From the boss's hands to the flight of drones: Zagaria's villa becomes an aerospace training center.

A place that was once a symbol of the Casalesi criminal power is preparing to become a driving force for innovation and opportunity for young people. The villa confiscated from the family of crime boss Michele Zagaria, in San Cipriano d'Aversa, is being transformed into a training center for drone pilots and an aerospace research laboratory.

The initiative stems from an agreement between Agrorinasce, a public company committed to the valorization of confiscated assets, and the Campania Aerospace District (DAC). The goal: to give new life to the confiscated asset by creating a center for advanced training and technological development serving the community.

An incubator for innovation and inclusion

The project envisions the creation of Italy's first incubator dedicated to social and youth-led enterprises in the aerospace sector. Its focus is on training specialized technicians—with a particular focus on disadvantaged youth—and the creation of an electronics research laboratory connected to universities and companies in the sector.

The complex's two twin villas will be redeveloped and transformed into co-working spaces, youth employment agencies, and areas equipped for drone training, including a small multipurpose soccer field and a plaza for public events.

"This redevelopment project is highly symbolic," says Vincenzo Caterino, mayor of San Cipriano d'Aversa, "it represents an opportunity for redemption and development for the entire industrial area and for our young people."

According to Giovanni Allucci, CEO of Agrorinasce, work is about to begin: "The project is ready, and we're confident we can do a good job."
Luigi Carrino, president of the DAC, also emphasized the initiative's significance: "This is the first time in Italy that a confiscated asset has been allocated to an aeronautics and space initiative. A record to be proud of."

Finally, Regional Councilor Mario Morcone emphasizes the project's social impact: "Returning these places to the community also means restoring dignity and jobs, the pillars of legality."

From confiscation to the future

Zagaria's villa, a symbol of a criminal power that for decades suffocated the area, is changing its face and destiny. From a symbol of fear to a place of education, research, and civic rebirth, it becomes a tangible sign of how legality can generate innovation and a future.