Key facts
- The Italian government revoked special economic zone (ZES) approval for the Tavolara glamping project in Sardinia.
- The project, planned by Brazilian developer Jsfh, aimed to bypass landscape and environmental regulations.
- Environmental groups and local residents protested the development, citing existing building bans and regional landscape plans.
- The Sardinian regional government had appealed the ZES approval to the administrative court.
- The revocation was ordered by the Department for the South at Palazzo Chigi.
The Italian government has revoked the special economic zone (ZES) approval for a planned luxury glamping resort in Cala Finanza, Sardinia. The project, proposed by Brazilian developer Jsfh and operated by Tavolara Bay, faced strong opposition from local residents and environmental organizations.
Protesters argued that the resort would violate existing landscape and environmental protections, including a national law imposing an absolute building ban in marine protected areas and a regional plan restricting construction within 300 meters of the sea. To circumvent these regulations, the developers had requested ZES status, which allows for simplified authorization procedures.
The Department for the South at Palazzo Chigi ordered the revocation of the initial February 6, 2026, authorization on July 2, 2026. This decision was announced by the mayor of Loiri Porto San Paolo, Francesco Lai, who had also been a target of protests. The Sardinian regional government, led by President Alessandra Todde, had filed an appeal with the regional administrative court (TAR), with a hearing scheduled for July 8. Todde expressed readiness to escalate the case to the Constitutional Court if necessary.
Environmental groups such as WWF, Legambiente, and Italia Nostra, along with numerous local associations, celebrated the revocation as a significant victory for conservation efforts. Mayor Lai emphasized that the affair should serve as a lesson to investors that Sardinia is not for sale.