Santo Stefano (island)

Santo Stefano is an island in the Maddalena archipelago of northern Sardinia, Italy, and part of the Maddalena National Park. It is largely uninhabited and it is mainly known for its hosting of a NATO Naval Base and Italian Navy munitions magazines Apart from the military, the only residences on the island is a tourist resort, Club Volturo, which is largely occupied only during the summer months. Public access to the island is made by ferry either from La Maddalena or nearby Palau, on Sardinia

In 1987, the United States Navy was issued an executive eviction, which called for abandonment of the island and its return to a national park. However in 2004, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, despite the pending eviction, gave the U.S Navy the rights to extend the base using part of the natural park surface to build a new wider office building.

The U.S. military is scheduled to leave the region by spring 2008. "Emory S. Land" left the Italian navy base on September 27, 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/2006/09/sezioni/cronaca/rumsfeld-parisi-maddalena/rumsfeld-parisi-maddalena/rumsfeld-parisi-maddalena.html|title=Maddalena, Rumsfeld a Parisi "Andiamo via da ottobre 2007"|publisher=La Repubblica|language=Italian|date=2006-09-08|accessdate=2006-09-08]

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