Today the last tower of Bari's Punta Perotti was demolished with the third spectacular explosion, finally releasing the beautiful Bari coastline from this "eco-monster". The mayor of Bari has hailed the demolition as a signal against the idea that the South of Italy is in desperate conditions with no hope of redemption.
The first explosion took place on the 2nd of April and following the success of that explosion a second was executed on the 23rd of April and the last one took place on the 24th of April.
Each demolition was watched by hundreds of Baresi, happy to see this "eco-monster" disappear to reveal once more the beautiful coastline it has blocked since 1995. The decision to demolish Punta Perotti was taken in the autumn of 2005, after the new left-wing mayor of Bari promised to do so during his electoral campaign in 2004. The cost of the demolition is at the level of several millions of euro.
The buildings were officially declared illegal in 2000, while they have blotted Barri's coastline since 1995, when construction began. The work went ahead for a year until work was blocked by the Bari magistrates in 1996 to allow investigation into alleged (and eventually proven true) irregularities.
This is the crowning moment for the long battle by the Legambiente Puglia and the citizens of Bari, that included collecting funds for a park to replace Punta Perotti and supporting the legal battle against the companies who build the three towers. The companies requested but did not receive almost 500 million euros in compensation from the Bari city council.
The mayor stated that this can only be considered the start and not the end. Debate is already underway to decide what will replace Punta Perotti with public opinion leaning on the side of a public park.
