Marina di Melilli

Marina di Melilli (Funnucu Novu in Sicilian) was a seaside resort in the territory of Melilli, in the province of Syracuse.

From 1954 the beach of Fondaco Nuovo had bathing establishments and attracted housing to the south, but after the ISAB refinery was built in the 1970s the place found itself squeezed between the petrochemical complex and the sea.

Because of pollution (but also to make room for the plants to expand), in 1979 its nearly 1,000 inhabitants were moved and spread among the nearby towns. Marina di Melilli was almost entirely razed. When the comune of Priolo Gargallo was created, the beach of Fondaco Nuovo went to the new comune, while the inhabited area stayed in Melilli. The relocated residents were compensated, but some families still resisted. Their electricity and water were cut off, and there were even threats. The last inhabitant of Marina di Melilli, Salvatore Gurreri, was brutally murdered in 1992 at the age of 82, found hog-tied by his killers in the boot of his car. The hitmen, who were convicted, confessed to being paid 250,000 lire each, but whoever ordered the killing was never found.

Of the homes of about 180 families only a few habitable buildings remained; most of the houses fell into ruin or were demolished. In the Priolo part, industrial sites, Enel's Archimede power plant, but also a nature reserve and some bathing establishments of the so-called "Marina di Priolo" have grown up over the years.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · translated from Italian