Italy hopes to create its own version of Alcatraz, California’s famous prison, which has since become a tourist destination off the coast of San Francisco.
Santo Stefano, Italy is located in a protected marine park between Rome and Naples. Today, the tiny volcanic island is accessible only to adventurous scuba divers and those who work on fishing boats, but it was once a prison where people were sent as punishment, including those whom the Nazi government considered enemies of the state in the 1930s and 1940s.
The prison was closed in 1965 and the property was abandoned, but the Italian government hopes the $ 86 million upgrade will turn it into a vibrant Alcatraz-style tourist destination, CNN reports.
“There is no light, no running water. Access is difficult, “said Sylvia Costa, an Italian official in charge of the reconstruction project. There is no berth on the island, which makes it inaccessible even by canoe.
Santo Stefano’s transformation includes an open-air museum that tells the story of the prison and the people in which it was housed, including Sandro Pertin, who became president of Italy in 1978, and Altiero Spinelli, who is considered one of the founding fathers Of the European Union.
This is a story that the organizers plan to include not only as a memorable event. It will be a hub for global scientists who have come together on key issues such as environmental policy, human rights, freedom of speech, European citizenship and Mediterranean dialogue, ”Costa told CNN.
And by 2025, the Santo Stefano bakery, where prisoners once baked bread, will be a beautiful garden on the terrace for evening cocktails overlooking Vesuvius and the island of Ischia on a clear evening.