Picturesque fishing villages scatter the Adriatic coast as the sea sparkles in the sunlight.
This is the Italian region of Abruzzo, where in the summer months sun-seeking tourists flock to fill the beaches.
But one morning in 2008, locals awoke to a sight that disturbed this picture postcard scene: "We saw from the coast a small platform sticking out of the sea. An abomination. We went together, started asking the authorities and made our voices heard," Enrico Gagliano told Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting memberGet EU news that matters
Investigate Europe is a team of investigative journalists from 10 countries that jointly researches topics of European relevance and publishes the results in media outlets across Europe. Further contributors to this piece include: Wojciech Cieśla, Thodoris Chondrogiannos (Reporters United Greece), Boryana Dzhamabzova, Ingeborg Eliassen, Sigrid Melchior, Leïla Miñano, Oliver Moldenhauer, Paulo Pena, Harald Schumann and Elisa Simantke. \nThe project is supported by the Schöpflin Foundation, the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, the Hübner & Kennedy Foundation, the Fritt-Ord Foundation, the Open Society Initiative for Europe, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Adessium Foundation and private donors. This research was also funded by the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme. Learn more about the investigation, and find extra material and interviews, here.
Investigate Europe is a team of investigative journalists from 10 countries that jointly researches topics of European relevance and publishes the results in media outlets across Europe. Further contributors to this piece include: Wojciech Cieśla, Thodoris Chondrogiannos (Reporters United Greece), Boryana Dzhamabzova, Ingeborg Eliassen, Sigrid Melchior, Leïla Miñano, Oliver Moldenhauer, Paulo Pena, Harald Schumann and Elisa Simantke. \nThe project is supported by the Schöpflin Foundation, the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, the Hübner & Kennedy Foundation, the Fritt-Ord Foundation, the Open Society Initiative for Europe, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Adessium Foundation and private donors. This research was also funded by the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme. Learn more about the investigation, and find extra material and interviews, here.