Santo Stefano (island)
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Maddalena archipelago
The Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands in the Straits of Bonifacio between Corsica and north-eastern Sardinia, Italy. It consists of seven main islands and numerous other small islets.-Geography:...
of northern Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and part of the Maddalena National Park. It is largely uninhabited and it is mainly known for its hosting of a NATO Naval Base and Italian Navy munitions magazines Apart from the military, the only residences on the island is a tourist resort, Club valtur, which is largely occupied only during the summer months. Public access to the island is made by ferry either from La Maddalena
La Maddalena
La Maddalena is a town and comune located on the island with the same name, in northern Sardinia, part of the province of Olbia-Tempio, Italy.-The town:...
or nearby Palau, on Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
In 1987, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
was issued an executive eviction, which called for abandonment of the island and its return to a national park. However in 2004, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, despite the pending eviction, gave the U.S Navy the rights to extend the base using part of the natural park surface to build a new wider office building.
The U.S. military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
is scheduled to leave the region by spring 2008. Emory S. Land left the Italian navy base on September 27, 2007.
The military base on Santo Stefano had been chosen to host the 2009 G8 summit before it was moved to L'Aquila. The water is azure blue. On the island is also a tourist resort, the Valtur Hotel . In the summer of 2009 globalisation activists will meet on Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and organise for peaceful protests. They hope to bring some glamour to the islands.