Italy prison island birthplace of EU project bracing for recovery
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
A historic prison on a tiny, rocky outcrop called Santo Stefano, off the west coast of Italy, is about to undergo recovery and re-qualification. The ex-prison was the place where - in the 40s - political adversaries of fascism conceived for the first time the idea of a federation of European states.
The island of Santo Stefano, off the coast of Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea is bracing for recovery after decades of neglect and abandonment. Known for a historical ex-prison which dominates its landscape, the island is close to the larger island of Ventotene- considered by many the birthplace of modern Europe.
The Italian government has allocated 70 million euros for the recovery and re-qualification of the prison on Santo Stefano, a project that aims to give centers of learning and cultural projects to the island.
The prison was built in Santo Stefano by the end of the 18th century by the House of Bourbon which had ruled France for about two centuries until King Louis XVI was overthrown and executed during the French Revolution in 1792. The carcel was later used by dictator Benito Mussolini during the Second World War as a place to banish political adversaries.
The prison on the island of Santo Stefano was designed according to the theories of British philosopher Jeremy Bentham. He had invented a new kind of circular carcel called the “Panopticon” with the goal of “obtaining power of mind over mind”.
The special design of the jail allowed security guards to check on all inmates at all times, while
the prisoners themselves never knew for sure whether they were being watched or not.
During her first State of the Union speech on Wednesday, European Commission President Von Der Leyen approached the subject of European values after criticizing the lack of solidarity with Greece by some member countries in migrant burden-sharing.
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