2:00
Demolitions
Music
Maurano watches demolitions
2:11
Williams:
For mayor, Constabile Maurano, this is a beautiful day. For fifteen years he fought developers, corrupt officials and the Mafia --trying to stop hundreds of illegal houses being built in a national park on the famed Amalfi coast. Its a battle that could have cost him his life.
2:37
Maurano Maurano:
What was most worrying were the threats to the life of my kids who were very young then. Besides threatening me, they also tried to bribe me. They were willing to pay anything, and they would even allow me to save face.
2:56
Demolitions
Williams:
But in Italy its a rare victory against the illegal builders, the owners and the Mafia.
03:09
Music
Illegally built houses
Williams:
In Sicily, as in many other Italian regions, entire villages have been built, roads paved, electricity and water connected --and its all illegal. Such a blatant corruption of the law and the environment, the Italian government doesnt bother pretending its under control.
03:30
Sgarbi Sgarbi:
Well, there is no solution -- we cant demolish all the illegal buildings. Italy has been violently raped. It was forced to undergo a historically wrong action.
04:06
Williams:
The temple ruins of Agrigento in Sicily draw tourists from around the world, but they also get a more contemporary slice of Italian architecture.
04:19
Nose illegally constructed buildings
Williams:
This is supposed to be an archaeological zone free of modern structures --the village of Nose has at its foundations a common featureillegality. Virtually none of this should be here.
04:34
Di Stefano walks with Williams
Williams:
Electrical contractor Italo Di Stefano takes me to a hill past the home built illegally for the local bishop. and the illegally erected statue of Jesus. He points out his own house illegal of course -- as are all the houses in the valley of the temples.
04:58
Williams:
Why didn't the authorities do something to stop all this?
Di Stefano:
Thats a very intelligent question why ? Just because politicians and all the institutions did not care about it On the contrary, we have all been encouraged to build our own houses, with promises of an Act of Indemnity that would have sorted it all out.
05:21
Church
Williams:
Even Gods house is on shaky foundations. It was converted from an old warehouse -- it was illegal then, and it still is.
05:32
Di Stefano:
You know the Italian government is threatening to demolish it, so chances are we're going to be left without a place of worship in close proximity to our dwellings.
05:45
Williams:
Italo Di Stefano has become the spokesman for the owners of illegal buildings. He takes me behind the church; here in January 1991 armed soldiers did move in with bulldozers with orders from Rome to demolish two illegal houses.
06:03
Williams:
So what happened to the houses up here.?
Di Stefano:
Well, just here a couple of houses were demolished -- one was right here the other one was on the other side, on the left. There were really pitiful scenes of agony and despair for members of this family.
06:30
Demolitions
Williams:
The army was used because no locals would touch the job.
Music
06:42
Williams:
One family with a disabled son was forced out of their home, which was then reduced to rubble. Not only was their house destroyed, the army sent them the demolition bill as well.
06:56
Williams:
That year the army demolished six houses around here. It was supposed to be a warning from the central government in Rome, but Sicilian government responded with a two year demolition amnesty. For the moment, all homes -- safe as houses.
07:18
Illegal house on coastline
Down from the valley of the temples, an edifice Stalin would have loved. The entire building is illegal --in fact the whole village shouldnt exist.
07:30
Arnone with Williams
Arnone:
Last year we managed to have the former mayor arrested and charged, as he was actually a friend of these people and failed to have this building demolished.
07:45
Williams:
Environmentalist and lawyer, Giuseppe Arnone, has led a lonely and often dangerous fight against the developers, the politicians and their Mafia mates.
07:54
Arnone Arnone:
Thats what happened around here there was a sort of wicked and diabolical deal between politicians who allowed the building and didn't enforce any sanction, and these people, who in exchange for impunity had voted for them.
08:16
Illegal houses
Williams:
Despite the death threats and a botched attempt by corrupt court officials and politicians to have him charged with corruption he'll fight on --for this is no isolated example.
08:29
Lido Rossello
Williams:
A few kilometres down the coast, the village of Lido Rossello. Construction of the illegal apartments has been stopped, but theyve not been demolished --the illegal seafront houses still pump sewage straight onto the beach. With a quarter of all Sicilian houses built without permission, hardly surprising even the major city of Agrigento has its share.
08:59
Sirone and Williams enter house
Williams:
After twenty years hard work away in Germany, Carmelo Sirone says he deserves his house by the beach. Along with his neighbour and many others here he's prepared to defend it by destroying any politicians home who threatens to demolish his. In Sicily, its a threat taken seriously.
09:20
Sirone:
If you represent our country we are going to do the same with yours. We'll do that --no problem -- with all our strength -- and there's plenty of that, with all our spirit and courage.
09:38
View from house
Williams:
He shows me the view from the balcony and comes up with a unique reason why he should stay --to rescue sailors from stricken boats that maybe only he might see from this house.
09:51
Sirone:
What if no-one lives here? Not only us but also the sailors would be penalised.
09:59
Mayors chambers
Williams:
Unthinkable too, the thought of local mayors supporting the demolition of thousands of homes, filled with even more voters.
10:13
Williams:
Giovanni Saito is mayor of Licata. He's joined forces with fifteen other mayors to resist the demolitions and demand yet another amnesty.
10:23
Williams:
If the central government goes ahead and insists you complete these demolitions what will you do? Will you comply?
Saito:
No, we couldn't take any step at all. The only thing left to do would be to resign -- thus leaving other people with these serious responsibilities.
10:44
Building on coastline
Williams:
Just down the road the building goes on. Here, locals tell me despite being an exclusion zone this is, inexplicably, legal --coincidentally the builder is a close friend of the mayor. But not all of Italy's leaders are so understanding.
Rome - Music
11:12
Summit hotel
Williams:
In Rome, the guests of the Summit hotel are blissfully ignorant, but manager, Antonio di Luca is all too aware this is going to be a really bad day for him and his beloved hotel.
11:30
Demolition of convention centre
Williams:
This was to have been a convention centre -- only three years and millions of dollars later, the only thing missing were those pesky permits.
11:44
Di Luca Williams:
This must be a terrible moment for you, watching your hotel being partially destroyed?
Di Luca:
Its a difficult problem but, ah, this is the situation. We think that we has all the written permitted but maybe we didn't do all the things very well.
12:12
Williams:
Maybe not. And perhaps unlucky too, because Rome is dominated by a greens government, and, unlike most of Italy, it takes an aggressive attitude to illegal buildings.
12:30
Miglio with Di Luca
Williams:
Massimo Miglio is Mr Demoliton. Rome's Councils enforcer.
Miglio:
Well, this building was built illegally, without any permission. It was right here -- a huge building, about 20,000 cubic metres.
12:54
Demolition of convention centre
Williams: Supervising demolitions is not an easy or safe job. It sometimes involves riot police. No one thanks you for destroying their home.
13:09
Miglio:
Yes thats definitely right indeed, I've been threatened several times -- my car has been blown up twice. So specific safety measures are constantly being adopted for whoever is in charge.
13:30
Miglio in car
Williams:
So dangerous in fact, his office is a virtual bunker. Were not allowed to film it. His police guards were even wary of us getting any shots of him at all. With the Mafia deeply involved in the building industry anyone interrupting business is in danger of being rudely interrupted himself.
13:55
Williams:
So what is the Italian government doing about the problem?
14:00
Sgarbi:
We could try to do something but we cannot possibly pull down all the suburbs -- all the historical centres, where new buildings have been constructed -- we could never rectify all these horrors.
14:19
Demolitions - Music
Williams:
With talk of more government amnesties the good fight is left all to often to brave individuals like mayor Constabile Maurano.
14:31
Maurano Maurano:
They would say each man has his own price. We have demonstrated that there are still men with no price, who are still able to resist bribery as well as threats.
14:51
Demolitions on Amalfi coast
Williams:
But it took fifteen years to get the dinosaur jaws devouring the bones of this project. It is a great victory for the mayor and his courageous supporters. Now a national park, all this is saved forever.
Music
15:18
Williams:
But there are other beaches in Sicily and beyond where the ugly corruptions of yesterday will still be standing in the morning -- and just not enough people seem to care.
15:41
SICILY DEMOLITIONS
Reporter: Philip Williams
Camera: Ron Foley
Sound: Kate Graham
Research: Fabio Sermonti
Demolitions
Music
Maurano watches demolitions
2:11
Williams:
For mayor, Constabile Maurano, this is a beautiful day. For fifteen years he fought developers, corrupt officials and the Mafia --trying to stop hundreds of illegal houses being built in a national park on the famed Amalfi coast. Its a battle that could have cost him his life.
2:37
Maurano Maurano:
What was most worrying were the threats to the life of my kids who were very young then. Besides threatening me, they also tried to bribe me. They were willing to pay anything, and they would even allow me to save face.
2:56
Demolitions
Williams:
But in Italy its a rare victory against the illegal builders, the owners and the Mafia.
03:09
Music
Illegally built houses
Williams:
In Sicily, as in many other Italian regions, entire villages have been built, roads paved, electricity and water connected --and its all illegal. Such a blatant corruption of the law and the environment, the Italian government doesnt bother pretending its under control.
03:30
Sgarbi Sgarbi:
Well, there is no solution -- we cant demolish all the illegal buildings. Italy has been violently raped. It was forced to undergo a historically wrong action.
04:06
Williams:
The temple ruins of Agrigento in Sicily draw tourists from around the world, but they also get a more contemporary slice of Italian architecture.
04:19
Nose illegally constructed buildings
Williams:
This is supposed to be an archaeological zone free of modern structures --the village of Nose has at its foundations a common featureillegality. Virtually none of this should be here.
04:34
Di Stefano walks with Williams
Williams:
Electrical contractor Italo Di Stefano takes me to a hill past the home built illegally for the local bishop. and the illegally erected statue of Jesus. He points out his own house illegal of course -- as are all the houses in the valley of the temples.
04:58
Williams:
Why didn't the authorities do something to stop all this?
Di Stefano:
Thats a very intelligent question why ? Just because politicians and all the institutions did not care about it On the contrary, we have all been encouraged to build our own houses, with promises of an Act of Indemnity that would have sorted it all out.
05:21
Church
Williams:
Even Gods house is on shaky foundations. It was converted from an old warehouse -- it was illegal then, and it still is.
05:32
Di Stefano:
You know the Italian government is threatening to demolish it, so chances are we're going to be left without a place of worship in close proximity to our dwellings.
05:45
Williams:
Italo Di Stefano has become the spokesman for the owners of illegal buildings. He takes me behind the church; here in January 1991 armed soldiers did move in with bulldozers with orders from Rome to demolish two illegal houses.
06:03
Williams:
So what happened to the houses up here.?
Di Stefano:
Well, just here a couple of houses were demolished -- one was right here the other one was on the other side, on the left. There were really pitiful scenes of agony and despair for members of this family.
06:30
Demolitions
Williams:
The army was used because no locals would touch the job.
Music
06:42
Williams:
One family with a disabled son was forced out of their home, which was then reduced to rubble. Not only was their house destroyed, the army sent them the demolition bill as well.
06:56
Williams:
That year the army demolished six houses around here. It was supposed to be a warning from the central government in Rome, but Sicilian government responded with a two year demolition amnesty. For the moment, all homes -- safe as houses.
07:18
Illegal house on coastline
Down from the valley of the temples, an edifice Stalin would have loved. The entire building is illegal --in fact the whole village shouldnt exist.
07:30
Arnone with Williams
Arnone:
Last year we managed to have the former mayor arrested and charged, as he was actually a friend of these people and failed to have this building demolished.
07:45
Williams:
Environmentalist and lawyer, Giuseppe Arnone, has led a lonely and often dangerous fight against the developers, the politicians and their Mafia mates.
07:54
Arnone Arnone:
Thats what happened around here there was a sort of wicked and diabolical deal between politicians who allowed the building and didn't enforce any sanction, and these people, who in exchange for impunity had voted for them.
08:16
Illegal houses
Williams:
Despite the death threats and a botched attempt by corrupt court officials and politicians to have him charged with corruption he'll fight on --for this is no isolated example.
08:29
Lido Rossello
Williams:
A few kilometres down the coast, the village of Lido Rossello. Construction of the illegal apartments has been stopped, but theyve not been demolished --the illegal seafront houses still pump sewage straight onto the beach. With a quarter of all Sicilian houses built without permission, hardly surprising even the major city of Agrigento has its share.
08:59
Sirone and Williams enter house
Williams:
After twenty years hard work away in Germany, Carmelo Sirone says he deserves his house by the beach. Along with his neighbour and many others here he's prepared to defend it by destroying any politicians home who threatens to demolish his. In Sicily, its a threat taken seriously.
09:20
Sirone:
If you represent our country we are going to do the same with yours. We'll do that --no problem -- with all our strength -- and there's plenty of that, with all our spirit and courage.
09:38
View from house
Williams:
He shows me the view from the balcony and comes up with a unique reason why he should stay --to rescue sailors from stricken boats that maybe only he might see from this house.
09:51
Sirone:
What if no-one lives here? Not only us but also the sailors would be penalised.
09:59
Mayors chambers
Williams:
Unthinkable too, the thought of local mayors supporting the demolition of thousands of homes, filled with even more voters.
10:13
Williams:
Giovanni Saito is mayor of Licata. He's joined forces with fifteen other mayors to resist the demolitions and demand yet another amnesty.
10:23
Williams:
If the central government goes ahead and insists you complete these demolitions what will you do? Will you comply?
Saito:
No, we couldn't take any step at all. The only thing left to do would be to resign -- thus leaving other people with these serious responsibilities.
10:44
Building on coastline
Williams:
Just down the road the building goes on. Here, locals tell me despite being an exclusion zone this is, inexplicably, legal --coincidentally the builder is a close friend of the mayor. But not all of Italy's leaders are so understanding.
Rome - Music
11:12
Summit hotel
Williams:
In Rome, the guests of the Summit hotel are blissfully ignorant, but manager, Antonio di Luca is all too aware this is going to be a really bad day for him and his beloved hotel.
11:30
Demolition of convention centre
Williams:
This was to have been a convention centre -- only three years and millions of dollars later, the only thing missing were those pesky permits.
11:44
Di Luca Williams:
This must be a terrible moment for you, watching your hotel being partially destroyed?
Di Luca:
Its a difficult problem but, ah, this is the situation. We think that we has all the written permitted but maybe we didn't do all the things very well.
12:12
Williams:
Maybe not. And perhaps unlucky too, because Rome is dominated by a greens government, and, unlike most of Italy, it takes an aggressive attitude to illegal buildings.
12:30
Miglio with Di Luca
Williams:
Massimo Miglio is Mr Demoliton. Rome's Councils enforcer.
Miglio:
Well, this building was built illegally, without any permission. It was right here -- a huge building, about 20,000 cubic metres.
12:54
Demolition of convention centre
Williams: Supervising demolitions is not an easy or safe job. It sometimes involves riot police. No one thanks you for destroying their home.
13:09
Miglio:
Yes thats definitely right indeed, I've been threatened several times -- my car has been blown up twice. So specific safety measures are constantly being adopted for whoever is in charge.
13:30
Miglio in car
Williams:
So dangerous in fact, his office is a virtual bunker. Were not allowed to film it. His police guards were even wary of us getting any shots of him at all. With the Mafia deeply involved in the building industry anyone interrupting business is in danger of being rudely interrupted himself.
13:55
Williams:
So what is the Italian government doing about the problem?
14:00
Sgarbi:
We could try to do something but we cannot possibly pull down all the suburbs -- all the historical centres, where new buildings have been constructed -- we could never rectify all these horrors.
14:19
Demolitions - Music
Williams:
With talk of more government amnesties the good fight is left all to often to brave individuals like mayor Constabile Maurano.
14:31
Maurano Maurano:
They would say each man has his own price. We have demonstrated that there are still men with no price, who are still able to resist bribery as well as threats.
14:51
Demolitions on Amalfi coast
Williams:
But it took fifteen years to get the dinosaur jaws devouring the bones of this project. It is a great victory for the mayor and his courageous supporters. Now a national park, all this is saved forever.
Music
15:18
Williams:
But there are other beaches in Sicily and beyond where the ugly corruptions of yesterday will still be standing in the morning -- and just not enough people seem to care.
15:41
SICILY DEMOLITIONS
Reporter: Philip Williams
Camera: Ron Foley
Sound: Kate Graham
Research: Fabio Sermonti