Ischia, a large tourist complex seized: investigation into 70 years of building abuses

A wound inflicted for decades on the island's geological heart. This is the image that emerges from the order by which the Naples prosecutor's office ordered the precautionary seizure of a vast tourist and accommodation complex in Succhivo, in the municipality of Serrara Fontana. The area, approximately 27 square meters, was allegedly subjected to unauthorized construction "continuing over time since 1958," unlawfully and irreversibly transforming an entire tuff ridge and accelerating "the processes of rock detachment and collapse" in an already fragile environment.

The seizure was carried out by the Naval Air Operations Unit of the Naples Guardia di Finanza, following an investigation conducted by the Construction and Environment Section of the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office. Eight people are under investigation for illegal subdivision of buildings constructed on state-owned maritime property in an area subject to landscape and hydrogeological restrictions, for the construction of an illegal landfill in a fully protected area, and for "destruction, deterioration, defacement, and unlawful use of cultural or landscape assets."

The investigations began with "targeted aerial surveys" carried out during control missions using AW139 helicopters equipped with advanced sensors. The aerial photogrammetric analysis identified "multiple unauthorized human activities, still underway," which have irreversibly affected rock formations shaped over millennia.

This situation is further confirmed by technical assessments by an urban planning expert and a professor of environmental geology at Federico II University. The investigations documented the presence of artificial structures, tunnels, terraces, and cavities dug into the bare rock "without any certification or authorization," altering the natural topography and permanently compromising the delicate balance of the ridge.

The waste materials were apparently piled along the cliff, where an illegal landfill of approximately 200 cubic meters of non-hazardous special waste was discovered, used to create terraces and embankments. The investigation highlights that the construction work violated urban planning and landscape regulations and contributed to the creation of artificial caves in the cliff, which were adapted over time to the needs of the accommodation facility and also publicized on social media.