a river and the harbor then died, as did the economy of the small village. In between, there was the reconstruction work on the canal port, its inlets, docks, and surrounding areas, officially completed in 2018.

Over the years, however, the port has been closed and reopened several times due to constant storm surges. In the meantime, the City of Latina launched a tender to manage 270 berths for boaters: the assignment in 2021 is to a consortium of operators in Borgo Grappa, for a convention that, when operational, will finally provide for ongoing maintenance of the sea pass. Plans for implementation start, but the tug-of-war over who should make the canal port operational also begins. Until in January 2025, the Lazio Region confirms a 1,100,000-euro grant to carry out the coastal shore defense work. It only takes a year to clean the channel, and then what?

Need Made in Italy ‘governance'”

It is clear that each of these “cursed” projects constitutes a case in itself due to geographic, administrative and territorial peculiarities. However, it is also true that common nodes, specular critical aspects, and overlapping procedures and dynamics manifest themselves. Proof of a national system that lacks vision, shared tools and unified strategy.

As we have already said, on the subject of ports, Italy should follow the example of other countries smarter than us, such as France, Croatia, but also Greece and Turkey. And that is to create a national control room to coordinate regions and local authorities on the management of territorial areas, the allocation of concessions, fund admissions and tax breaks. And then mature a real “governance” system tagged “Made in Italy.” The risk otherwise is to leave our coasts abandoned to themselves or at the mercy of foreign investors and players who, having got their hands on our precious territories, then make the best of things…

David Ingiosi