A polluted Dolina in the former Trebiciano – Trebče landfill. One of the main dumping grounds on the Karst plateau, near Trieste. (Photo: Roberto Giurastante).
AREAS OF PUBLIC INTEREST
TREBICIANO, PADRICIANO, GROPADA, BASOVIZZA: THE KARST PLATEAU’S ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION.
On 17 December 1971, with a Ministerial Decree without number, the Italian Government recognized the environmental significance of Trieste’s Karst. It was a first form of protection for a highly regarded land, especially thanks to its spectacular hypogeal environments.
It is no coincidence that this Decree – issued by the Italian Ministries of Education and of Tourism – comes from the Italian Government. Since 1954, that is also the present-day Free Territory of Trieste’s temporary administering authority. Indeed, Trieste is a State, established under the 1947 Italian Peace Treaty, and the area protected with the Ministerial Decree is right there.
The Ministerial Decree considers that:
“Recognizing that the above mentioned areas have a remarkable public interest, as they create significantly beautiful natural frameworks.
The same areas, besides the very beautiful surfaces, covered in woods and lawns, or in a world of rock, do also have many viewpoints accessible to visitors, which provide a beautiful sight of the Karst plateau”.
The “above mentioned” areas include the villages of Trebiciano, Padriciano, Gropada, Basovizza.
Today, those villages are the summits of a “square of shame”. The much-praised natural area, in truth, is an illegal, open-air dumping ground. This is all part of a wide operation for the disposal of just any kind of waste. Including industrial and military waste: indeed some “very” hazardous waste.
The highest hopes of the two Italian Ministries were nip in the bud. Who did it? It was the local representatives of the very same Italian Government. There already were plans to use the Free Territory as Italy’s own State-landfill. A very convenient one, perfect to make the thorny waste of Italian mafias disappear.
It is in this “square” – which by now is one huge landfill – the scars of the hidden natural disaster are tangible. It is caves turned into waste hydrocarbon lakes.
Yet, this very Italian Ministerial Decree is an evidence of how precious this tortured land used to be. Once a world heritage site, now a contaminated area.
About the Trebiciano landfill: where the Timavo flows.
Translated from blog “Ambiente e Legalità” – “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante
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Follows a translation of Italian Ministerial Decree of 17 December 1971:
Declaration of significant public interests of highlands of the Municipality of Trieste.
THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
together with the
MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND CULTURE
In view of Law No. 1497 of 29 June 1939, on the Protection of Things of Natural Beauty;
In view of the directions approved with Royal Decree No. 1357 of 3 June 1940, to enforce the previously mentioned law;
In view of the documents;
Considering that the Provincial Council of Trieste for the protection of Things of Natural Beauty, during its February 13th, 1969 meeting, has included in the list of localities to protect pursuant to article 2 of the above mentioned law, three areas of Municipality of Trieste, including also the villages of Trebiciano, Patrician, Gropada and Basovizza; […]”.
The original Italian version of Ministerial Decree of 17 December 1971.