Rovigliano Rock for sale: M5S calls for Ministry intervention to secure public pre-emption rights

Castellammare di Stabia – The "Petra Herculis" is at risk of falling into private hands, but politicians are calling for urgent state intervention. The Rovigliano Rock, an iconic islet located in the Gulf of Naples and historically protected as a national monument, has been the focus of a parliamentary question presented to Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli by Senator Orfeo Mazzella (M5S). The request is clear: to verify the legitimacy of the ongoing sales negotiations and evaluate the exercise of the public right of pre-emption to transform the site into a state-owned facility.

Luxury Goods Hunt: Negotiations Worth €2 Million

Alarm bells were raised when the islet was officially put up for sale internationally in June 2026, when the owners of the land parcel housing the ruins of the viceregal tower entrusted the sale to a luxury real estate agency. With an estimated valuation of between one and two million euros, the property has already attracted the interest of six potential buyers, including foreign investment funds and major hotel chains. Negotiations are expected to close in September.

Faced with this scenario, Mazzella asks the Ministry whether it is aware of the transaction and whether the proper transfer notification required by Article 59 of the Cultural Heritage Code has been submitted. If not, the MP requests an official verification to trigger the 180-day deadline for exercising pre-emption rights, citing the state acquisition of Villa Gallinara in 2020 as a precedent.

Decades of abandonment and the jungle of heirs

Declared a national monument in 1925, the Rovigliano rock has been in a state of serious decay for decades. In 2018, the approximately 300-square-meter parcel that encloses the historic core was even reclassified from "former rural building" to "rural area" due to the collapse of its roofs and walls.

Further complicating the preservation of the property is the complex ownership fragmentation: the main parcel alone is divided among 23 owners (50% is held by a descendant of the Briganti branch, while the other half is divided among 22 heirs of the Aversa branch). This decades-long inertia, according to the M5S senator, has prevented any restoration work and now requires the Superintendency to impose mandatory conservation work.

The hypothesis of a marine archaeology center with the Pompeii Park

To prevent the site from turning into a private resort, the question suggests drawing on public resources and financial instruments—including funds from the PNRR, the Fund for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the Strategic Plan for Major Projects—also involving non-profit organizations such as the FAI.

The ultimate goal advocated by the Five Star Movement is the establishment of an interinstitutional forum between the Ministry, the Campania Region, the municipalities of Torre Annunziata and Castellammare di Stabia, the Superintendencies, and the Pompeii Archaeological Park. The goal: to revitalize the "Petra Herculis" and revitalize it as a public center dedicated to marine archaeology.