A Little Prehistory

Presentation di Laurence Camillo

The ancient territory which would eventually become the Costa Smeralda was virtually uninhabited up until two centuries ago. The part which goes from Piccolo Pevero to Liscia di Vacca and Poltu Quatu was difficult to reach by land, surrounded as it was by steep mountains, covered with an impenetrable forest and impregnable rocks. And, naturally, without any roads.  However, it was an enchanted valley, rich with game and fishing, with a splendid coast and jagged cliffs looking out on limpid turquoise waters. During antiquity, at Arzachena instead, there was a significant presence of people, in a tiny village some 15 kilometres inland, some of whom  most likely occasionally ventured out to the coast.

Sardinians generally feared the sea, above all during medieval times, when pirates, who had always threatened this land, multiplied their raids. Monte Moro, which towers over Porto Cervo, takes its name from its function as look out point against the “Mori”, the dark people. As a result, people settled far from the coast, in the “stazzi,” small country cottages built of granite which blended into their surroundings, but placed in areas invisible from the sea.

The marvelous bay of Porto Cervo remained in its natural state for centuries; not even a fisherman’s cottage interrupted the landscape, for there were no real fishermen in Sardinia. Families of professional fishermen arrived only recently in Gallura, from the island of Ponza, and settled here, like the Avellino family, who made their home at Abbiadori. Occasionally, the inhabitants of the village of Arzachena would go to the coast to hunt or fish, but they found it easier to arrive at Battistoni (today named Baia Sardinia), at Cala di Volpe and Capriccioli, which were more easily accessible.

The first permanent inhabitants of the area were five Corsican Brothers named Orecchioni, arrived in the early nineteenth century.  They settled at Liscia di Vacca, where they began a prosperous smuggling operation in salt, sugar, and gunpowder. Their motives for leaving Corsica are unknown, but they were happy in Sardinia and remained there. Memories are still vivid of the incredible noise made when one of the brothers’ considerable deposit of gunpowder hidden in the Conca di Maracca exploded. That same Conca di Maracca, a large cave under the rocks along the curves of the Liscia di Vacca road, served as a hiding place from pirates up until recent times, as recounted by Gavina Orecchioni, the mother of  Zio (uncle) Battista.

The inhabitants of Liscia di Vacca slowly increased in number, forming the small hamlet that can be seen today, where they built the first church of the area. They planted wheat at Cala Granu, from whence its name and took their flocks and herds to graze at Liscia di Vacca, “the cow’s meadow”. To reach the mill in Arzachena, they had to go by oxcart, taking a long and bumpy road called a ruccatogghju, opening and closing a series of fifteen gates one by one. Maria Orecchioni went to school in La Maddalena on board a water tanker boat which carried water, loaded at the jetty of the Baia Sardinia, to the inhabitants of La Maddalena.

Tuscan woodsmen arrived as well, to cut down the beautiful woods and slowly burn its logs, in pyres, transforming them into charcoal: traces of their activity can still be seen in the clearings on the slopes of  Monte Moro. Sadly, the great oaks and juniper trees of old are almost all gone.

At Abbiadori, the Azara settled and formed another small hamlet of shepherds, who grazed their flocks and herds in the area of Cala di Volpe and even on the islands. “Uncle” Battista Azara used to tell the story of how on his little boat, he used to accompany the dairy cows, which would swim all the way to the island of Mortorio. These inhabitants were not poor; they had a good life and they were happy in their little earthly paradise. They would organize picnics under the trees in various places, which were occasions for young people to meet, to get engaged, and to settle down to raise a family.

Then in the 1950s the first yachts began arriving, such as the famous Croce del Sud of Mentasti, who began purchasing land at Porto Cervo, the Podbielski at Liscia di Vacca, the young Aga Khan at Pevero, Romazzino, Razza di Junco and Cala di Volpe, his half-brother Patrick Guinness at Liscia Ruia and “Punta Guinness,” André Ardoin at Pantogia, Pitrizza, Capo Ferro and elsewhere, Duncan Miller at Capriccioli etc.

A Consortium (Consorzio Costa Smeralda) was founded in the spring of 1961.  The “spiritual guide” of the organization was the Aga Khan, who overlooked the whole process attentively, calling upon leading consultants and the most famous architects of the world. He was a real estate developer with a fifty-year investment plan, something unique in Italy and perhaps in the world. Locally, he entrusted the political preparation of the project to a young lawyer from Sassari, Paolo Riccardi, a giant of a man, both in physical stature (6 foot 8) and in diplomatic skills. He was a family and school friend of important men of politics, such as Antonio Segni and Francesco Cossiga, future presidents of the Republic of Italy, and Enrico, Giovanni and Sergio Berlinguer, as well as of many important figures of local regional importance.

During the very first years of the Costa Smeralda, the real estate developers led by the Aga Khan were well regarded by the local authorities and they did not run into bureaucratic obstacles in the realization of their projects, be they hotels, villas or residences. The president of the Region at the time, Efisio Corrias, and the mayors of Arzachena, first Giacomino Tanchis and later Giorgino Filigheddu, were inclined to favor these investments, in which they recognized a new possibility for economic development in an area which was still primarily agricultural. The high regard in which the young Prince Karim was held was so pronounced that in 1966 the municipality of Arzachena bestowed honorary citizenship upon the Aga Khan and whatever construction permits he requested, were immediately granted.

In the latter half of the fifties, instead, a group of “rebels” formed within the Democrazia Cristiana, led by Francesco Cossiga, jokingly nicknamed “The Young Turks.” The group included Pietro Soddu, Paolo Dettori, Nino Giagu de Martini, Piero Are and many others, and one of its adherents was Gian Michele Digosciu of Arzachena. They formed an opposition to Segni and his nephew Nino Costa, upon whose help the group of the Aga Khan had always counted. When he was named provincial secretary for the party, Cossiga took control of the Sassarese DC; that group would dominate the political scene in Sardinia for the next twenty years, over time occupying all of the political appointments available, alternating amongst the regional presidency, the provincial ones, the councilships and the direction of almost all of the bureaucratic apparatus on the island, forming a formidable compact political group.

During that period, the large petrochemical industries also landed on the island, including Nino Rovelli in the north and Angelo Moratti in the south, to take advantage of the huge State financing opportunities designated by the Funds for the South. In this way, industrial mega-plants were born, such as Saras at Sarroch on the gulf of Cagliari, and SIR at Porto Torres.

For their part, the Sardinian politicians looked favorably upon these industrial initiatives, which allowed them to take the backwards countryside out of the Middle Ages and produce a higher quality of life. But there was another reason for their support as well: industrial workers were far more unionized than farmers, and therefore more easily influenced when it came to politics. In other words, they represented a huge block of potential votes, easily swayed.

In short, the group of the “Young Turks,” influenced especially by Soddu, a great believer in the industrialization of Sardinia, preferred to sustain and support large industry rather than the new and still nebulous tourism industry that was was just beginning to appear in Gallura. They therefore began to attack the plans for expansion that the Aga Khan had for the Coast. One of the key battles in this war was the election of Digosciu to the office of mayor of Arzachena.

This mayor found quick support in the regional council when it came to blocking the Aga Khan, and therefore all of the projects presented by the Costa Smeralda were systematically rejected.

To approach the “Young Turks” and manage to convince them of the promise the tourism industry held for the population overall was a protracted job requiring astuteness and patience, which was carried out by Paolo Riccardi. Luckily among the “Young Turks” there were some (Cossiga, Giagu, Are and Soddu) who had been his high school and university classmates in Sassari. With great difficulty, Riccardi eventually managed to convince them and obtain approval for all the allotments and the constructions which we may see completed today on the Costa Smeralda. 

Riccardi’s work was, however, interrupted in 1982, upon the severing of relations with the Prince, and he was therefore unable to obtain the approval of the so-called “Master Plan” for the completion of the Costa Smeralda. This part of the plan involved the land stretching from Cala di Volpe to Portisco, and included three new golf courses. Its realisation would have achieved a stable residential community which would have permitted the Costa Smeralda to live all year round, instead of only during the current brief seasonal period. 

This defeat contributed to the Aga Khan’s disengagement and then definitive abandonment of the control of the Costa Smeralda Consortium. Exasperated, the prince ceded his role to the American Sheraton company, which was later absorbed by Starwood, which was subsequently taken over by Colony Capital and recently by Qatar Holding. The prince retained “Alisarda” which in the meantime had been renamed “Meridiana,” as well as the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club and a home at Porto Cervo.

The reminiscences of Riccardi give us an indication of his herculean efforts and a glimpse behind the scenes of the negotiations, opening a window on the Sardinian and Italian political situation of those years.

INDEX

The original titles of the paragraphs (see HERE) have been integrated/clarified in square brackets; and sometimes new ones have been added.

The paragraphs marked with a bullet point are available for reading; for the full edition, see HERE ⇒

A Little Prehistory

Presentation di Laurence Camillo

The ancient territory which would eventually become the Costa Smeralda was virtually uninhabited up until two centuries ago. The part which goes from Piccolo Pevero to Liscia di Vacca and Poltu Quatu was difficult to reach by land, surrounded as it was by steep mountains, covered with an impenetrable forest and impregnable rocks. And, naturally, without any roads.  However, it was an enchanted valley, rich with game and fishing, with a splendid coast and jagged cliffs looking out on limpid turquoise waters. During antiquity, at Arzachena instead, there was a significant presence of people, in a tiny village some 15 kilometres inland, some of whom  most likely occasionally ventured out to the coast.

Sardinians generally feared the sea, above all during medieval times, when pirates, who had always threatened this land, multiplied their raids. Monte Moro, which towers over Porto Cervo, takes its name from its function as look out point against the “Mori”, the dark people. As a result, people settled far from the coast, in the “stazzi,” small country cottages built of granite which blended into their surroundings, but placed in areas invisible from the sea.

The marvelous bay of Porto Cervo remained in its natural state for centuries; not even a fisherman’s cottage interrupted the landscape, for there were no real fishermen in Sardinia. Families of professional fishermen arrived only recently in Gallura, from the island of Ponza, and settled here, like the Avellino family, who made their home at Abbiadori. Occasionally, the inhabitants of the village of Arzachena would go to the coast to hunt or fish, but they found it easier to arrive at Battistoni (today named Baia Sardinia), at Cala di Volpe and Capriccioli, which were more easily accessible.

The first permanent inhabitants of the area were five Corsican Brothers named Orecchioni, arrived in the early nineteenth century.  They settled at Liscia di Vacca, where they began a prosperous smuggling operation in salt, sugar, and gunpowder. Their motives for leaving Corsica are unknown, but they were happy in Sardinia and remained there. Memories are still vivid of the incredible noise made when one of the brothers’ considerable deposit of gunpowder hidden in the Conca di Maracca exploded. That same Conca di Maracca, a large cave under the rocks along the curves of the Liscia di Vacca road, served as a hiding place from pirates up until recent times, as recounted by Gavina Orecchioni, the mother of  Zio (uncle) Battista.

The inhabitants of Liscia di Vacca slowly increased in number, forming the small hamlet that can be seen today, where they built the first church of the area. They planted wheat at Cala Granu, from whence its name and took their flocks and herds to graze at Liscia di Vacca, “the cow’s meadow”. To reach the mill in Arzachena, they had to go by oxcart, taking a long and bumpy road called a ruccatogghju, opening and closing a series of fifteen gates one by one. Maria Orecchioni went to school in La Maddalena on board a water tanker boat which carried water, loaded at the jetty of the Baia Sardinia, to the inhabitants of La Maddalena.

Tuscan woodsmen arrived as well, to cut down the beautiful woods and slowly burn its logs, in pyres, transforming them into charcoal: traces of their activity can still be seen in the clearings on the slopes of  Monte Moro. Sadly, the great oaks and juniper trees of old are almost all gone.

At Abbiadori, the Azara settled and formed another small hamlet of shepherds, who grazed their flocks and herds in the area of Cala di Volpe and even on the islands. “Uncle” Battista Azara used to tell the story of how on his little boat, he used to accompany the dairy cows, which would swim all the way to the island of Mortorio. These inhabitants were not poor; they had a good life and they were happy in their little earthly paradise. They would organize picnics under the trees in various places, which were occasions for young people to meet, to get engaged, and to settle down to raise a family.

Then in the 1950s the first yachts began arriving, such as the famous Croce del Sud of Mentasti, who began purchasing land at Porto Cervo, the Podbielski at Liscia di Vacca, the young Aga Khan at Pevero, Romazzino, Razza di Junco and Cala di Volpe, his half-brother Patrick Guinness at Liscia Ruia and “Punta Guinness,” André Ardoin at Pantogia, Pitrizza, Capo Ferro and elsewhere, Duncan Miller at Capriccioli etc.

A Consortium (Consorzio Costa Smeralda) was founded in the spring of 1961.  The “spiritual guide” of the organization was the Aga Khan, who overlooked the whole process attentively, calling upon leading consultants and the most famous architects of the world. He was a real estate developer with a fifty-year investment plan, something unique in Italy and perhaps in the world. Locally, he entrusted the political preparation of the project to a young lawyer from Sassari, Paolo Riccardi, a giant of a man, both in physical stature (6 foot 8) and in diplomatic skills. He was a family and school friend of important men of politics, such as Antonio Segni and Francesco Cossiga, future presidents of the Republic of Italy, and Enrico, Giovanni and Sergio Berlinguer, as well as of many important figures of local regional importance.

During the very first years of the Costa Smeralda, the real estate developers led by the Aga Khan were well regarded by the local authorities and they did not run into bureaucratic obstacles in the realization of their projects, be they hotels, villas or residences. The president of the Region at the time, Efisio Corrias, and the mayors of Arzachena, first Giacomino Tanchis and later Giorgino Filigheddu, were inclined to favor these investments, in which they recognized a new possibility for economic development in an area which was still primarily agricultural. The high regard in which the young Prince Karim was held was so pronounced that in 1966 the municipality of Arzachena bestowed honorary citizenship upon the Aga Khan and whatever construction permits he requested, were immediately granted.

In the latter half of the fifties, instead, a group of “rebels” formed within the Democrazia Cristiana, led by Francesco Cossiga, jokingly nicknamed “The Young Turks.” The group included Pietro Soddu, Paolo Dettori, Nino Giagu de Martini, Piero Are and many others, and one of its adherents was Gian Michele Digosciu of Arzachena. They formed an opposition to Segni and his nephew Nino Costa, upon whose help the group of the Aga Khan had always counted. When he was named provincial secretary for the party, Cossiga took control of the Sassarese DC; that group would dominate the political scene in Sardinia for the next twenty years, over time occupying all of the political appointments available, alternating amongst the regional presidency, the provincial ones, the councilships and the direction of almost all of the bureaucratic apparatus on the island, forming a formidable compact political group.

During that period, the large petrochemical industries also landed on the island, including Nino Rovelli in the north and Angelo Moratti in the south, to take advantage of the huge State financing opportunities designated by the Funds for the South. In this way, industrial mega-plants were born, such as Saras at Sarroch on the gulf of Cagliari, and SIR at Porto Torres.

For their part, the Sardinian politicians looked favorably upon these industrial initiatives, which allowed them to take the backwards countryside out of the Middle Ages and produce a higher quality of life. But there was another reason for their support as well: industrial workers were far more unionized than farmers, and therefore more easily influenced when it came to politics. In other words, they represented a huge block of potential votes, easily swayed.

In short, the group of the “Young Turks,” influenced especially by Soddu, a great believer in the industrialization of Sardinia, preferred to sustain and support large industry rather than the new and still nebulous tourism industry that was was just beginning to appear in Gallura. They therefore began to attack the plans for expansion that the Aga Khan had for the Coast. One of the key battles in this war was the election of Digosciu to the office of mayor of Arzachena.

This mayor found quick support in the regional council when it came to blocking the Aga Khan, and therefore all of the projects presented by the Costa Smeralda were systematically rejected.

To approach the “Young Turks” and manage to convince them of the promise the tourism industry held for the population overall was a protracted job requiring astuteness and patience, which was carried out by Paolo Riccardi. Luckily among the “Young Turks” there were some (Cossiga, Giagu, Are and Soddu) who had been his high school and university classmates in Sassari. With great difficulty, Riccardi eventually managed to convince them and obtain approval for all the allotments and the constructions which we may see completed today on the Costa Smeralda. 

Riccardi’s work was, however, interrupted in 1982, upon the severing of relations with the Prince, and he was therefore unable to obtain the approval of the so-called “Master Plan” for the completion of the Costa Smeralda. This part of the plan involved the land stretching from Cala di Volpe to Portisco, and included three new golf courses. Its realisation would have achieved a stable residential community which would have permitted the Costa Smeralda to live all year round, instead of only during the current brief seasonal period. 

This defeat contributed to the Aga Khan’s disengagement and then definitive abandonment of the control of the Costa Smeralda Consortium. Exasperated, the prince ceded his role to the American Sheraton company, which was later absorbed by Starwood, which was subsequently taken over by Colony Capital and recently by Qatar Holding. The prince retained “Alisarda” which in the meantime had been renamed “Meridiana,” as well as the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club and a home at Porto Cervo.

The reminiscences of Riccardi give us an indication of his herculean efforts and a glimpse behind the scenes of the negotiations, opening a window on the Sardinian and Italian political situation of those years.

2.

AT THE COURT OF THE AGA KHAN

Plans for tourism. [The Exhibition and Conference in Alghero]

«We have an urgent need». [The Establishment of the Alisarda Company]

[Skill and Connections: A Phone Call to Paris and Consulting on Sardinian Industry and Agriculture] 

Liscia Ruja and Rena Bianca. [The Clash with the Ragnedda Brothers]

Plans for tourism. [The Exhibition and Conference in Alghero]

In 1961, with the arrival of the Aga Khan, and with the publicity in national and international newspapers which accompanied his “disembarkation,” the eastern side of Gallura was mobbed by numerous entrepreneurs from all over the world. The race was on to invest in that part of the province of Sassari, which had long been its poorest and most abandoned. All of this occurred amidst the complete indifference of Sardinian politicians.

In Sassari, on the initiative of my close colleague, Raimondo Rizzu, the Municipal government established a Pro Loco (Tourism Office). The same Rizzu was designated its president, and I vice-president. At the meetings with friends, I expressed my conviction of the importance of favoring tourism, in my opinion a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the development of Sardinia. It was the vice-director of the newspaper “La Nuova Sardegna” who gave us the idea of organizing an exposition of tourism plans for the island. All of the tour operators of the moment flocked to it. We also invited the  Costa Smeralda Consortium. I had gone to the Consortium office in Olbia and had explained the initiative to Mr. Felix Bigio, who at the time was the Secretary General. His negative response was communicated to me twenty days later. In any case, when the exposition took place, I invited Mr. Bigio to come visit. He  participated the following day in the convention that was held at Alghero, at the Hotel Capo Caccia, which was a great success. The Sardinian newspapers gave great importance and thorough coverage both to the conference and the exposition. The exposition, as I have already mentioned, was inaugurated by the Hon. Segni, who had just been elected President of the Republic.

When did the Aga Khan arrive?

The Aga Khan came to Sardinia for the first time in 1961, to see the land that his half-brother Patrick Guinness, had bought the year before. Patrick had come with his boat from Corsica, but his yacht, the famous 16 meter Zaira, had run out of fuel and thus he he had had to stop at Romazzino. On that occasion he met Nicola Azara who, as soon as he had seen the boat, began gesturing to attract the attention of the prince. Azara used the same method to convince Guinness to buy 10 hectares of terrain. Patrick Guinness, once home, spoke to his brother of the purchase and asked him to split the land with him and the Aga Khan accepted. He had paid a ridiculous amount for it, perhaps 3 million lire, a very large figure at the time.

In 1961 the Aga Khan disembarks at Olbia. He rents a boat from the Moro shipyard and arrives for the first time at what at the time was still called Monti di Mola, accompanied by a lawyer named André Ardoin, his business partner and a trusted friend of the prince’s family. They visit the land, and at that point the lawyer Ardoin hits upon an idea: «Say, Prince, why don’t we create another Costa Azzurra on this wonderful land that has such amazing beaches?». And thus the great project begins. They start buying up property, helped in part by John Duncan Miller, who had been one of the first to arrive in Sardinia. Miller was the head of the International Monetary Fund. He had been invited to Sardinia by Giovanni Filigheddu, a manager of the Region of Sardinia who dealt with assistance to underdeveloped areas.

Was he really more handsome than a fairytale prince?

When I met him, in 1962, the Aga Khan was a youth of 25 years. He was terribly handsome, and overflowing with charm and one warmed to him immediately. He was there with his half brother and there was little difference in age between them. Patrick Guinness was blonde, blue-eyed, and refined, but lacked the charisma and friendliness of the Aga Khan. I was immediately impressed by the prince’s communicative skills. He spoke in French at first, but after three or four months he was perfectly fluent in Italian, in addition to English and the other languages that he spoke with his religious followers.  Above all I admired his work ethic and his enthusiasm.

«We have an urgent need». [The Establishment of the Alisarda Company]

When did you start working for the Costa Smeralda?

My first meeting was with Mr. Ardoin, a lawyer of the Aga Khan. He came to me for the first time in Sassari and told me, in French: «We have an urgent need.» He needed to finish setting up the company “Alisarda,” an airline that was to offer connections between Olbia and Rome – starting immediately –  using the airport of Vena Fiorita, an old “makeshift” dirt runway created by the Germans during the war. It was extremely urgent. They already had a statute; the company had already been formed: in short, everything was ready. All that was missing was to proceed with the certification of the shareholding company and its listing in the business registry. They had turned to Mr. Rinaldi, a Roman lawyer, who had been Under-Secretary during the time of Fascism, whose name had been given to them by “Air France.” Rinaldi had prepared everything: the articles of incorporation, the statute, the board of directors, etc. Mr. Ardoin told me: «We need this certification to be taken care of right now: we have been told that to obtain it from the Court in Rome will take at least three months.»

At the time, the presiding judge at the court of Sassari was Dr. Arcadu, a man with whom I had formed a great friendship, due to the fact that he had married the sister of the Hon. Salvatore Cottoni, Mrs. Speranza. She, in turn, had been sent to me by her brother in order to take legal action against a renter who was not paying part of the rent for a piece of property she owned.

My answer to Ardoin was as follows: «My dear sir, it will indeed take three months, or perhaps two and a half.» I was certain, instead, that I would manage with relative ease in far less time.

I was given all of the documentation necessary, which as a first step needed to be approved of by a notary. The same evening of our meeting, I phoned my own trusted notary, Mr. Toti Maniga, who was also a personal friend: «When will you be in the office tomorrow?» «At nine.» «No, make it eight.» Having explained the necessary steps, I had him prepare the file in order to take it quickly to the Registry office. I handed it personally to the director, the accountant Salvatore Virdis, whom I knew quite well, imploring him to get it registered with the greatest possible urgency. I remember that he said: «Come back in a week.». «No, you’ve got to do it for me today!» He was good enough to grant my request. Right afterward I went to the presiding judge of the court and said to him: «Judge, I need you to do me a huge favor: I need you to finalize the certification of this company. But with the greatest of urgency.» «Summon two judges for me,» he replied. I went to Judge Salvatore Buffoni, another friend of mine, and Judge Vanni Fogu, and told them: «The Presiding Judge wants you in his office for the urgent certification of a corporation.». Within half an hour, the company documents had been approved by the obligatory panel of three judges. All that was missing was the approval of the Attorney General.

I had never had any sort of relationship with him, and therefore I was in no position to ask him for immediate approval. I asked Doctor Arcadu to do me the favor of going to the Attorney General to complete the certification. After an hour, Arcadu gave me back the file so that I could turn it over to the registrar. After two hours, Mr Pinna, the registrar, another friend, handed me a copy of the certification of the “Alisarda” company. Thus I sent a telegram to the lawyer Ardoin saying: “Alisarda” Corporation certified, you may send Mr. Bigio to collect the papers of the Company. This occurred a mere two days after having been assigned the task.

[Skill and Connections: A Phone Call to Paris and Consulting on Sardinian Industry and Agriculture]

At my first meeting with Mr. Ardoin, we dined at the Muroni restaurant, in Piazza d’Italia in Sassari. Mr Ardoin, having finished his lunch, needed to call Paris before leaving. He was worried, because normally it could take as much as two hours to get through to Paris. He asked me if it were possible to call from my house. Obviously I agreed. When we arrive at my home, he says to me: «Who knows how many hours it will take!» And I respond: «Let’s give it a try.» One of my clients was Bua of Ozieri, who was a director at the telephone company, SIP (at the time named TETI). I called him and said: «My dear friend, could you please connect me to this number in Paris?». And he says: «Straight away, Paolo» The connection was instantaneous. Mr. Ardoin couldn’t believe it: «But this is a miracle!» He starts laughing and I explain: «No, it’s just a friend who has facilitated matters.» When he is about to leave, he says to me: «Mr. Riccardi, we would like to ask you one more favor. Would you conduct some research on industries in Sardinia? We have the intention of opening a few. A rather in-depth study.» «Certainly.» I respond.

What I did was extremely simple: among my other responsibilities I was the lawyer for the province of Sassari for Credito Industriale Sardo, so I sent him a study done by the C.I.S., in which the incentives for investors were outlined, including not just industry but hotels as well. The latter was exactly what they were interested in. In my report, I highlighted the fact that fact luxury hotels could not access the special funds made available by free grant. To do so, they had to be budget hotels. Among other things I noted: «They talk about a contribution of 50% of the construction costs, but they have such a low estimated price list that in the end it will only cover 10%: they base calculations on paying 10,000 lire to build one cubic meter, when instead normal building costs are 30,000 lire, so base your calculations on these data.» Subsequently they asked me to do another study on agriculture. And thus began my consulting career for the Aga Khan group.

Liscia Ruja and Rena Bianca. [The Clash with the Ragnedda Brothers]

But when the Mr Ardoin and Mr Bigio spoke with you, did you know who and what they represented?

Who didn’t know? Even the cats knew. Everyone knew, both who they were and what they were not. I did the next consulting job after they had already signed a preliminary sales contract for the acquisition of 500 hectares from the Martini brothers in the area of Liscia Ruja. They had paid 450 million lire. The estate agents were Sebastiano Ragnedda of Arzachena and his brother. Ardoin and Bigio asked me to study the contract: both were very concerned because the Ragnedda were asking for an additional payment of 50 million. In Ardoin’s opinion, that sum was not due, but he was afraid the deal would fall through: «Because you know that Sebastiano, he is a real tough one, and we are afraid that the Martini brothers will end up saying he is right. Mr. Riccardi, what do you think? We cannot lose this land, but these people do not wish to finalize the sale.» I told him: «If you want to, you can give Ragnedda and Martini 50 million more lire, you can do what you wish, but in my opinion it would be completely, and utterly, wrong.»

A few days after the meeting with Ardoin, Bigio invites me to come to Olbia to finalize the sale. His office is a large room on Viale Umberto. In this large room there are scale models of all the land owned by the Consortium and two large desks. He invites me to sit down. «You have a seat and stay there nice and quiet. If I’m not able to convince Ragnedda e Martini that we don’t owe the payment of 50 million, I will call you.» I did not participate in the discussion. When it came to the point about payment, the battle began about the price and the infamous 50 million lire. «Mr. Riccardi, sorry, could you come in for a moment?» Bigio asks me. I introduce myself to the notary, Dr Mario Altea of Tempio, to the two Ragnedda brothers, and to the owners, I’m not sure how many there were, perhaps seven or eight. At the request of Bigio I contest what Sebastiano Ragnedda has said. At that point, the others all start protesting at once. Who the heck is he, what the devil kind of lawyer is he? And I say: «You needn’t worry about who I am or am not. But you may be certain that if you insist on the payment of 50 million extra lire there will be no final deed of sale. At this point, Ragnedda invites the Martinis to leave. I turn to Dr Altea and I invite him to put my declarations on the record. I represent the buyers; there is no deed signed, not for any fault of ours, but for theirs, because they have refused to uphold the conditions of the preliminary contract.

At that point a revolution breaks out: «What have you come here for, who are you, who is this so-called lawyer?» Bastiano Ragnedda goads me, lamenting that they are used to important lawyers, etc etc. The presumptuousness of Ragnedda was legendary. When he had to sell his petrol station in Porto Cervo, “Il Cavallino Bianco (The Little White Horse) to the AGIP company, anyone would have thought that it was he who was the owner of the AGIP colossus and the other man his underling.

In truth, I was young and unknown. But at a certain point, I could sense the agitation of the Martini brothers, who were beginning to see 450 million lire go up in smoke. The more authoritative of the Martinis turns to the notary, who is about to put my declarations down on the record, and asks him for his opinion. The notary Altea, speaking in the Tempiese dialect responds: «What are you waiting for, anyway? The young man is right. Therefore, if you want to close the sale, do so, otherwise I’m ready to record his declaration.».

I wasn’t a child. I was 34 years old. However, I had begun practicing law at 26, meaning that I had relatively limited experience and was little known outside of Sassari. Nonetheless, the deal was made, and no one paid those extra 50 million lire.

3
SEGRETARY GENERAL

The third act. [The Aga Khan and His Brother Patrick Guinness Propose to Paolo Riccardi to Oversee the Costa Smeralda Project]

A wrench thrown into the works. [The “Young Turks,” an Internal Political Faction of the Christian Democracy Party in Sardinia]

From the hill of Porto Cervo. [September 1963: Planning the Village and the First Port]

Honorary citizenship. [The Mayor of Arzachena, Giorgino Filigheddu, Grants Aga Khan Honorary Citizenship]

A man who had time for everything. [Aga Khan: A Tireless Prince]

Mr. Ardoin and the irrepressible prince

The third act. [The Aga Khan and His Brother Patrick Guinness Propose to Paolo Riccardi to Oversee the Costa Smeralda Project]

The third act, we could say, was the consequence of a similar incident. Later the same year, 1962, after two or three months, Bigio calls me and says: «Mr. Riccardi, I have here the Aga Khan and his brother Mr. Guinness, who would like to meet you. There will be a dinner tonight at the Jolly Hotel in Olbia with the harbor master.» Obviously I am happy about the invitation.

After the customary introductions and pleasantries we sit down at the table. The Aga Khan has placed me between him and his half-brother. At the end of the evening, the Aga Khan says: «Mr. Riccardi, we would like very much for you to come and work for us.». I respond: «Prince, I already come to Olbia twice a week for consulting.» Indeed, I had begun serving as consultant to the Costa Smeralda, going to Olbia two afternoons a week. To get there, I had to drive for quite a long stretch on dirt roads and pass through Ozieri, a two-and-a-half hour drive. Naturally, Bigio, a careful administrator, did not trust me entirely, just as he did not trust anyone. Thus he would pass me only one file at a time, to the point that I was becoming bored. One day I informed him: «Look, Mr Bigio, I am leaving now for Sassari. You do not know me well, Sir. I work fast, and understand things so quickly that you need to prepare at least 50 files for me to examine together. I won’t return except under these conditions, because I just haven’t got time to waste. In the end, Bigio loaded me up with so many problems that I was losing my mind. 

At the end of dinner, before leaving, the Aga Khan invites me to come by his office the following morning at eight. At the meeting, in addition to the Aga Khan, also present were Bigio, Ardoin and Patrick Guinness. The Aga Khan is the first to speak: «We would like for you to come work for us on a steady basis. Tell us what salary you require.» I respond: «I have my own firm. I have commitments, I can come three times a week.» The Aga Khan answers: «No, no, we want a greater commitment from you.»

Ultimately, we came to an agreement and I began working for them three to four days a week. But after less than a month, there was so much work to be done that I had to give up the firm in Sassari. In the meantime, the Aga Khan had named me president of all of his companies and had invited me to participate as partner in several others, naturally as a figurehead. For “Alisarda” there was a law that foreign funds could not make up more than a third of the capital possessed by Italian airlines: thus he was assessed 20% of the shares, and he had me subscribe to 80% of the shares, without our having made reciprocal declarations on their real value. To say the least, there was a very strong, constant relationship of trust between us, which lasted until the moment of my resignation in 1982.

In May 1963 they named me Secretary General of the Costa Smeralda Consortium. I wasn’t named president only of the “Cerasarda” company, one of many belonging to the Aga Khan, because before having met me, he had named Lellè Devilla the lawyer from Sassari as president, at the suggestion of the Hon. Nino Costa, who had been introduced to the Aga Khan by the Hon. Segni, before the professor was made President of the Republic. 

The Aga Khan had met Hon. Segni at the airport of Alghero and the professor had promised to help him whenever needed. Segni realized that the projects of the young prince represented a great advantage for Sardinia, and therefore had told him: «Whatever you need, contact my nephew, the Hon. Costa». Nino Costa had been president of the Federconsorzi, who was a right-wing politician, very intelligent, a good man, athletic, who bred horses and had a large horse farm at Crucca, in the Nurra di Sassari. At the time he was the treasurer of the Region of Sardinia. He was the cousin of the wife of Segni, an extraordinary person, a great lady, from one of the most important families in Sassari.

A wrench thrown into the works. [The “Young Turks,” an Internal Political Faction of the Christian Democracy Party in Sardinia]

At the beginning, the Aga Khan turned to Hon. Costa, neglecting to make contact with the famous so-called “Young Turks”whose leader was Francesco Cossiga, together with Pietro Soddu, Pietro Pala, Paolo Dettori and Nino Giagu De Martini as well as others. In 1956, they had unexpectedly won the provincial party congress of the Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democrats) and they had managed to take the reins of command. Cossiga had become Provincial secretary for the DC and a few years later, at the very young age of 29, a member of the Italian parliament. After a few years, he was given his first office as Under Secretary of the Air force to the Ministry of Defense. The “Young Turks”  belonged to the left wing of the DC, and were in opposition to Costa, who was on the right. Naturally, this had resulted in the “Young Turks” seeing the Aga Khan, his initiatives, and above all his relationship with the Hon. Costa in an unfavorable light; in truth, they did not believe in tourism, and had in fact concentrated all of their energies in favoring the birth of heavy industries, such as the petrol-chemical industry of Mr. Rovelli in Porto Torres in the province of Sassari, and the Saras company of Angelo Moratti in Sarroch, near Cagliari. This posed many problems for us and I had to use all of my influence in obtaining a more favorable political attitude towards our development.

From the hill of Porto Cervo. [September 1963: Planning the Village and the First Port]

At the beginning, it was only possible to get to Porto Cervo by jeep, by way of the same rough dirt road used by the locals “montimolesi” to take their ox carts from Liscia di Vacca to Arzachena. I remember that one September day in 1963, I arrived with the Aga Khan, Ardoin and a group of architects on top of the hill of Porto Cervo, where the house of Prince Amin would later be built. There, seated on the rocks, the Aga Khan began to describe his project to us. He told how the piers of the quay would be built, already fixing the date of the inauguration of the port for 14 August 1964. I thought «This fellow is out of his mind…» There was no electricity. There was no water. «He is a visionary!» I started to become concerned: «This is a young hothead! Miracles may well be possible, but even with a miracle it can’t be carried out by that date.»

At that point, I made one of the dumbest moves of my life. Because the Aga Khan said: «So, choose a place for your home at Porto Cervo.» Mr. Ardoin, the lawyer, and Mr. Vietti, the architect, chose Porto Cervo Nord, while the architect Mr Busiri-Vici chose central Porto Cervo. And the Aga Khan: «Mr. Riccardi, and you?» «No, thank you, I have bought another piece of land already.» I was thinking of the price he would be asking, «God knows what a con this will be!» And so like a fool I turned down the biggest gift I have ever been offered. 

The miracle did in fact take place, because right on time, on 14 August 1964, the East port of Porto Cervo was inaugurated, now known as “Porto Vecchio”, the “Old Port”.

The prince was tireless when it came to planning out loud: «Mr. Riccardi, please, do take notes, for this problem and for this other one…». I would pretend to take them. After two or three meetings, he realized that I wasn’t taking any notes at all. Later, as soon as he would arrive in Paris or Geneva – at the time his headquarters was in a splendid villa in Merimont, in Geneva, with an estate of 18 hectares near the Hotel Intercontinental – he would send me a telex: «Mr. Riccardi, please remember… » «Mr. Riccardi, don’t forget… » «Mr. Riccardi, had you thought of this…?», «Mr. Riccardi, did you … »  It was never-ending. «You need to…», «Did you remember…?», «Do let me know…», «Do keep me informed…».

And I would be there dictating everything that we did during the day to my secretary, also because he would call me back to see what I had done. When he came, he would work from 6 am. to midnight. Once he held me until the 31^st of December because there was an urgent matter to resolve. My family had gone to San Martino di Castrozza in the Alps for Christmas: I was to join them for New Year’s Eve, and I got there in the middle of the night, after a perilous taxi ride in the middle of a blizzard.

Honorary Citizenship. [The Mayor of Arzachena, Giorgino Filigheddu, Grants Aga Khan Honorary Citizenship]

One day in 1996 the Aga Khan complained to me: «Just look at these people from Olbia: when I paid a courtesy visit to the mayor and the city council, they promised me honorary citizenship, but they never gave it to me.» With this fact in mind, I go to the mayor of Arzachena, Giorgino Filigheddu, and say: «My dear mayor, would you like to tell the city council that the Aga Khan himself is going to pay you a visit, not just this scamorza cheese Riccardi? If you care, do you authorize me to tell the Aga Khan that you intend to give him honorary citizenship in Arzachena?»

I inform the Aga Khan: «Look, Prince, the mayor summoned me to give me a piece of good news. It is quite extraordinary: it seems that he, his cabinet and the city council wish to grant you honorary citizenship of Arzachena». The date is set and he accepts the invitation with great enthusiasm:  «Please write me a speech to give on the occasion.» I must have written, reread, and rewritten that speech ten times. I would correct part of it, but it wouldn’t be right. Then another part, and another. Finally, we managed to come to an agreement. Before leaving, the prince reread it and tucked it into his pocket.

After the honors ceremony, which took place on a stage in the main square erected for that very purpose, the Aga Khan, turning to the crowd filling every corner of the square, ignored the prepared speech and talked off the cuff for at least half an hour. He explained the programs of the Costa Smeralda to the crowd, and it turned into a wonderful local celebration. He spoke in impeccable Italian and his speech was interrupted by applause at least ten times. From that moment on, the mayor and all his administration staff, satisfied by the fact that the Aga Khan had finally come to visit Arzachena, changed their attitude towards us.

The Mayor, Giorgino Filigheddu, advised me: «Look, Mr. Riccardi. Do what you want on the Costa Smeralda, just as long as you avoid conflicts with Arzachena: if you get into a  dispute with Arzachena, it’s all over.» After that, we went forward without any problems. We were able to obtain licenses to build apartments and offices in Porto Cervo, which was the first phase.

Had the buildings at Cala di Volpe and Pitrizza already been built? And who gave you the permits?

Yes. I hadn’t been engaged yet. It would definitely have been the administration of Mayor Giacometti Tanchis. I think that the contacts were maintained by Mr Bigio until my arrival in 1962. Then, from May 1963 to 1965, I was the one who took care of maintaining contact with Tanchis. Our relationship with him and his administration was always friendly, and our collaboration fruitful: he was a kind, simple person, who showed a great admiration for our projects and saw in the Aga Khan a hard worker who in a short time had, with his initiatives, changed the life of the whole community. Giorgino Filigheddu was elected Mayor in 1965 and remained in office until August 1969. He also helped us a great deal. 

A man who had time for everything. [Aga Khan: A Tireless Prince]

Keeping up with the Aga Khan was truly exhausting, but intriguing as well: he had me completely involved in his great project. The entire road which led from Arzachena to Abbiadori was unpaved. To asphalt it, the Province had held a competition won by the surveyors Gavino Soro, Lelle Rais and Rosas, friends of mine: the road was finished before expected. I was on excellent terms with the Guerri enterprise, but every day I still had to give the Aga Khan a report on how many kilometers they had paved, as he was afraid that the road would not be ready for the inauguration date of the port.

To get to Abbiadori, Porto Cervo and Cala di Volpe there was a sheep track through the countryside. There too, absolute disaster. The prince: «Mr. Riccardi, we must do this, we need to do that…», a stream of telexes, to which I had to respond, again by telex. It was truly a constant daily fatigue, but very stimulating as well, because I could see that my “padrone” – yes, “padrone”, the boss, as for me that is how it felt, with me the slave taking orders – was exceptionally foresighted, well-prepared, and concrete in his dealings.

Karim Aga Khan, the forty-ninth Imam of the Ismailites, at only 26 years old, was a very mature man. His grandfather had wanted Prince Karim to succeed him at the age of only 18, with a flock of 30 million adoring followers. Every fortnight he would summon the most important of his faithful to Geneva, to the Hotel Intercontinental, a meeting of no fewer than 300 people.

And you, Mr. Riccardi, did you feel intimidated by the Aga Khan?

I would definitely say no. When we lunched with the authorities, a horseshoe-shaped table would be prepared. I would always sit to the side, in a corner. In general, I would sit with friends, local and regional council members and MPs, fun people, and we were always exchanging wisecracks and jokes and laughing. And he, the prince, would comment: «What are you talking about that has you laughing so?» And I would respond: «Nothing appropriate for you.» I would turn around and he would start laughing. He was really very friendly and fun. All this to say that no, I never felt intimidated by him. Respect is something different.

Mr. Ardoin and the irrepressible prince

Many managers would arrive at the meetings full of fear: «What’s he like? Is he in a good mood?» They feared him because he was truly strict and examined things in depth. In truth, a lot of time could end up wasted in these meetings because, picky as he was, he would discuss even the most minute detail. I did not want to sit there trapped, following the many tiny problems of the various managers. Finally one day I said: «Prince, when you come to the Coast, numerous people come to me asking to meet you. I receive them and come up with several excuses for you to avoid meeting them, given that they just want to meet you and they would only make you waste precious time. This is why I cannot stay in meetings with you all day long. You needn’t worry. If you have a problem, you can just call me and we will work it out.»

On that same occasion, I suggested that whenever he came to the Coast, he allow me to set up a meeting together with Mr. Ardoin, with a precise order of business including all of the matters which in my judgment ought to be discussed, of which I would advise them both in advance. At the beginning he seemed a bit irritated, but we followed this system regularly for many years. If in drawing up the order of the day I ever forgot a topic, he would send me a telex adding those that he wished to discuss. Those meetings started at 8 in the morning at the latest and would run as late as 10 at night. For lunch, the Aga Khan would order sandwiches, water and cappuccino from the Hotel Cervo. One day, dead tired, I slipped out and went home for a nap. When I came back, perhaps an hour later, the Aga Khan asked me: «Did you sleep well, Mr. Riccardi?» And I: «Not at all, prince, because in general I sleep as much as an hour and a half after lunch.» He chuckled, and from that day on, he never sought me out right after lunch, knowing that I would slip home to take a little nap.

Karim Aga Khan with lawyer Felix Bigio

Lawyer Paolo Riccardi

INDEX ⇒

4

LEARNING TO FLY
[FROM ALISARDA TO MERIDIANA]

The “Alisarda”

«You see, Romiti»

Landing with the sheep

At war with the Ministry. [Giuseppe Sitaiolo]

To the Public Prosecutor. [Giuseppe Sitaiolo]

   A friend in the government. [Salvatore Cottoni; Alisarda Faces Opposition from Alitalia]

It was called Venafiorita. [The Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport is Established]

Nordio comes to the rescue. [The Request to the Alitalia President for the Cagliari-Milan Route: Problems and Clashes]

We’ll even talk to the communists

Looking for other routes. [Alisarda Expands]

A photo on horseback. [Kenya and Tanzania Sell the First Planes to Alisarda: Sir Pirbai, the Mediator of the Deal with Kenya; Adjabali Kassan, the Only Ismaili Allowed at the Aga Khan’s Court in Costa Smeralda]

The party membership card. [Paolo Riccardi Joins the Communist Party: A Membership Card to Use at the Right Moment]

The “Alisarda”

Mr. Riccardi, we never did finish our discussion of the “Alisarda.”

This is where Count Ranchella, president of “Alisarda,” comes on the scene, along with his peers   charged with resolving the problems of the company, so that literally it would be possible to start flying. Nice fellow, that Count Ranchella. The classic example of a Roman who had received his title of Count from the Vatican. The other member of the board of directors of “Alisarda” was a general, the only very good, capable person, of whom I no longer remember the name. But generally the meetings of the board were a horrifying mish-mash of bickering and squabbling.

I would attend these meetings together with Mr. Ardoin and Mr. Bigio. We would almost always meet in Rome, occasionally in Olbia. The carping of this count lasted two or three years, until we finally managed to change the board of directors, using my presidency to put an end to the shouting of the Vatican Count.

I remember that one time, as part of his compensation, he asked us for a photograph of the Aga Khan with a special dedication, and insisted upon meeting the Aga Khan in person. The meeting took place at the Hotel Excelsior. When he arrived punctually for the appointment, the arrival of Conte Ranchella was announced by the reception by telephone. I tell Mr Ardoin: «I’ll have him come up with me.» As soon as he sees me, the Count starts: «I’m going to make a fuss, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that…» When we come up to Mr. Ardoin, always a man with a ready wit, he deftly forestalls this tirade with a burst of friendly chatter: «Well, Count, how is the grape harvest going? I mean the sale of the wine. And the barrels?» (The conte possessed a property and sold wine.)

This incipit stunned him. He didn’t say another word, except with regard to issues concerning “Alisarda”.

And the photograph of the Aga Khan with that dedication?

The Aga Khan never sent it to him. Ranchella was a nightmare for many years.

«You see, Romiti»

Once I became president, I started to liaison with the authorities. My first meetings were with the Hon. Salvatore Mannironi, at the time the Under Secretary for Transport. And the first battle began. “Alitalia” did not see the Aga Khan in a positive light, as his new airline was potentially a fearsome competitor. “Alitalia” ruled over everyone else. I still remember the first letter written by the director of the Ministry of Transport in response to our request for the concession of a route, the Cagliari-Olbia-Rome, for two planes bought specifically for that purpose, both small Beechcraft. The letter from the Ministry of Transport had inadvertently been sent to us with a note written in pencil by Mr. Romiti, who was the CEO of “Alitalia”: «You may send it to “Alisarda,” now it’s OK.»

To illustrate just what kind of connection there was between “Alitalia” and Civilavia, the Civil Aviation authority, I showed this letter to the Hon. Mannironi. Obedient poodle that he was, he looked at me without saying a word. Mute, he refused to comment. Laughing, I said to him: «See what you can do, OK?» I am sure that it was his intervention which led to a meeting in Porto Cervo between Romiti and the general manager of Civilavia. After that meeting, the relations both with Civilavia and with “Alitalia” were marked by a greater attention to our problems.  

Landing with the sheep

When did Alisarda start flying?

The inauguration of the first paid flight of the airline (the ticket in 1964 cost 5 thousand lire) took place on the Rome-Olbia route. I, Bigio and a couple of Americans were the first passengers. At the moment of landing, the American woman started screaming like banshees: the plane was making its descent on a dirt runway, right in the middle of which was a flock of sheep being chased by the shepherd who was trying to shoo them away. And Bigio, the whole time, trying to explain in English that that was the airport.

Back then, guests were welcomed at a small tent where two men were working, one of the first employees, Izzo the captain and his assistant. Soon there were four staff. The story I just told was the first flight of the two famous Beechcraft. What was never told instead is that one of the two Beechcraft, as it was about to land at Rome Ciampino, half fell apart: that news never appeared in the press, for it would have spelled the end of “Alisarda.” The Aga Khan rightly said: «Before we start, I want to check everything.» One of those two planes is still there, abandoned at the Rome airport.

Following the two “small”  Beechcraft, two 18-seater North Aviation Beechcraft were acquired.  This purchase occurred after several meetings with the Ministry, always with the assistance of the Hon. Mannironi, who allowed us to take over the rights to operate on the Olbia-Rome route, which had never before been used, from their owner ATI airline. We then moved up to two Fokker F27s.

At war with the Ministry. [Giuseppe Sitaiolo]

And what was your role with “Alisarda”?

I had far too many commitments at that time. It had become impossible to liaise with all of our political and administrative contacts. I therefore decided to have myself substituted as president of “Alisarda.” I gave the Aga Khan and Mr Ardoin the name of a Sardinian who had been recommended to me by Mr Pellegrini, the lawyer for the CIS, Credito Industriale Sardo. Raffaele Garzia, the president of CIS, consulted with me and seconded the positive opinions I had gathered on Mr Efisio Carta of Oristano, well known and well regarded by Sardinian politicians, capable of maintaining relations at a high level. After serving as president for two years Carta resigned and the Aga Khan had me take the reins once again at “Alisarda,” which I did for another 15 years, until 1982.

One of my first tasks, after reassuming the office of president, was to verify for myself the current status of our applications regarding the transfer to us of flights to Sardinia which had previously been granted to ATI. I had been warned of the overbearing and arrogant nature of a manager for that sector by the name of Giuseppe Sitaiolo, who was in charge of services for Civilavia; it was said that he wouldn’t listen to anyone. But we survived all the same

My main source for this information was Mr. La Manna, an accountant who was one of our employees, tasked with acting as liaison to the Ministries. One day he complained: «Mr. Riccardi, Sitaiolo is an impossible person. Just think, my wife, who works there at the Ministry in his same department took the liberty of attending a meeting of the CISL (a workers’ union) and he ostracized her. You really have to tread gently with him. I had already had other encounters with the executives of the Ministries, who ultimately take advantage of the fact that the ministries last a year at most, while they themselves remain. For this reason, it’s very important to have good relations with Ministry executives even if doing so is often very difficult. «We will just have to bear with Mr Sitaiolo.»

I ask for an appointment on a certain day, which is set for nine am. Having become familiar through other circumstances with the behavior of some government executives, I arrive at the appointment with Mr Sitaiolo prepared with books on horse racing, as well as three or four newspapers, knowing that I am going to be made to wait at least three hours. And so it is. Nine, nine-thirty, ten. At ten, an usher comes into the room where I am waiting, and asks: «Do you need anything?» «No, thank you, I don’t need anything, except perhaps a toilet before very long,» I laugh, and continue reading. At a quarter to noon, the secretary arrives. She is perhaps even haughtier, albeit very lovely. Before she can say a thing, I take the words out of her mouth: «Dr Sitaiolo has been summoned by the Minister?» Ill at ease, she confirms my hypothesis.«Please ask Dr. Sitaiolo, who is on his way out, if he can meet me at nine tomorrow.» She quickly returns, very embarrassed: «Yes, he can receive you at nine.» «Miss,» I ask her as she is leaving, «could you kindly tell me what time it is?» She responds: «It is five to noon» «Just as my watch says. Until tomorrow at nine, then.»

To the Public Prosecutor. [Giuseppe Sitaiolo]

I leave. I go to the office of “Alisarda” and I sit down at the typewriter. I begin: «To the Public Prosecutor of the Court in Rome. I, Paolo Riccardi, born in Sassari…, President of the “Alisarda” company, am writing to report the following: The “Alisarda” company, some time ago, applied for the concession of the Olbia-Rome-Olbia and Genoa-Olbia-Cagliari routes, but Dr Sitaiolo, who is in charge of this service, has not even taken the trouble to call a meeting of the commission which examines these applications, despite the fact that over three years have passed since our request. It is my opinion that he is committing a crime, that of dereliction of duty, and herewith I would like to set out in detail to your Honor exactly what damages the “Alisarda” company has suffered as a result of these delays…».

The following morning, I bring a copy of the letter with me to the appointment with Dr. Sitaiolo. Nine o’clock sharp. Five past nine, a quarter past. I knock on the door of the secretary’s office and say: «Excuse me, would you mind giving this file to Dr. Sitaiolo? You may tell him that I can see him at exactly twelve noon tomorrow at the offices of “Alisarda.” I cannot wait even five minutes more today as I have to deposit in this exposé to the Rome Public Prosecutor’s office.» Without saying any more, I  say goodbye and leave. Then I awaited a reaction. I told myself: «There is bound to be a reaction of one kind or another.» After six or seven hours, I receive a phone call from a dear friend, Dr. Peppino Leonardi, who had been head of the administrative office for the Hon. Cottoni when Cottoni was Under Secretary for Public Works and later Transport. «What on earth are you up to? Sitaiolo is a dear friend, what do you think you’re doing?» I respond: «Peppino, he cannot behave this way. Come with him, if he is willing, to my office, but I’m not backing down. If he comes, fine, if not, I’m ready to turn in my exposé..» «Don’t do it, dammit!» «Peppino, I will.»

They came to my office the next morning, at half past twelve. Peppino and Dr. Sitaiolo, who did not have a very pleasant expression. He didn’t even glance at me. Scowling, he had a disgusted air. I said to him: «Dr Sitaiolo, you are a great friend of Peppino Leonardi. Or at least, Peppino says you are. Do you confirm that you have been friends for many years?» A bit perplexed, he responds: «Of course.» «So, if friends of friends are friends as well, shall we dispense with the formal “you,” Peppy?» He takes the bait and allows me to use the informal “tu” with him. So I proceed: «Listen, what I have been told is that you are an arrogant son-of-a-gun. That’s all you need to know. If we get along, we can be friends, but good friends, because I take friendship very seriously.» What can I say? From then on, he began to change.

Dr. Sitaiolo soon became the granter of my wishes! Yet having lorded it over him, I had to pay the price. He did the same with me, too. I had to put up with him as a guest for a week on the Costa Smeralda at least four different times. The CEO of ATI, Dr. Bornia, told me one day, «Avvocato, this is a person that…, how can I put it, I have to put up with him in Capri, in Positano. He’s got to be my guest over here, I have to host him over there, I have to take him to and fro. You should see how he dresses, in shorts with knee-socks. It’s so embarrassing. Then again, what choice do I have?» Since the man who had insisted I make peace with Dr Sitaiolo was Dr. Leonardi who – as I have mentioned – was head of the cabinet for the Hon. Cottoni, Cottoni himself became curious and wished to meet him. Big mistake. Even the Hon Cottoni ended up at Sitaiolo’s beck and call and he would say to me: «Paolo, you just have to put up with it. He does so many things for me.»

One day Sitaiolo came to Costa Smeralda with his wife, a kind and polite person, and a lovely lady. He was annoying, a despot, it was obvious, a bureaucrat through and through, even with his wife and two well-behaved kids, a boy and a girl. He was a big eater; he loved lobster and all of the Sardinian specialties. He would eat quickly, one time nearly choking. I wasn’t there, not having accompanied him with the excuse that I had other plans, but the director of “Alisarda” informed me that he had taken  Sitaiolo to eat in Siniscola. He had very nearly choked on a piece of lobster that went down the wrong way. One day I commented to him: «Just think, dear Peppino, that the other day I ate four kilos of lobster.» (It wasn’t true; I am allergic to lobster.) «I beat you: eight kilos in Portugal, just a fortnight ago!»

Another time he came to the Costa Smeralda with his wife but not with the children. I went to pick them up at the Hotel Cervo, intending to take them to the “Petra Niedda” restaurant, in the direction of Cala di Volpe. On the way, he sees the restaurant called “La Fattoria” and insists we stop there. I had not eaten there in some time, because at my final visit they had presented me with an impossibly high bill. I had complained to the manager, who had answered «Mr. Riccardi, who is paying the bill, you personally or the Consortium? If it’s you paying, I’ll give you a handsome discount.» In reply I had asked him «Have you got a camera?» «Why?» «You should take a photo of me, because you’ll never see me again. I’ll never set foot in here again.» I had been true to my word. Still, I couldn’t displease Sitaiolo, so we go to the “Fattoria.” Sitaiolo, arrogant as ever, marches in without waiting for the mâitre-d’ to give us a table: he sits down at the head of a table for twelve and motions me to his right and his wife to his left. We sit. The mâitre d’ arrives and inquires: «Excuse me, how many are in your party?» Sitaiolo answers: «As you can see, we are three.» «No, this is a table for twelve. We cannot give it to you.» We get up. Snickering to myself, I am thinking: «I can’t wait to see how this turns out…». He begins to seat us at a table and I say: «No, let’s sit here instead, it’s better,» because I had seen Sitaiolo looking at the other table. When we sit, the mâitre d’ protests: «No, I’m sorry, you have to sit here.»  «Either you give us this table,» insists Sitaiolo, «or we’re leaving.» «Be my guest, the door is open.» responds the mâitre d’. And out they kick us, Sitaiolo leaving first, and I following with his wife, to my great satisfaction!

A friend in the government. [Salvatore Cottoni; Alisarda Faces Opposition from Alitalia]

In the meantime, Salvatore Cottoni had become Under Secretary of Transportation. For “Alisarda” it was the chance of a lifetime. For Cottoni was a dear friend of mine and an antifascist like my father. He had been mayor of Sorso, and Director of Regional Tourism for Sardinia, together with the Hon. Efisio Corrias, president in 1964, when the first center-left party was launched in Sardinia. He was a social democrat.

From the moment he was elected, we began making important contacts in the higher echelons of Rome. I said: «We have an airport that isn’t working.». Well, he was a man that never went to Parliament. He would stay in his office and coordinate things. He was a fine politician, a man who worked very hard, and who managed to achieve what he wanted because he was able to cultivate friendships with every possible sort of functionary imaginable.

By way of example, when he had just been named Under Secretary for Public Works, freshly arrived,  we urgently needed an important document. I went to him and implored him: «Your Honor, I need help from your Minister.». He replied: «Come get me tomorrow morning.» I go, we have breakfast together at the Hotel Quirinale on Via Nazionale. He’s quite the gourmet: a bit of this, a bit of that. He was a jolly and hearty eater. We get to the Ministry. What a show! Those who know him will remember, he never took off his hat, no matter what the occasion was. He, the Under Secretary, would go to the functionary instead of summoning him. «Where is the director of this service?» They would tell him: «Your Honor, we will take you to him!», and he: «No, that’s fine, I’ll go myself.». He never even knocks. He opens the door of an executive, who is reading the paper, and bursts out with: «Listen to me for just a moment» (his typical introductory remark). «What do you want?» «I’m Cottoni, the Under Secretary.» «Ah, Your Excellence!» «Oh, none of this Your Excellence. Listen here a moment, I need you. Come to Porta Pia at half past one; across the street there’s a great restaurant, and there we can talk in peace.». The functionary, astonished, would arrive exactly at one thirty and they would have lunch. In that way, he made friends with all of them and was able to get all of his problems resolved.

When he later moved to the Dept. of Transportation, he used the same system. He got 8 and a half billion lire inserted into the budget for the airport of Olbia. That move caused quite a lot of controversy: the structures at Alghero were ridiculous, Cagliari even worse. Yet he, Cottoni, by making friends with all of the executives (having already made friends with the politicians), managed to get the airport of Olbia completed in record time. He would even invite the engineers of the ministry to lunch at his house in Sassari. He would take them to Olbia and through his friendliness and good humor everyone felt involved and participated with enthusiasm in getting things accomplished. An intelligent man, constructive, a truly exceptional figure, with whose help we were able to build the airport. 

It was called Venafiorita

But who had come up with the idea of building a large new airport at Olbia, after Antonio Segni had said of the old military airport of Venafiorita: «Tanca è, e tanca rimane»? (A paddock ’tis, and a paddock ’twill stay).

That should be obvious, the idea could only have come from the Aga Khan. «Here we have to have a large airport built. Please get on with it, avvocato.» When the inauguration of the airport finally took place, he then complained about its size: «How are we going to occupy all this space? We only need a small part; otherwise the costs will be too high.» I remember it like it was yesterday.

Later instead, it had to be enlarged. And the name?

In fact, the name “Olbia-Costa Smeralda” was the result of a battle that I fought. The original name assigned to the project was “Colcò airport”: that was its cadastral classification, a horrible name. The Municipal government of Olbia was opposed to calling it “Costa Smeralda.” The name change was carried out thanks to the Hon. Salvatore Campus, who was councilor for Public Works for the Regional government headed by the Hon. Nino Giagu. He had a decree issued definitively changing the name to  “Olbia-Costa Smeralda.”

Nordio comes to the rescue. [The Request to the Alitalia President for the Cagliari-Milan Route: Problems and Clashes]

To balance the accounts we had asked to be granted the Cagliari-Milan route, even though the Aga Khan would say «Let’s ask for this, and for that …» We had a budget of two billion eight hundred million lire at the time, and we were asking for the rights to the Cagliari-Milan, which was worth eight million lire in sales. There was a strange relationship at the beginning with President Nordio of “Alitalia.” I had met him in the hall during a parliamentary commission, to which we had both been summoned. «Good morning, President.» He hadn’t even looked me in the eye. The same thing happened another time. The third time, we were summoned by Minister Formica. At the meeting, those present included the director of Civilavia, the lawyer Mr Davanzali, owner of the airline “ITAVIA,” other executives, and above all a very talented judge from the Council of State. The head of Minister Formica’s cabinet was also present. I arrive last, on purpose. When everyone has sat down, I greet them all, and specifically Nordio.

This fact left him somewhat bemused. The next day, I receive a call from the Hon. Carlo Molè, who at the time was the commissioner of the Chamber of Deputies. Originally from Rome, he had been in  Cagliari, perhaps with his father, and had come to study in Sassari. Molè tells me: «Paolo, let’s meet, I want to introduce you to Nordio». «Oh please, he gets on my nerves. Who does he think he is?» «Look, you’re wrong. Come on, meet me for lunch at the Chamber, the day after tomorrow at half past one, don’t make a fuss. I’ve already made a reservation for you.»

Evidently, Nordio was the one who had asked for it, because Molè had been Under Secretary of Transport, and thus they knew each other well. Knowing my character, I told myself: «You never know what can happen. It would be best if Mr Ardoin comes along; he will be able to keep the situation under control.» I have Ardoin come to Rome and I urge him to introduce us both in a general way, explaining that our company was created as an airline only for charter flights and that the Region insisted that we become a passenger airline. Then, when the moment came to touch the nerve of the assignment of the  Cagliari-Milan, I would intervene.

Nordio arrives punctually at one thirty at the Chamber, his expression nonchalant. We have an aperitif and we charge right in. Nordio was to my right. Ardoin begins. He gives the whole introduction, and then my moment arrives. I turn to Nordio: «Listen, Presidente, with the assignment of Cagliari-Milan we can balance our accounts.» He doesn’t let me finish, and shaking his finger in front of my eyes, with a very loud tone of voice, commands: «If you have gotten the Cagliari-Milan into your head, well, read my lips. Take it right out. Because you will never have it! ».

At that point, the Riccardi character bursts through: «Listen, to begin with, use a different tone with a guest. Second, I’m hard headed — harder than the granite of Sardinia. So you read my lips- I’ll have the Cagliari-Milan. And if you are thinking the communists will support you, we will get even the communists to change their minds.» The discussion was between the two of us; when the  Hon. Molé dared to speak, Nordio silenced him immediately. At a certain point, however, Nordia gives in: «Avvocato, I am even willing to give you the Cagliari-Milan, but if I give that to you, I should have to give “ITAVIA” five times more, considering the size of the company.» From that moment on, our relationship  changed completely.

We’ll even talk to the communists

The phone call that I made one evening was decisive – I remember, it was a Friday – to the Hon. Giovanni Berlinguer. We were bound by an old friendship, with him but also with his father, who had been a Freemason together with my father. In short, I called him and I said: «Look, I need your help. Do you remember the first trip that we took with the Moncenigo, in 1947?» The first ferry trip that I took to the Continent with Giovanni Berlinguer. It took us something like 15 hours to get from Olbia to Civitavecchia with this Moncenigo, which was a sort of oxcart-on-the-sea. I told him: «Giovanni, this is what is happening: they want to kill us. Since “Alisarda” is a private company, if it does not obtain some other routes, the Aga Khan will end up becoming a charter airline that just carries millionaires, like it was at the beginning. We Sardinians will then be back to taking the Moncenigo. Because if “Alitalia” thinks of landing at Olbia, I and our 656 employees will lie down on the runway to prevent the plane from landing, because it would kill us all; therefore maybe it’s better…» He told me: «Go to Parliament Monday, you’ll be seen by the Hon. Pani, a Sardinian, and the Hon. Ottaviano. They are members of the Transportation Commission.

I am there right on time and the Hon. Pani of Nuoro and the Hon. Ottaviano receive me. The Hon. Ottaviano gave me a strange impression, you know, with his long hair, and that face he had … he started out rather violently, attacking our weaknesses: we didn’t have spare motors, we didn’t have this, we didn’t have that. All information that had been given to him by the pilot’s union Fulat, who were communists.  They were youngsters that we had taught, paying plenty of money to send them to the best of schools, to “Klm,” “Airfrance,” “Swissair” etc. Youngsters that who had become captains, and so if “Alisarda” went under, they would be hired by “Alitalia.” I let him talk and then I told him: «Listen, Hon. Ottaviano, you are truly an expert on the problems of “Alisarda.” I didn’t know them, I only know that I am the president. When I have to travel, I reserve my own personal seat. They give me the 1C, where I can stretch out my left leg, which they know hurts me. Apart from that, I know that there are seven steps to climb onto the DC9. I sit down and I fall asleep from exhaustion. Believe me, I work hard enough. I don’t know how the plane is built, I don’t know how many seats there are, but believe me. I know only one very precise thing, and that is that we have 680 employees including yours truly.  “Alitalia” has nothing to do with this conversation, because it is these youngsters from Fulat who are pushing you to assume this attitude towards private companies, to kill both “Itavia” and us. But you won’t kill us. Firstly, because “Alitalia” won’t land in Sardinia, and secondly, because we’ll turn into a charter airline. And you, my dear Hon. Pani, will not be taking the Moncenigo, you’ll be taking the “Tirrenia” to go to Nuoro!» He, a bright man, winked at me. Knocked dead! Neither of them said another word. Afterward, they began with a “yes” to private companies, a “yes” to the concession, and began the debate on the concession of the Cagliari-Milan route.

After we had obtained the Cagliari-Milan, unfortunately the well-known crash of the “Itavia” airplane occurred in Ustica in 1980 with the loss of 81 lives. Mr. Davanzali, the lawyer who was owner of “Itavia,” was 25, perhaps 28 billion lire in debt and could see that we were getting along relatively well with Nordio, and thus he called me and said: «Mr. Riccardi, we are both private companies. Let’s try to become allies. We should talk, let’s meet.» «Sir, I have to think of our own company. I have to tell you honestly that I cannot form an alliance with you. If I can, I have to latch on to “Alitalia.” Forgive me, Mr. Davanzali, but I cannot form any type of alliance with you.»

But “Itavia” was already in crisis…

Yes, he was in a desperate situation, buried in debt. He was very protected by Forlani, the then-Minister of Foreign Affairs. Once “Itavia” was finally killed, there were routes to assign.

Looking for other routes. [Alisarda Expands]

The first route that we took from “Ati” was the Olbia-Genoa, followed by the Olbia-Rome. They were not very lucrative routes, because the costs were very high in relation to the traffic, and the route, above all considering the fact that the pilots did not cover more than four trips and it only with great difficulty that could we convince them to do six during the summer, even paying a huge amount of overtime.

In conjunction with the assignment of the Cagliari-Milan route, two DC9s were purchased. Afterward, when “Itavia” declared bankruptcy, we decided to expand to the continent, asking to be assigned the Bologna-Catania route. “Alitalia,” obviously, disagreed. In the meetings I had with him, Nordio was willing not to make objections on the concession of all of the lines to Sardinia, and particularly the Cagliari-Rome, which however was not very attractive to us.  What we wanted, though, was the Bologna-Catania. Nordio was opposed, because he was justifiably concerned that we were expanding to the continent.

After many discussions and meetings with the Minister of Transport and the management of  Civilavia and “Alitalia” we managed to get them to give us the Bologna-Catania. We were worried, though, that “Itavia” had over 150 employees in Catania, while we had calculated that just 56 were sufficient. I telephoned Nordio for an appointment to discuss the issue. At the meeting, in addition to us, the CEO of “Alitalia”, Dr. Maspes, and the Director were present. The director of “Alisarda,” the accountant Trivi, came as well. That day Nordio was in an extraordinarily bad mood.  We were asking “Alitalia” to pick up the excess personnel, hiring at least 100 ex-employees of “Itavia.” The response of Nordio was: «Are you my children, by chance, making such a request?» I replied: «Please help us, because it is impossible for us to have so many employees in Catania.» When the meeting was over, Nordio walked us to the door, and in taking my leave, I implored him: «I mean it, please Daddy, find a compromise, help us!» He swore loudly at me: «Vaffan…, avvocato!». I was laughing like an idiot, but Trivi was scandalized: «But sir, how could you allow him to treat you that way? He offends your dignity.» I answered: «I’ll worry about my dignity, you worry about yours.» After other meetings with Nordio, our request was accepted. 

A photo on horseback. [Kenya and Tanzania Sell the First Planes to Alisarda: Sir Pirbai, the Mediator of the Deal with Kenya; Adjabali Kassan, the Only Ismaili Allowed at the Aga Khan’s Court in Costa Smeralda]

In Uganda there was an airline company whose partners included Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who sold their own planes. Uganda did not wish to sell its aircraft, while the other two nations, for the price of eleven billion lire, sold theirs to “Alisarda.” The payment had to be made for a purchase of 6 billion lire and our accountant Mr. Trivi, who had gone to Kenya for that purpose, found himself in great difficulty because the necessary sum had not yet been accredited to the bank. The payment was made thanks to the intervention of a faithful follower of the Aga Khan, one Sir Ibu Pirbai, who without any hesitation wrote a check for 6 billion lire in favor of the sellers. I learned later that Sir Pirbai, a Pakistani, had been the chauffeur for the elder Aga Khan, the grandfather of Karim Aga Khan. The elder Aga Khan, an incredibly generous man who helped everyone, had also helped Pirbai, who with his financing had become one of the most important businessmen in Kenya.

A short while later, while we are having a meeting at “Alisarda,” the Aga Khan tells me: «Avvocato, we need to write a letter to Sir Pirbai thanking him for what he did for “Alisarda.” You write it as president.» I respond: «Prince, I don’t know how to speak English, much less write it. Please, you do it.»  He begins writing the letter right then and there. While the Aga Khan is writing the letter, I turn to Mr. Ardoin: «Avvocato, should we also send him my photograph, signed, perhaps one of me on horseback?» The prince shoots me a decidedly unfriendly look.  And I, still turned to Ardoin, continue: «Perhaps just the photograph.».

What was that crack about?

Ah, because this was the habit of the Aga Khan. He would always send a signed photograph of himself.

But did the Aga Khan think that this letter would extinguish the debt?

A personal thank you letter from the Aga Khan to one of his faithful Ismailites was truly the greatest of awards for he who received it. One time he told me: «Mr. Riccardi, you need to give Mr. Kassam a hand.» The prince had been a great friend of Kassam’s brother, who had died in an automobile accident in the Congo. The Aga Khan, had not been in favor of Ismailites investing in the Costa Smeralda; he had only allowed Kassam to do so because of their family friendship. «Mr. Riccardi, you need to set up a company for them. You take 10 % of the shares.»

I became good friends with Mr. Adjabali Kassam (the grandfather of little Farouk Kassam, the child who was kidnapped in 1992); ours was a relationship of strong mutual respect and affection. A few years later, in 1965, the inauguration of the hotel “Luci di la Muntagna” on the hillside of Porto Cervo was held. The only guests were family, me, and naturally the Aga Khan. The Prince was dressed in a completely white tunic. The mother of Mr. Kassam placed a garland of white flowers around his neck.

One day Mr. Kassam asks me: «Mr. Riccardi, when can we see each other about an urgent matter?». «Mr. Kassam, I have an appointment with the Aga Khan at seven; I will be working all day, and I hope to be able to come to you at 21.00, when I have finished. Normally with the Aga Khan we stop working around 20.30, 21.00.» It was summer, and unfortunately, the meeting lasted until 22.30. I had asked my secretary to warn Mr. Kassam that I would be late: thus, as soon as I arrived, I apologized: «Mr. Kassam, I am mortified. I am very sorry to be this late, but you see, I was with the Prince all day long.» He looks at me: «Oh how I would have desired to spend an entire day with him!» As I must have seemed a bit embarrassed, he adds: «My dear sir, if today the Prince were to say to me ‘Adjabali, give up the hotel and go home,’ I would not hesitate a moment.» Trying to lighten the mood, I reply: «Mr. Kassam, you have been to my house. Have you seen the tiny house next to the entrance? That is the dog house. But if our Pope said to me ‘Paolo, kick the dog out of his house,’ I would give him the finger!» Mr. Kassam bursts out laughing and says: «It is very different for us. The prince is our God.»

The Aga Khan had only permitted one other follower to come to Sardinia, Mr. Pirbai (perhaps a relative of the famous Pirbai of Kenya, who had fronted the money for “Alisarda.”) The Aga Khan, as he had done for Mr. Kassam, asked me to assist him if he were ever to need it. I also set up a company for Mr. Pirbai to purchase real estate south of Olbia, but in this case I was not one of the shareholders. 

The party membership card. [Paolo Riccardi Joins the Communist Party: A Membership Card to Use at the Right Moment]

Is it true what they say, that you were a member of the Communist Party?

I have to start by saying that this was the period in which every time that, in my role of president  of “Alisarda,” I was asked to participate in meetings with the trade unions, (due to the controversies called “Aquila Selvaggia,” or “Wild Eagle”), I was accused of being a fascist. This for me was an intolerable offense, because my father was an anti-fascist, as were my closest relatives.

My father had been arrested several times because he had refused to wear a black shirt during the celebrations of the twenty-year anniversary of fascism. Luckily, all of the members of the commission of Sassari for internal exile knew him personally and they never agreed to send him to be interned: they stopped at a simple warning that he should start wearing the black shirt. But he still would not.

It was Mr. Pasqui, a geometra (surveyor and building technician) and a member of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), who was my most fervent accuser. He represented the majority of our workers. Thus, I turned to a dear friend (whose name I promised never to reveal, a promise I intend to keep), asking him to  furnish me with a membership  card for the PCI to use, should the occasion arise.

My intervention was requested by the board of “Alisarda” whenever the threat of strikes became real. So as it happens, one day I am called by the managing director, Trivi informing that ten stewardesses from the company have requested a meeting room, to discuss the possibility of founding a union, one of the so-called “sindacati gialli,” a company union. When I arrive from Rome the meeting has already begun. Representatives from the communist pilots’ union “Fulat” are present, led by Pasqui, and all of the other union groups. I have my membership card at the ready. I ask for the motive of the meeting, as if I had not already been informed. After the explanation of Mr. Trivi and the head of personnel, Pasqui takes the floor and attacks the management for having permitted the meeting of the stewardesses. I interrupt him, displaying my Communist Party membership card, and accuse him of being a fascist. I announce my intention of reporting him to the party arbitrators for his illiberal attitude. And, in the presence of all of the participants, I approve the conduct of the management.

That time, the workers did not strike. I have to say that despite the “hot spell,” of “Aquila Selvaggia,” our pilots never did strike, unlike those of “Alitalia.” I summoned the most aggressive ones (to put it simply, those from the Fulat) to my house in secret many times and, after discussions which could last for hours, we always managed to find a middle road.

I almost forgot to add that after the meeting at which I had exhibited my PCI membership card, I was approached by the head of the drivers and luggage personnel, whose group was the largest of all the employees: «Comrade president – he says to me – we have heard of the way Pasqui acted with you. I assure you that we will not vote for him at the next elections.» He kept his promise, and the geometra was never elected again.

After these events, word got around about my membership in the communist party. Detective work was done to find out which chapter had issued the card: was it the Vennero chapter? Arzachena, Sassari, Cagliari? All negative. They thought of the party executives, given my friendship with Giovanni and Luigi Berlinguer, and decided that it had probably been the Rome chapter. They questioned Giovanni Berlinguer, who assured them that he had not issued the card, but that he would be happy if one of the chapters had done so. 

The consortium of the Costa Smeralda also got wind of my membership in the PCI. During the official lunch on the occasion of the inauguration of the Pevero Golf, the wife of Mr. Frigeri, an engineer, approaches the table where I am dining and in a rather aggressive manner demands to know if I really am a communist. I show her the card. Furious, she says only: «Sheer madness!» She heads toward the table of the Aga Khan nearby, and asks him if he knows about it. Obviously, I had already told the Aga Khan about the whole situation, and he confirms that he does. Later, Mrs. Frigeri and her husband (owners of one of the most important villas in Porto Cervo, later owned by Berlusconi and today by a Russian magnate) became my friends, and when I would go their house as a lunch guest, as soon as I arrived I would always pull out my membership card and ask her for a modest contribution to the Party. Her responses to me would not be printable here!

Photos not in the book: see HERE ⇒

INDEX ⇒

5
THE PORT, THE WATER, THE ROADS

The Old Port. [The Difficult Relations with Commendator Ghiglia, Director General of the Ministry of Merchant Marine, for Authorization to Build the First Private Tourist Port – Unauthorized Construction Work and the Risk of Suspension].

«Avvocato, do you want war?». [Difficult Relations with Commander Ghiglia continue – The Aga Khan Bans the Invitation of Regional Politicians to the Inauguration]

Funds for the South. [The Road Issue. Christian Democrats Against Christian Democrats: Minister Pastore Issues an Ultimatum to Provincial President Michelino Corda]

The shoe with a hole. [The Aga Khan Visits Minister Pastore with a Hole in His Shoe]

The landless prince. [Honorable Raffaele Garzia, First President of CIS – Sardinian Industrial Credit and a “Friend” of Costa Smeralda; Later President of Etfas and Hostile to Costa Smeralda. Personal Resentments Affect His Public Administration in Water Supply Projects].

The new companies. [Biancasarda; Cerasarda]

The story of “Acquasarda”

The Old Port. [The Difficult Relations with Commendator Ghiglia, Director General of the Ministry of Merchant Marine, for Authorization to Build the First Private Tourist Port – Unauthorized Construction Work and the Risk of Suspension].

It was 1963. I had just been nominated Secretary General of the Consortium, when the prince summoned me and said: «Avvocato, I need you to go to Rome, to the Ministry of the Merchant Marine and speak to the Director General, whom I saw a year ago, about the delivery of the projects for the port.»

In the meantime we, that is the “Porto Cervo” Company, of which the Aga Khan was president, had already assigned the work through competitive bidding to the “Società Serra,” which had immediately started fabricating giant blocks of cement, dredging up the sea bottom, and installing a floating bridge on which to work. I go to Rome and ask to see the General Director, the commendatore Ghiglia, a short, ugly, and annoying fellow from Genoa. «Good morning, I am Paolo Riccardi, the Secretary General of the Costa Smeralda Consortium. His Highness the Aga Khan has sent me to you to ask for news about the project which we presented.» «How long ago was that?» «The Aga Khan tells me it was a year ago.»  «Very well then, tell the Aga Khan to come back in a year, either him or you.»

I couldn’t believe my ears. I didn’t know what to do, how to bring the subject up again. An idea came to me and I said: «But commendatore, if you happen to be coming to Sardinia…» «I will be coming on 3rd November for the inauguration of the Rovelli port at Porto Torres.»  «Well then, if I may be so bold, could you make a brief visit to Porto Cervo?» Rudely, he snaps: «All right. Call me there at the Rovelli’s at noon.» I recount everything to the Aga Khan, who makes no comment. We proceed with the construction. On 3rd November, I call the office of Mr Rovelli, the engineer, at Porto Torres, and the commendatore himself responds: «How far is it from Porto Torres to Olbia?» I make some quick calculations and tell him that the distance is exactly 124 kilometers. «How long does it take?» Making a conservative estimate, I tell him two hours. «All right, wait for me at the port authority office.»

I had bought a Renault R4 for the Consortium. It was the most appropriate car for getting to Porto Cervo, because the roads made for difficult driving. I go to Olbia and await the arrival of Ghiglia. He shows up three quarters of an hour late. As soon as he gets out of the port authority car, which had accompanied him to Olbia, he starts shouting like a madman: «You said it was 114 kilometers and instead it’s 138 and so you…» I replied: «Look, commendatore, you may well have seen a sign saying  136 km in Sassari, but that was the distance when we used to take the old road which passed through Bonnannaro and Ozieri. Now with the highway, it’s 106, then 18 from Porto Torres to Sassari. In any case, I am sorry. I did not make a mistake, but I am sorry all the same.»

He gets in the car with Captain Marinelli and the archivist, Mr. Canu, a very kind, competent person,  who later became a close friend of mine. We stop for lunch in Cala di Volpe. As soon as we get there and he sees Cala di Volpe, built on an island: «You have built on an island, so that hotel is the property of the State..» I tell him «I don’t think so, because we filled out all the applications, and we dug this channel, creating the island.» A short while later, he sends an inspector for the State land administration to determine whether what I had said was true.

After lunch, we return to Porto Cervo. It is pouring. We get there around 4 pm. The moment he gets out of the car, Ghiglia sees well over a hundred workers busy building the port and starts shouting again: «Who is in charge here? Who is the works supervisor? I want to know it, I’m turning him in, this is a violation, this is a disgrace!» At that point, I myself explode, insanely angry: «Listen, I’m the one in charge. Since it’s raining, get in the car now, or I’ll leave you here.» I get in the car, followed by Ghiglia, Marinelli and Canu. Once we get to the Olbia-Pitrizza intersection, I turn to Ghiglia: «Commendatore, do you want to see the Hotel Pitrizza?» You can imagine the response, a muttered: «No.» I turn left and the conversation is over. We get to Olbia. At the port authority, he gets out, slamming the door without a word. I take the liberty of asking: «Excuse me, Sir Commendatore, could you receive me Monday in Rome?» He mutters: «Come at nine.»

After Ghiglia leaves for Rome, my friend Canu calls me on the phone to tell me about the reports filed by Ghiglia against Linaro, the harbormaster of Olbia, for not having put a stop to construction being done without a permit. I begin reflecting on what could be done, knowing decisions needed to be made. I ask someone to loan me the Navigation Code. I locate Article 56, which is perfect for us. Article 56 says, or used to say, that in truly urgent cases it is possible to begin construction, on condition that the work be redone if the case is not approved by the competent technical authorities. I immediately begin preparing an appeal and make several copies of it, one each for Ghiglia and president Segni and a series of others for Corrias, president of the Region, for the trade unions of Sassari and Sardinia, for the Ministry of the Merchant Marine, and the harbormaster of Olbia. In it I detail the events which have occurred at Porto Cervo and Olbia, making reference to Article 56. I request authorization to resume the construction work which has been suspended by Ghiglia. I express our concern about the firing of over 800 workers who have found work at Porto Cervo, thus not having to emigrate (in truth there may have been 30 workers, not more.)

«Avvocato, do you want war?». [Difficult Relations with Commander Ghiglia continue – The Aga Khan Bans the Invitation of Regional Politicians to the Inauguration]

Monday at nine o’clock sharp, I go to Ghiglia’s office. Well aware of the likely attitude of this man, I am convinced that he won’t see me until two or two-thirty pm. Having become an expert at waiting for ministers, I bring a good supply of books on horse-racing, magazines, and newspapers to pass the time. He receives me at exactly one-forty-five. I go in. Himself standing, he does not invite me to sit, saying only: «What do you want?» I tell him: «Excuse me, I have a corn on my foot, may I sit?» He hesitates, taken by surprise. I sit. «Would you mind delivering a copy of this appeal to the Minister, please?» I hand him the document. He takes it and begins to read it. When he gets to Article 56, he looks at me and in a quiet voice which which almost makes me pity him: «So you want war!» I immediately take the copy which he is holding and I tear it to pieces in front of his eyes (I had find out from Canu about the scandal he stirred up, saying that everyone on the Costa Smeralda had been bribed, including the harbormaster Linaro) and I say: «Now, dear commendatore, you telephone that good gentleman Col.  Linaro and tell him that we can continue working.» «Yes, OK..» I get up and leave. Two days pass and I receive a call from Admiral D’Agostino, the general harbormaster of the Port Captaincies – Coast Guard General Headquarters: «Avvocato, what happened with Ghiglia?» I tell him the whole story and he exclaims: «Imagine that!» He didn’t like the man either. Ghiglia had not had the courage to phone Colonel Linaro, because of the harsh things he had said before, and had chosen to have D’Agostino talk to Linaro to revoke the stop-work order.

Months pass. Naturally, no permit arrives. I am a little concerned because we are about to complete the construction. We had begun work in November and to the amazement of everyone, the inauguration of the port is planned for 14 August 1964. We had worked day and night. The Aga Khan had constantly been on site supervising. He would come at all hours of the day and night, and seeing the mythical Aga Khan in the flesh had done much to keep workers engaged.

And so, around May 1964 I go back to Ghiglia. He doesn’t make me wait long. This time I am seen after only a quarter hour, despite not having an appointment. I go to the secretary, who says: «Yes he will see you, in five minutes-fifteen at most. Please be patient.» He, too, is very polite and I said: «Commendatore, we are quite far along with this construction work and I was wondering when we might receive the authorization.» He seems astonished: «Ah, I don’t know anything!» This worries me. Was he being a Pontius Pilate?

At the time I didn’t say anything. I left, and after two weeks I sent him a registered letter with a photograph of the port: «Dearest Commendatore, as you can see, we are nearing completion and will have finished by the end of August.»

I receive no answer at all. Another month passes, and I return to Rome again, to say: «Look, the inauguration is on 14 August, please be there, it would mean a lot to us.» In the meantime, we were working with the Ministry to see what type of concession they could give us, because it was the first concession for a private port intended for tourism. The concession arrived, but can you imagine when? Years later. We received authorization for the construction in 1969, when we built another port, Porto Cervo Marina, which was inaugurated in 1976 by my dear friend the Hon. Adolfo Sarti, who was the Minister of Tourism at the time.

For the festival in which we inaugurated Porto Est in 1964, (today called Porto Vecchio), I said to the Aga Khan: «Prince, we should invite the president of the Region and the regional councilors.» «Mr. Riccardi, we are absolutely not inviting anyone at all,» (and in fact only one exception was made, for the mayor of Arzachena, Giacomino Tanchis) «no politicians, only the maritime authorities. What do the others have to do with it, why should we?» «But Prince, in this way, we are making enemies of all of the politicians who count in Sardinia. They have been calling me for three months to get me to invite them.» They would say: «Paolo, look, we are counting on coming.» Later, in the following years, when we did invite them, it took me as long as five years to get some of them to actually come. They would complain: «What the heck, they hold parties, parties published in all the papers, every Tom Dick and Harry is invited, but always outsiders and never us.» The Sardinian politicians were really very offended.

The Liscia water reservoir […]

Funds for the South (“Funds for the South” – was a public effort by the government of Italy to stimulate economic growth and development in the less developed areas in the southern regions of Italy, including Sardinia) – [The Road Issue. Christian Democrats Against Christian Democrats: Minister Pastore Issues an Ultimatum to Provincial President Michelino Corda]

To get to Porto Cervo from Olbia, one had to drive around 37 kilometers. We were lucky. One day the Hon. Mannironi, Under Secretary for Transport, with whom we had established a friendly relationship, wanted to surprise us with an unexpected visit to Porto Cervo, bringing with him the Minister of Funds for the South, the Hon. Pastore, the general director, the Hon. Pescatore, president of the Funds for the South, and the councilor Hon. Monni.

At that time, construction work was in progress in Porto Cervo both on Porto Vecchio and on the Hotel Cervo. I was in my office and was summoned by the Hon. Mannironi to accompany the guests on a brief tour. By pure chance, we have an unplanned encounter with the Aga Khan, who together with the architects is busy examining a map spread out on the ground. The Aga Khan is in his shirtsleeves, down on his knees. The interview with the Aga Khan impresses Minister Pastore very favorably: «Well there’s an exceptionally hard worker!» The Aga Khan starts talking, and his enthusiasm is immediately apparent and contagious. Pastore asks: «What is it that you want?» I answer right away: «We want the water to arrive here, and we also want  – the Aga Khan was watching me, letting me talk – the road, a road that passes beneath San Pantaleo, that intersects with the Abbiadori and continues on to Porto Cervo. That’s about 8 or 10 kilometers.» «Consider it done. Come to Rome, Mr. Riccardi.» «When may I come?» «As early as tomorrow.»

A few days later, his secretary, Dr. Ballarini, calls me, and invites me to come to Rome to meet the minister. The meeting, also attended by president Pescatore, lasts over two hours. He wants to know all the details on the organization of the Consortium and of our Master Plan. Among the most urgent needs I advance is the necessity of building a road that will shorten the distance to the Coast and of putting  down pipes to bring water from the Liscia Lake. They immediately agree to finance the road. To shorten the time needed, the minister advises me to proceed with the drawing up of a project.

«And as regards the water?» I ask. Pescatore says: «What can we do? If there aren’t any pipes yet, it’s  a huge expense that isn’t provided for in the budget. » As soon as he is informed of this exchange, the Aga Khan immediately convenes a meeting of the Architectural committee and sets up an appointment for the members of the committee the following day at the location of the present day intersection for the San Panaleo scenic route to study the route for the future panoramic road, which from the San Pantaleo exit now leads to Abbiadori-Cala di Volpe. At that time, all along its whole 8,500 meter length, there wasn’t even a sheep track, not a country path: only rocks, trees and various bushes. 

We set out at 6 in the morning on foot and arrive at Cala di Volpe at two in the afternoon. After a couple of days the Aga Khan sets another appointment, again at 6 in the morning. With the memory of the fatigue of the previous appointment fresh in my mind, I decide to skip that one.  Around twelve o’clock, I go to the Hotel Cala di Volpe, where we always held our meetings, because our own offices were still at Olbia, and those at Porto Cervo were still under construction. The committee arrives around one-thirty pm. The Aga Khan comes up to me and asks why I hadn’t come along. «Unfortunately, Prince, I had an unexpected appointment with the harbormaster Linaro and it was not possible for me to come.» I also decide to miss the next appointment. As soon as they arrive at Cala di Volpe the prince asked me: «Did you have another appointment with harbormaster Linaro?» «No, this time, the engineer in charge of planning the airport came to Olbia and I couldn’t miss the meeting.»

The next times, he pretended not to see me, and therefore I avoided an immense fatigue, also considering the fact that my presence was hardly indispensable, given that I was not a technical expert, and that actually it was more practical for me to follow the political negotiations. The project for the scenic route of today was approved by the Province of Sassari and financed by the Funds for the South.

The shoe with a hole. [The Aga Khan Visits Minister Pastore with a Hole in His Shoe]

They say that the Province of Sassari was opposed to that road. 

That’s true: the new president of the Province, Michelino Corda, one of the “Young Turks,” unable to oppose what had already been approved of by the Funds for the South, gave us the impression that to slow down construction of the already-financed road, he was trying not to contract out the work, intent on delaying until such time as the financing available expired.  

Luckily, my friends the geometri Soro, Rais and Rosas told me in confidence of his intentions. I went to Rome straight away and informed Minister Pastore of what I had come to find out. The  reaction of the minister was immediate: he called Dr. Ballarini, asking to speak to the president of the Province. Their conversation was short and precise: «President, if contracts for construction of the scenic route for the Costa Smeralda are not assigned within 15 days, I will revoke your power to grant any funding whatsoever regarding the Province of Sassari.» After this threat, the contracts were awarded within the time limit specified by the minister.

Why did president Corda want the funding for the scenic route to expire?

Because he was opposed to any funding which would benefit the Aga Khan, who at the time was not on good terms with the “Young Turks” bent on hindering tourism. Obviously, the Aga Khan, who was informed of the events, decided to go to Rome to express his gratitude to the minister in person. The meeting took place on Via Boncompagni, in the office of the minister. Both the Aga Khan and Mr. Ardoin had arrived at the Hotel Excelsior. From there, we walked to via Boncompagni. Along the way, the Aga Khan, seemed to limp every now and then. Later I found out why: he had a huge hole in his shoe.

How did you realize that he had a hole in his shoe?

While he was seated facing the minister and thus covered by the desk, every now and then he would touch his shoe, examining the hole with his finger! The meeting with the minister lasted at least two hours and was affectionate and friendly, like the atmosphere among old friends. Among other things, the Aga Khan dwelled for some time on how to resolve the water problem. Minister Pastore promised to resolve it and made an appointment with me for the following week. As we were heading back to the hotel, I noted: «Prince, I should tell you that 20 meters from the hotel, in Via Veneto, there is one of the best shoe stores in all of Rome. Perhaps it would be a good idea to buy a new pair of shoes. » He had noticed that I had seen him sticking his finger in the hole of his shoes. «If you can’t afford a pair, I would be happy to offer them to you as a gift.» «Thank you, but we have no time to lose.» End of conversation.

After the meeting with Minister Pastore, how was the problem of water supply resolved?

The General Director of the Funds for the South, the State Councilor, Dr. Pescatore, was also present at the meeting with the minister. During that period, we were moving ahead using well water, but concern over the scarcity of water was constant. When the conversation began, Dr. Pescatore had noted that contracts had been assigned for the work which was to bring water as far as Cannigione, 10 kilometers from Porto Cervo. The minister, after having learned from me that this would not be a solution to the problem, ordered Dr. Pescatore to proceed with the awarding of contracts for work to bring the water all the way to our area. Pescatore pointed out to the minister that at the moment it was not possible to do so because the necessary funds were lacking. The minister’s exact words were: «The contracts must be awarded right away. Find sufficient funds, from other sections of the budget if necessary.»

The result was that the Funds for the South contracted out the work on the east section, the one which covered all of our area. Later, contracts were awarded to complete the work needed to reach even the area of  Cannigione.

The landless prince. [Honorable Raffaele Garzia, First President of CIS – Sardinian Industrial Credit and a “Friend” of Costa Smeralda; Later President of Etfas and Hostile to Costa Smeralda. Personal Resentments Affect His Public Administration in Water Supply Projects]

We know that for the construction of Porto Vecchio financing was obtained from CIS. The Aga Khan was supposed to be guarantor, and as such, the bank asked for his balance sheet.

To obtain financing for the “Porto Cervo” company, I had strongly advised the Aga Khan to turn to the Credito Industriale Sardo because I knew its president, the Hon. Raffaele Garzia.

The director of the CIS, Credito Industriale Sardo, at the meeting with the Aga Khan, stated: «Your highness, we need you to give us a list of your properties.» And the Aga Khan: «Look, there are not any  properties in my name.» An awkward moment followed and he added «You must tell me if you do manage to find any property in my name, because in that case my financial system will have to be examined!»

Some time passes, and I inquire again of the director: «Well, have you done some checking?» «Yes, unfortunately the news is that he has not got any property in his name. He only owns a collection of valuable paintings in his home in Paris. However, I must say that we imagine him to be a man of great financial means.»

Eventually, the Aga Khan decided to have the construction of the Porto Cervo Marina financed not by CIS, but by the Bianca Nazionale del Lavoro. The Hon. Garzia continued to come to Porto Cervo and would ask to meet the Aga Khan, or failing that, Mr. Ardoin. The Aga Khan would always refuse, protesting: «Please, avvocato, you deal with him, I don’t have time to waste.» Mr. Ardoin the same. So naturally, I was the one who always had to be ready to fend him off: «Look, president, unfortunately the Aga Khan is busy, and Mr. Ardoin is, too.». «Ah, when they needed me, they found time for me!»  And I, to soothe him: «However, I am at your service.»

After some time, Garzia became president of Etfas, the regional organization which also oversaw the distribution of water for agriculture. One day, when I was in Cagliari, the Aga Khan calls me to ask me to intervene with Etfas, because word has been received from their offices in Arzachena that orders have been given to cease supplying water to the Costa Smeralda. 

What year could it have been?

It was 1976. The president of the Region was the Hon. Del Rio. After the call to the Aga Khan, I go to the office of the president of Etfas and Garzia receives me as if I were a complete stranger: «Avvocato, what do you want?» «We have a problem. It seems that the Etfas non longer wants to supply us with water. » «That is correct, water is for agriculture, not for tourism.» And I in return: «Are you joking or are you serious?» «No, no, I never joke; we will be cutting off your water supply shortly!»

I race to the Regional President Del Rio, a wonderful man. I tell him about the situation and he exclaims: «You can’t be serious!» He calls Garzia right away, in my presence: «I have here Mr. Riccardi, the lawyer,» and he tells him in these very words: «You, sir, do not own the water, the water belongs to the Region of Sardinia. Don’t you dare threaten not to provide water to the Costa Smeralda and to tourism, do you understand?» Everything was settled. He called his secretary and dictated a letter to Garzia, reconfirming what had been said on the telephone. That was our friend Garzia.

The new companies. [Biancasarda; Cerasarda]

I remember well that you were president of many other companies as well. How did those come about?

There was the Agrisarda for the supply of plants and trees, but the first company, if I recall correctly, was the “Biancasarda,” to supply and launder linens. It was formed by the Aga Khan together with two Frenchmen. The whole company was acquired by the Aga Khan and later sold, at a very low price, to two men from Olbia, Mr. Iervolino and Mr. Lintas.

What is the story about the “Cerasarda”?

It was a fantastic company at the beginning; they had hired a Frenchman, Prof. Picaut, who was a genius. He made amazing tiles. I remember the first time that I went to see the model tiles with the Aga Khan: what a show! They were marvelous.

Later the company lost its way a bit. Prof. Picaut was no longer with them. The architects of the Costa Smeralda started to produce their own tiles. Vietti made some that were beautiful. They were not at the level of those by Picaut, however. Perhaps it was that the models cost quite a lot, and that led to a sort of transformation of “Cerasarda.” They convinced the Aga Khan to transform this élite studio which could employ from twenty to forty people, into a proper industrial factory, like those in the area of Modena. Everything became distorted; they ended up with something like 150 employees. Therefore the “Cerasarda” fell into a serious crisis.

It was highly unionized. The board of the factory was lead by a Mr. Monaco, the son of a well-regarded family from Olbia that sold specialized beers. He was a real subversive. The employees started dictating the rules. The Aga Khan got tired of it. He would say it was impossible to continue in those conditions. We were completely in the red, because it was impossible to compete with the tile produced on the continent. Among other problems, we produced tiles using earth from a quarry of the Nuorese area that wasn’t appropriate – and our products were literally crumbling apart.

Faced with these huge losses we decided that the “Cerasarda” would have to be downsized. Obviously, this led to letting some people go. Guess who had the job of holding meetings with the unions? Yours truly, and naturally I bore the brunt of the thinly veiled threats from this Monaco: «We know where you live!»

One day, I responded to him: «Look, my dear sir, you had better be very careful. My address is Via Di Pietro, 87, Rome. If someone intends to shoot me, they had better shoot me in the back. They don’t want to come face to face with me, because I’m always armed. Warn your companions.»

Several union members rose in my defense, including Valeri, Fadda and Pasquino, as if to say: «How dare you threaten him like this?» The proposal that was being put forward at these meetings was to reduce the personnel from 160 to 56 workers.

At a certain point, the unions and the workers, having ascertained our determination, vote unanimously to occupy the factory. At that point, the Aga Khan decides to close the “Cerasarda”  for good. In the meantime, I go to speak to the occupying workers: «Listen, the Aga Khan made the restructuring decision very seriously. You had better be very careful and cease this behavior, or this company will end up closing.»

I made these remarks confidentially to a group of workers, but no one believed me. At a certain point we set a day to meet with the unions. In the meantime, we also contacted the Court of Tempio to engage an administrator to proceed with the liquidation. We had tentatively indicated my friend Lino Acciaro, an accountant. Therefore, instead of the lawyer Mr. Riccardi, charged with finding an agreement, the person who shows up to the meeting is the liquidator of the company.  

So now, the chips are down. You can imagine the scene. As soon as the meeting with Acciaro is over, the union representatives swoop down on my house: «Mr. Riccardi, what happened?» «I had warned you, gentlemen, I had told you in advance that the situation could become irreparable.» «And now what do we do?» At that point, we sit at the table and begin negotiations, which I conduct, for the reduction of personnel from 160 to 56. The unions, begrudgingly, accept the requested reduction, but demand the right to take part in the decision of who will be let go. We do not accept that condition.

As regards Monaco, they even insist «No, Monaco has to stay.» «No, Monaco will be the first to go. It is my personal decision, yours truly, Mr. Riccardi. The Aga Khan knows nothing. I insist upon his going. Feel free to tell Mr. Monaco that I personally do not like him. Not because of his threats, but because he orchestrated this whole mess. We’ll fight for the others, we’ll see what we can do.». Unfortunately, however, in the end only 57 workers remained of the 160 who had been employed.

Afterward, the Aga Khan became smitten by another director and the suffering began again. I do not remember his name. The production of tiles began again. The number of workers rose once more to 150-160. They changed the whole system and they no longer made those beautiful tiles and the famous plates. They no longer used the designs of Prof. Picaut or of Vietti. “Cerasarda” scraped along for a while longer, but the dream was over.

The story of “Acquasarda”. [Dr. Ventura and the Dowser Martino Azara]  […]

The Hon. Giulio Pastore with the Aga Khan

In the center, Salvatore Mannironi, Minister of the Merchant Navy, and Giovanni Filigheddu

INDEX ⇒

6
ALL THE PRINCE’S MEN

A little triumverate

André Ardoin, Esq.

Mr Felix Bigio

Mr René Podbielski

Doctor Mentasti

Doctor Peter Hengel

Patrick Guinness

The “rich man’s priest”. [Fr Raimondo Fresi]

Pino Careddu, a friend [and His “Greeting” to Lawyer Ardoin]

A Little Triumvirate

 For long years at the top echelon of the Consortium there was a sort of triumverate: Ardoin, Bigio, and Riccardi. Ardoin was the right hand man of the Aga Khan, as the other “founding father” of the Costa Smeralda

André Ardoin, Esq.

Let’s begin by explaining who was Mr. Ardoin. A Frenchman, Mr. André Ardoin, after graduating from university, moved to England, where he worked at the legal offices of Lloyds Bank.

The grandfather of the Aga Khan needed to write his will and asked the director of the Lloyds Bank to send him a lawyer that could speak with him and draw it up. The elder Aga Khan, seeing how young Ardoin was, was thunderstruck: «Who have you sent me?» He stared perplexed at this young lawyer, who instead was a man of great intelligence: above all, he had a wonderful character, a real rarity. I only ever heard him raise his voice one time; he was always the one who could walk into a large meeting where people were discussing matters in loud voices, perhaps even shouting, and with a single witty remark could cool everyone down.

There was only one time, I remember it well, when he slammed his fist down on the table. It was at his house. He was angry with Mr. Virdis, an accountant, who was our tax consultant. But in the twenty years that we were close, I never saw it happen again. Apart from that time, his weapon of choice was wit. The elder Aga Khan, intelligent man that he was, immediately identified him as one that he couldn’t allow to get away, and immediately offered to double the salary that the bank was paying him, and took him on as a collaborator.

When his grandfather died, Prince Karim was only 18 years old. Thus Mr. Ardoin found himself having to oversee all of the holdings of the family. So much so that when the young Aga Khan was in America studying at Harvard and he got it into his head that he should get rid of his grandfather’s racing stables because he wasn’t interested in horses. I know first hand that it was Mr. Ardoin who convinced him to keep the stables which he had inherited from his father and his grandfather, both horse-racing aficionados and great experts in the field.

With time, the Aga Khan also became an horse enthusiast and purchased three important stables,  those of Madame Dupré, Marcel Boussac, and Monsieur Lagardère. Among racehorse owners, the Aga Khan is now one of the most important. He has won all of the most prestigious races in France, England and Ireland.

«Selling those stables would be like selling a collection of antique paintings,» Mr. Ardoin had told the young Aga Khan, who responded: «I accept your proposal, on the condition that you will take care of whatever is necessary to run the racing stables.» Mr. Ardoin had agreed and for many years the stables had obtained great success, until the moment when the Aga Khan, upon his return to Europe, developed a passion for his horses. After the many victories that he had won, he continued to run racing stables of the highest quality. 

Mr. Ardoin then began to purchase property together with the Aga Khan. As I understood it from what I was told in Porto Cervo, Mr. Ardoin had a share of 35%, and in the Pevero Golf of 50%. He was a very intelligent man: when he sat at the table with architects, it seemed as if he was the architect. He would discuss legal issues flawlessly, and was always meticulously prepared. He was a hard worker, and the most important adviser that the Aga Khan had: he always managed to make him reflect.

One often hears that Ardoin took advantage of his position close to the Aga Khan to speculate, and it would seem that the most fruitful economic results of this great Sardinian “adventure” were his. They say he even made more money than the Aga Khan. Does that ring true for you?

I would rule that out completely without any hesitation. At a certain point, word got around at Porto Cervo that the trusting relationship between the Aga Khan and Mr. Ardoin was over, and that the Aga Khan had nominated Dr. Hengel to oversee the work of Mr. Ardoin and Mr. Bigio. So much so that, I remember, while at the beginning, when  both Mr. Grassetto the engineer, and many other management types were always there to meet Mr. Ardoin when he arrived in Olbia on the “Tirrenia” ship at six am, at a certain point they all disappeared. Then who would go at six am to the Isola Bianca to pick up Mr. Adroin? Always and only Mr. Riccardi, because it seemed to me unjust to abandon him. Once I left at two in the morning after a dinner in Cagliari, and without having slept a single moment I drove all night and met him right on time and accompanied him to Porto Cervo. Events proved me right in the end, because before long the Aga Khan and Mr. Ardoin settled their differences and they worked together smoothly for another twenty years, the entire time I worked for them. 

Let’s put it this way: that probably, when Mr. Ardoin, was planning the development of one of his own properties, perhaps he was less meticulous about managing the infrastructures of the allotments, and perhaps this was why the costs were far less with respect to what they might be when the Aga Khan was involved. The prince was very punctilious, an esthete, so if everything was not done perfectly, he would not proceed with the sale of the lots.

The Aga Khan tended to exaggerate when it came to awarding contracts. He would never listen to anyone; he had to make all of the decisions alone. I tried to intervene several times, saying: «Prince, we cannot go on this way. We award contracts paying enormous sums of money. It isn’t advantageous. We should ask for estimates in sealed envelopes. That is what I did on a small scale, before coming to you, for sites open to construction at Punta Sardegna: I invited 4 or 5 companies to present estimates in sealed envelopes, which I would then open in their presence. That is what you should do!» But he continued to do things his own way. 

Did Mr. Ardoin participate in the meetings of the Board of Directors of “Alisarda”?

Of course he did. He was omnipresent. At some meetings he participated as a partner, at others only as an adviser. I never made any inquires about him. Sometimes he would talk to me about himself, but I never took it upon myself to meddle in his affairs.

For me, he is an extremely loyal person. Instead, they suspected some sort of conspiracy between me and Mr. Ardoin. That may have arisen from the fact that, for example, when the Aga Khan would arrive with Mr Ardoin, I would greet the Aga Khan but then only Ardoin would get in the car with me and we would begin talking about the matters we needed to discuss. I would take him home, we would take stock of the situation and then we would meet the prince, with an idea of the items on the agenda already in hand.

Mr. Felix Bigio

Now let’s talk about Mr. Bigio.

Initially, Mr. Felix Bigio worked for Mr. Ardoin, and later he moved again to work for the Aga Khan in Gouvieux. The youngest daughter of Mr. Bigio, Colette, also works for the prince.

But with all of your other responsibilities, were you also charged with negotiating for the purchase of land on the Costa Smerald?

Absolutely not. That job fell exclusively to Mr. Bigio. The Aga Khan only asked me one time to take care of the purchase of a piece of land of about five or six hectares located in the center of the golf course. It was imperative that we buy the land, as it interrupted the golf course. The acreage was the property of the father of one of our employees, Giovan Michele Azara, a security guard. Some time before, Mr. Bigio had purchased a piece of land from Mr. Azara on behalf of the Aga Khan. At the moment of the purchase, Mr. Bigio had assured the owner, who had asked a higher price, that all of the land of the Coast had been purchased at the price which was being proposed for his property.

Mr. Azara had accepted the price fixed by Mr. Bigio. After a while, however, he discovered (or in any case was told) that the land adjacent to his own had been sold for a higher price, in contrast to what Mr. Bigio had told him. That was the reason for which it was me that the Aga Khan sent to accompany Mr. Bigio to the appointment with Mr. Azara. When Mr. Bigio asked him to sell the remaining land, he refused to do so. I turn to Giovan Michele Azara and ask him to set up an appointment for me with his father, explaining why. After a few days, he convinces his father to see me.

We begin negotiations, which are conducted by Mr. Bigio on behalf of the Aga Khan and by the son-in-law of Mr. Azara, a Mr. Canu. They debate the price for hours. If memory serves me, the first offer is for 180 million lire, and they close at 250 million. The negotiation is followed by Mr. Nicola Azara, who sat to the side, in a corner of the meeting room without intervening. Once the price had been agreed upon, Mr. Bigio proposed a down-payment of a check for 30 million lire, with the remainder to be paid in monthly installments. When an agreement had been reached, Mr. Canu requested that interest be paid on the remaining installments. Mr. Bigio refused point-blank to take the request into consideration. At that point Mr. Azara calls me and says: «I am sorry for you, but the negotiations are over. I would like  you to leave my home now, because I no longer plan to sell the land.»

From that moment on, no one spoke. I suggest Mr. Bigio collect the papers and that we leave. They accompany us in silence to the door, when suddenly I turn to Mr. Canu and to Giovan Michele and say: «It is 11:00 pm and all of the restaurants are closed, might we ask you if it is possible to have some bread and cheese?» Immediately an abundant dinner is prepared. When the dinner is finished, without even commenting on what had transpired, I invite Mr. Bigio to write a check for the entire sum agreed upon previously for the purchase of the land. Reluctantly, Mr. Bigio hands me the check. Mr. Azara had retired to his bedroom. Accompanied by his daughter, I go into the room and without comment hand him the check, wishing him good night. Mr. Bigio was normally compelled to pay in installments, given that the Aga Khan and Ardoin did not put large sums of money at his disposal. That was probably the first and last time that he paid in full on the spot.

I had heard that at the beginning the payments were made in cash.

I almost forgot: that is true. In October 1962 I witnessed the purchase of a piece of coastal territory made by Mr. Bigio. The purchase price was over 350 million lire. There were at least twenty sellers. The sum had been parceled out by Mr. Bigio in percentages, according to the amount of property owned by each. In the Gallurese countryside at the time, land was divided up among various heirs without bothering to draw up judicial or notarial deeds, not least due to the low value of the land. I remember that a bank executive, accompanied by the carabinieri police, had been present at the money exchange until the very last moment. The meeting had taken place in the presence of the officiating notary, Dr. Mario Altea from Tempio, in the countryside of Santa Teresina. The request for payment in cash was due to the fact that the sellers did not trust these unknown foreigners.

Mr. René Podbielski

Talk to me about Mr. René Podbielski: about what kind of person he was, when he arrived, if it is true that he arrived before the Aga Khan.

Yes, he arrived first, as he had bought 40 hectares in the area of Liscia di Vacca. He was a very intelligent person. He was part of the board of directors of the Consortium, as a founding member, but no one listened to him, not even when what he was saying was right. How shall I put it — the Aga Khan snubbed him, as he snubbed everyone a little, to be truthful. Since another member of the board of directors was needed, I had suggested nominating Vittorio Merloni, who had bought the villa of a certain Mr. Salmon, an Englishman, in Romazzino. After having ascertained that the Aga Khan was a centralizing figure, who tended to take all the work upon himself, Merloni, a good industrialist that he was, had thought it would be better to divide the work up among all of the members. One day he takes the floor and assigns each person present a different task that he believes best. The Aga Khan thanks him, and postpones further discussion of the jobs to be assigned to each of us. When the reunion finishes, we walk out together. I start laughing. Merloni looks at me and asks me why? «My dear Vittorio, do you really think that the Aga Khan will ever bring that subject up again? He will never allow any of us to be delegated any of the assignments, not even the least important ones.» And so it was. The subject was never broached again.

But we were speaking of Podbielski. The Aga Khan was angry with him because he had sold one of his lots of land to an American for 10 thousand lire per square meter: a price that for the Aga Khan, was shameful, one just shouldn’t ask such high prices. When, however, Podbielski would sell at more reasonable prices, he criticized the man for undercutting the prices normally being asked on the Costa Smeralda. Podbielski looked after his own interests, he frequented the municipal offices, he knew all the steps, he never disturbed anyone. He only occasionally asked for my help and normally he knew how to manage alone, with much diplomacy and competence. 

Dr. Mentasti

Is it true that Mentasti was the first of anyone to arrive in the area, on his sailboat “Croce del Sud”?

Dr. Mentasti had been secretary to Granelli, the owner of the Granelli Pharmaceutical Industry, which included the “San Pellegrino” mineral water company. He was a very handsome man, once a great tennis player. He and the daughter of his boss, Granelli, had fallen in love and married. 

In 1959 he had bought 140 hectares of land at Porto Cervo for 19 and a half million lire. The terrain included the entire bay of Porto Cervo and ended towards Porto Paglia, at the entrance to Porto Cervo. Then he had bought the island of Mortorio from Luigino Demuro of Arzachena and in 1960 Piana island, from “uncle” Battista Azara. Speaking of Mentasti, in the early months of 1964, the Aga Khan told me a secret. We were heading towards Porto Cervo in a Jeep, driving along a dirt road, to verify and check the work done by the company contracted to build Porto Vecchio. He told me that he had decided to have the port built at Cala di Volpe because he believed it to be better sheltered from the northwest wind, and also because he did not own the land at Porto Cervo. He told me that he had been approached by Dr. Mentasti, who had convinced him to build the port of Porto Cervo in partnership with him. He told me that subsequently Dr. Mentasti had changed his mind and had offered to sell him the land for the port, plus another 100 hectares, keeping the last 40 hectares for himself. The Aga Khan had accepted the offer. A person close to me spoke of a sum around a 1,400,000,000 lire. A good deal for Mentasti, in those years, but also for the Aga Khan.

When is it that Dr. Giuseppe Kurt Mentasti sold those 100 hectares to the Aga Khan?

I think it was in 1962. Dr. Mentasti was an exquisite person, exceptional, brilliant. But there is also a “but”: when at the beginning he would come into my office to discuss the problems of the Coast, he would give me advice, and in general we would agree upon all of the matters to bring to the board of directors. And instead, even regarding problems that ended up being solved in a manner completely opposite to that which we had agreed upon in our meetings, I never heard him oppose the Aga Khan.

He didn’t have the courage to do so?

Absolutely not. There are people who do not want any hassle, and many who are intimidated by the Aga Khan. I have to say, however that the only person who was able to freely speak his mind during the meetings and more specifically in that of the Architectural Committee, was Jacques Coüelle.

Dr. Peter Hengel

Tell me about Dr. Peter Hengel.

Dr. Peter Hengel, of German nationality, had been called in by the Aga Khan to complete the management committee for the Costa Smeralda. This was during the period in which it was said that the  Aga Khan wanted to keep tabs on the work of Mr. Bigio and Mr. Ardoin. As soon as he was chosen to be part of the board, Mr. Hengel had sent for a group of at least seven trusted people from Germany.   They had started conducting inspections in the office of Mr. Bigio. No anomalies were found. I had never doubted it, knowing well the honesty, scrupulousness and devotion that Mr. Bigio had towards the father of the Aga Khan and towards Karim himself. Naturally, Mr. Bigio had difficulty putting up with the impolite manner of this group of German “inspectors,” who would occupy his office for long periods of time, convinced that they would be able to find some problem or another.

Since I knew that the inspections were being carried out in all of the offices of the companies in the group, from the real estate agency of the Costa Smeralda to the “Cerasarda,” from the “Stegcs” to the “Porto Cervo Spa,” I surmised that one day they would also come to my office to check the accounts of the Consortium. I called Mr. Franco Moretti, who kept the accounts, and I ordered him to buy as many suitcases as are necessary to contain all of the receipts. He arrives and gives me four huge suitcases full of documents. As I had imagined, after around a month, a team of four German accountants shows up. This time, in respect for me, they are accompanied by another German who speaks a bit of Italian. I do not even invite them in: «To keep you from wasting time, but especially to keep me from doing so, I kindly request that you take those suitcases with you. When you have examined the contents, bring them back.» They left without taking the suitcases.

In effect, the presence of Dr. Hengel and his employees changed the atmosphere. At our meetings, sometimes Mr. Bigio was even challenged by the Aga Khan. One day, the Aga Khan asks Mr. Bigio a question; before answering, Mr. Bigio picks up a tape recorder. He answers, recording every word. When he has finished speaking, the Aga Khan begins to speak. Mr. Bigio, who is near him, puts the tape recorder very close to him, to record what he is saying. The Aga Khan continues for a while without saying anything. At a certain point I burst out laughing. The use of the tape recorder continued for several meetings, and the Aga Khan never bat an eyelid. 

Patrick Guinness

And what can you tell us now about Patrick Guinness, the half-brother of the Aga Khan?

He died in an automobile accident while going from Milan to Geneva. He was very young: a handsome young man, blue eyes, tall and blond. He didn’t have the charisma of the Aga Khan, but he was very likable. Originally, the Costa Smeralda was purchased half by the Aga Khan and half by Patrick. At a certain point, the two of them had a falling out of some kind, I don’t know what about. Unfortunately, following this disagreement, when Guinness was due to arrive, there wasn’t always the usual court to meet him at the airport. I really didn’t want to get involved in their bad blood and I repeat, he was always a kind person with me, so much so that in the middle of one meeting I announced: «Excuse me, Prince, but I have to go and pick up Mr. Guinness, who arrives at four.» I rose and left, adding: «I’ll be back in a couple of hours.»

Mr. Guinness began to confide in me. He trusted me, he could see that I wasn’t interested in making proposals to him of any kind or in acerbating the misunderstandings between them. Once he vented his frustration, saying: «Avvocato, you know, I am a bit annoyed with my brother.» «Why, Mr. Guinness?» «Because he set up this airline, “Alisarda.” I am owner of the “LT,” an English airline. I would have liked to be part of this new company, but my brother didn’t even tell me about it.» I, naturally, made no comment.

He had gained so much faith in me that he would say: «Avvocato, I have an idea. I would like to build a large butchering company in Olbia, importing the livestock from Argentina. I will buy a ship equipped for transport and butcher the animals in Olbia. Believe me, it’s a big business. The idea came to me from your report on the possibility of free government grants. What do you think?» «Fantastic, exceptional.». «Would you be able to help me?» «Certainly, I am at your service. I’m one of your employees and therefore I am here to help you.» «No, no, I mean on a personal basis.» «We will discuss it…» And he adds: «Look, they even do something with the horns, I don’t know what, and the hide, nothing is wasted, they make paint from the blood… the meat is wonderful, we could export it all over Europe.» The idea was truly magnificent.

Among other things, just chatting one day he wanted to replace his boat, the one with which he had come to Sardinia the first time, the famous Zaira, which sailed under an English flag  (he had a daughter named Zaira). So he says to me: «Mr. Riccardi, do you know anyone who might be interested in buying my boat? I have to buy a Baglietto and, you know, I don’t know what to do with the Zaira.» I replied: «We’ll see; I’ll try.» And then he looks at me and says: «Avvocato, why don’t you buy it? Make me an offer.» I ask: «For how much?». «Mr. Riccardi, you are the one who has to make the offer.» Joking, I say: «Five million lire.» «OK.» And he reaches out to shake my hand. «No, no, Mr. Guinness, I was joking, for the love of God.» He insists: «I said OK.» He reaches out his hand, takes mine by force, and practically gives me this boat, worth at least five times as much, because it was truly a beauty, 16 and a half meters. My children, especially Piero, who was a small child, would say: «Papà, this boat is so old!» I, instead, when I see such a boat today think: «What an idiot I was to sell it!» At a certain point, Patrick says to me: «However, Mr. Riccardi, I would like to remove my personal belongings from the boat.» «Of course, take whatever you want.» There were paintings, silver cutlery, a huge quantity of beautiful objects. One day I warn my skipper that Mr. Guinness will be coming to Olbia to pick up what he wanted to take away. «He was there right on time,» the skipper tells me a few days later.  «And what did he take?» «Two bottles of whiskey, a pair of slippers, and a dressing gown.» He didn’t touch anything else. I left the boat at the port of Olbia for two more days and in so doing there was ample time for thieves to carry away everything in it. Naturally you are wondering: what happened to the project of importing livestock from Argentina? Unfortunately, fate intervened, and Mr. Guinness died two months later. Otherwise he would undoubtedly have pulled it off.  

Let’s return to the fact that he had bought everything 50-50 with his brother. What happened in the end?

After Patrick’s death, Lord Guinness, his father, wanted to get rid of the land that his son owned at   50 % with the Aga Khan. He had delegated one of his employees, a Mr. Nuñez, to substitute his son in the administration of the properties they owned in common. He was hired to oppose whatever the Aga Khan proposed. If the Aga Khan said “black”, he would say “white”. The meetings were an endless fight. That song and dance lasted for over a year. In the end, the Aga Khan bought the the quota of Mr. Guinness.

At the desired price?

I never asked the Aga Khan what price he had paid. I would never have dreamed of doing such a thing. But it was a very, very hard fight, tooth and nail.

The “rich man’s priest”. [Fr Raimondo Fresi]

What can you tell us about don Raimondo Fresi, who was the priest of the church in Stella Maris for many years?

He was just the right priest for the Costa Smeralda. Very accessible, not intrusive, and with his savoir faire he always managed to get what he wanted. We owe it to him that the church of Stella Maris was built. The project was drawn up by the architect Busiri-Vici. The Aga Khan and Mr. Ardoin had opened a bank account at the Credito Italiano for the sum of 15 million lire. The estimated cost was 65 million. We were all sure that at the moment the church was inaugurated, the members of the Consortium, who had all been invited, would have made generous donations, and that the rest of the expenses would be covered in that way. I don’t remember the exact amount of the donations collected, but I can say that the total was laughable. The entire balance for all of the construction was paid for by the Aga Khan and Mr. Ardoin.

I remember that you helped don Fresi to find the money to pay the sculptor Manzù, who crafted the main doors of the church.

That is true. In that period, 1982, I had resigned from all that I had been doing for the Costa Smeralda, when one day don Fresi came to my house to ask me to help him find 300 million lire. That was the sum that he was to pay Manzù for the main door of the church. I knew that Mr. Nordio, the president of “Alitalia,” was on the Coast during that period, in his apartment at the golf course. I paid him a visit together with don Fresi and we managed to obtain a contribution of 30 million lire: at that point however we still needed nine other donors to give the same amount. I spoke of it with some friends, Vittorio Merloni, Gino Coccioli, who was president of the San Paolo Institute of Turin and later of the Banco di Napoli, and with my dear friend Salvatore Paolucci, adviser to the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro. In total, I managed to reach the sum of 150 million lire in contributions. Don Fresi, through his own contacts, then managed to find another 120 million, thus completing payment of the beautiful doors of the church. 

Do any other names come to mind?

Henry Bestard was a delightful Frenchman, a bit unique. At Porto Cervo, on behalf of our group “Alberghiera Costa Smeralda,” he managed the restaurant on the seaside located at Porto Vecchio (today called “Il Pescatore.”). He had a mania of raising pigs and giving them the names of real people. He had honored me by baptizing the largest one Paolo Riccardi. He was right to do so, because at the time I weighed 134 kilograms. Then he left Porto Cervo and moved to the Ivory Coast. 

And Mr. Ogilvy, the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent?

Angus Ogilvy, of the Rank Organization, had been engaged to do marketing. With Princess Alexandra of Kent they had purchased a lot on the sea at Piccolo Romazzino and had had a splendid villa built, designed by the architect Vietti. After a couple of years, when the Aga Khan canceled their collaboration agreement, he sold the villa.

Is it true that Dr. Riccardo Parodi-Delfino had asked to have his Portisco complex accepted as member of the Costa Smeralda Consortium?

It is very true. At a meeting of the Architectural committee, it was proposed that we accept the request of Parodi-Delfino, who was the owner of the Portisco complex. Aside from the Aga Khan, all of the members of the committee openly manifested their opposition for technical reasons. The complex, in actual fact, was incompatible with our regulations requiring integration into the landscape; it was generally considered “an eyesore.” I was particularly opposed: I pointed out that in that period we were under fire, accused of “cementifying”  the area, and if we accepted his membership, that it would prove the accusations true. Vietti was given the task of suggesting modifications to the structure. Parodi did not accept the suggestions and the case was archived. The company eventually went bankrupt and this probably would have been avoided if Parodi had accepted to make the requested changes improving its aspect and consequent value.

Pino Careddu, a Friend [and His “Greeting” to Lawyer Ardoin]

Now let’s talk about Pino Careddu, the director and editor of “Sassari Sera,” and all that he meant to you, both with regards to your career and also as a friend.

Above all as a friend.

Yes, of course, but also as a man who was able to understand the importance to Sardinia of the development of tourism.

I think that Pino Careddu’s contribution to the Costa Smeralda was the most important of all. With his newspaper “Sassari Sera” and his political friendships, he brought MPs and the regional councilors of Sardinia to see in tourism, not a “colonial” aggression or exploitation of the territory, but a potential, significant, future economic resource. He made them understand the importance of tourism in Sardinia, at a time when people were only thinking in terms of facilitating the petrochemical industry. Aside from “Italia Nostra”, which was against us, there were also many Sardinian politicians, above all the right wing, who feared being criticized by the electorate: «What? They’re protecting the Aga Khan, God only knows how much money they’re getting!» That was the general thinking. They were afraid to take positions in our favor, not wanting to be accused of who knows what sort of dealings.  And instead not a single politician ever asked for or received financial favors from the Costa Smeralda. Not a single one, and that’s a fact. Yes, they might have turned to me asking that a given worker be hired, a pilot with “Alisarda”, a stewardess. Normal things. And sometimes I was forced to say no, when those favors were impossible. Thus, Pino Careddu was a great help to us, in that general climate, because he started taking sides. And he did so exclusively because of the great friendship that has always bound us.

And, above all, Pino Careddu put me in touch with several Sardinian politicians:  Raggio, leader of the PCI, Armando Zucca, of the Psiup, who was respected by everyone and decisive in regional politics, and the Hon. Armandino Corona. Pino also supported us with his newspaper when there was a difference of opinions with the local government of Arzachena. Ghinami said: «Avvocato, go ahead and take a million cubic meters of land, set them aside, and we’ll see.» While I objected: «No, the Aga Khan owns this land and he wants to know how he has to plan to use it… (reciting the words of the Aga Khan), whether he should develop five million cubic meters or four, or three, or two or one, what type of pipes to plan for the infrastructure, etc.» Instead the municipal government wanted to proceed Italian style, with an approximating plan. I have to confess, that was more or less my way of thinking as well. I would say to the Aga Khan: «Prince, let’s not bother with so many questions. Let’s take a million cubic meters and then wait and see.» To which he would reply: «Mr. Riccardi, I didn’t come here to do this sort of reasoning, it must be a properly programmed development.» Therefore I have to give great credit to Pino Careddu, who put me in contact with these politicians. Then he also wrote articles opposing “Italia Nostra” and “Corriere della Sera,” when they attacked us. His was the only newspaper to take our side.

Pino Careddu, director of the newspaper Sassari Sera, with the Aga Khan

7
THE ARCHITECTS OF THE COAST

The Architectural Committee

[Jacques Coüelle resigns from the Committee due to disagreements with the Aga Khan]

[Savin Coüelle]

[Luigi Vietti]

[Giancarlo Busiri-Vici]

[Antonio Simon Mossa]

Strict regulations

INDEX ⇒

8
THE COSTA SMERALDA STAGE 

The hiring process

Prime Minister [Pierre] Trudeau

La principessa Salima. [A photographer files a lawsuit and takes Aga Khan to court in Tempio Pausania]

The princess on the boat. [The Misadventure of Princess Margaret on a Boat with Her Husband Lord Snowdon and Aga Khan]

Pierino Tizzoni [Pierino Tizzoni, owner of the Cappuccini and Budelli Islands and founder of Costa Paradiso: the nine sphere-shaped villas by architect Dante Bini on Cappuccini Island]

9
CUBIC CAPACITY, WHAT A CALAMITY

The good mayor. [Giorgino Filigheddu, mayor from 1965 to 1970]

Is it true that when Giorgino Filigheddu was mayor, as secretary general of the Consortium you attended all of the meetings of the local municipal council?

Yes, it’s true, but not all of them, only those at which matters regarding the Costa Smeralda were discussed.

How were relations with the Regional technicians, and specifically with the director of the City Planning Office?

A real disaster. In 1968, when the plan for edification and construction was supposed to be prepared as required by regional law, the director was the engineer Mr. Bagnolo, who directed the office until 1972, when he was dismissed by President Giagu.

The first conflict was when the municipality prepared its plan for edification and construction and I went to Cagliari to solicit its approval by the Region. Even at our first meeting I could see that perhaps he was a good engineer, but in my humble opinion, a terrible city planner. Above all he did not see the Costa Smeralda in a favorable light, perhaps because the Aga Khan had chosen to make his investments in the northern part of Sardinia, rather than in the southern one. He challenged the excesses of our volumetric analysis. 

He was opposed to the idea that villas be built on the Costa Smeralda. He believed that only resorts and hotels should be built, concentrating all of the buildable volume in a few areas and leaving the rest of the territory as free as possible. Our plan, instead, called for three resorts at most and a limited number of hotels: this was because it was our opinion that otherwise, with the sort of development desired by Ghinami, the impact on the territory would be excessive, while this was not a risk if villas were constructed.

And that is what happened. In fact even from the sea, for example in the case of the villas at Romazzino, Liscia di Vacca and Pevero, you can hardly see the villas behind their gardens full of trees

Exactly. One day, after at least ten meetings, in the office of Mr. Bagnolo, Ghinami introduces me to a young architect, seated at his side at the desk, who begins speaking as if he were laying down the law. I ask: «I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Are you an official of the Region?» «No, I am their consultant.» His name was Mainini. I later learned that he was with “Italia Nostra,” the most powerful lobby of those times hostile to the Aga Khan. The meeting was a complete disaster. The architect Mainini wanted to provisionally allocate only a million cubic meters to us, which could later be reduced by a new edification plan with more limited building volumes. I lost my temper and told Mr. Bagnolo: «Mr. Bagnolo, it seems to me that we just don’t see eye to eye. Let me reflect for a moment. Perhaps I can’t manage to make myself clear. Our own technicians will come and explain the situation to you more clearly.» I was in Cagliari, and the question came to mind: «How does this fellow behave with the edification plans for the other municipalities?» The people from Cagliari only ever spoke of Villasimius.

After this meeting, I contacted the Hon. Ghinami to inform him of the concerns of the Aga Khan and of all the consortium members: the impossibility of working out a serious plan providing for a final total of building volumes, with which it would be possible to build the necessary infrastructure, not a partial one such as that he and Bagnolo desired. Ghinami replied: «Do what you want. We will not give you more than a million cubic meters.» He maintained that in this first phase of preparation of the plan it was not necessary that we have more than a million cubic meters. That undoubtedly we would have needed a considerable amount of time to build this million cubic meters; in the meantime, he would have conducted a general study of the whole coast and would assign other building volumes.

The Aga Khan instead justifiably felt differently: «No, I want to know from the very beginning how many cubic meters I can develop, to determine the correct infrastructure needed to bring water, sewers, the related water purifiers, the electric potential we have to request, etc.».

The Aga Khan said there should be a twenty-year overall plan.

Exactly. In fact, with the help of Professor Coccioli we had prepared an economic plan to attach to our master plan when presenting it to the region: he had done a study which planned for 25 thousand employees and an investment at the time of 700 billion lire.

Let’s return to Giorgino Filigheddu, mayor of Arzachena from 1965 to 1970.

Giorgino Filigheddu did a great job for all five years that he was mayor. When I negotiated with him there was never a problem. We would present the projects and he never placed any sort of obstacles in our way. He had such faith in the fair conduct of the Aga Khan that he had given our architect Mr. Vietti the task of drafting the edification plan of the municipality of Arzachena. Since Mayor Filigheddu had worked so well, we were sure that with the new elections of 1970 both he and the previous administration would be reelected.

[La corrente della Democrazia Cristiana, cosiddetta dei “morotei” dal nome dell’onorevole Aldo Moro a cui pretendevano di ispirarsi, conquista la guida di Arzachena. Dal 1970 al 1975 sindaco di Arzachena sarà Gian Michele Digosciu].

At a certain point, however, alarm bells start ringing. Don Fresi comes into my office and says: «Look, avvocato, watch out, we’ve got to get organized, because if we aren’t careful Giorgino Filigheddu is going to fall; the young people are conspiring against you.» These youths were Chiodino, Digosciu, Demuro, Baffigo, Ruzzittu and others. They were all young, I don’t remember exactly how many of them there were. Gemelli was with them too, but he left them later. He was sharp as a tack, that one.

I immediately spoke of it with the Aga Khan and Ardoin: «We need to be careful. I am sure that if we have four of our employees from the area run for office (I had already indicated who) we can get them elected, and in that way we can lobby the mayor and the new council in our favor, with the support of Giorgio Filigheddu and others.»

I had all of the employees of the area in hand and now even the businessmen who were beginning to work for us. I was sure that I would be able to pull off the idea that I had proposed to the Aga Khan and Ardoin. «I absolutely forbid you to do such a thing! We did not come to Sardinia to play politics!»: that was the unfortunately inauspicious decision of the Aga Khan. As a matter of fact, the young people won the majority and appointed one of their own: Gian Michele Digosciu. From that moment on the decisions made were always against us, whether obviously so or covertly. They would smilingly consent, only to later go to the various regional councilors of their political faction to tell them «Don’t do this, don’t do that.»

For the municipality of Arzachena a grand total of 12 million cubic meters had been assigned by the Region. The people of Arzachen wanted a minimum of 8 million for them, so the battle was aimed at equalizing the distribution, making it six million for the Arzachena population and six million for the Costa Smeralda Consortium; that is what happened later in 1972, after infinite discussion, with the approval of Sardinian Region, president Nino Giagu, of the edification plan for the municipality of Arzachena.

This opposition to our legitimate requests was due, in my opinion, to the fact that the interest of the municipal administrators was to favor the owners who had purchased land in the area of Baja Sardinia, and especially in the area of Cannigione. Many land owners who had sold property to the founding members of the Consortium had subsequently invested in this area. In our opinion, as a matter of principle, the granting of the building volumes should have been done impartially. The Costa Smeralda extends for 50 kilometers, compared to the 35 remaining kilometers of the coastal area of the municipality, which stretches from Poltu Quatu to the end of the territory of Palau. Thus the Costa Smeralda, having a larger extension of coastline, had a right to a greater number of cubic meters.

However, with the new national law prohibiting construction within 150 meters from the sea and with the Soddu decree of 1977, the restrictions became ever stricter and it became harder and harder to obtain the approval of allotments.

But in 1976 an important series of (hard won, they say) allotments was approved.

The Costa Smeralda owes its thanks to Del Rio, the then president of the Sardinian Region and to the Hon. Pinuccio Serra, Councillor for city planning in his cabinet from 1973 to June 1974, for the approval of the allotments of Porto Cervo Marina, Porto Cervo Village, Cala Romantica, Pitrizza and  Cala del Faro.

It is worth taking the trouble to narrate just how complicated it was to obtain approval for those allotments, which have allowed the Costa Smeralda the only construction possibilities still existing today. Later it was no longer possible to build less than 150 meters from the sea, and after 1985 it was obligatory to respect the distance of 300 meters.

Relations between the Costa Smeralda and the regional planning office directed by Mr. Bagnolo were always strained. The tendency was to favor the operators of the southern area of Sardinia from Torre delle Stelle to Villasimius. Bagnolo was especially close to the directors of “Italia Nostra,” and his closest adviser was the architect Mr. Mainini, who participated in the campaign against the Costa Smeralda led by “Italia Nostra,” which accused us of destroying Sardinia with “rivers of cement.” During his presidency, from September to November 1973, President Giagu, removed him from the post of City planner. 

Our technicians had been negotiating for some time with Bagnolo about which clauses, in our opinion, ought to be inserted into the concession, and we hadn’t been able to come to an agreement. This fact worried me very much, because the Region was on the verge of adopting the famous Galasso law (regarding minimum distances from the sea). I informed the Hon. Serra, who summoned us to Cagliari. Before meeting the two technicians, Serra asked me what the clauses were that we were requesting and that were not being accepted by Bagnolo. Having determined that they were completely acceptable, they were in fact inserted into the agreements. Once done, the councilor called Bagnolo, and after signing them, ordered him to complete all the necessary formalities.

A visit to the countryside [from the president of the of the Sardinia region Del Rio]

When I learned that from one day to the next the president of the municipal cabinet, the Hon. Del Rio, was expected to publish the national law with the ban on building within 150 meters from the sea – a move that would mean serious damage would be done to our allotments – I rushed to see him. He was spending a few days in the countryside in Sindia. I presented him our case and pleaded with him to wait a few days before publish the law, explaining our motivations and all of the difficulties we had encountered with Mr. Bagnolo.

I remember that he said: «Don’t you worry, avvocato, because, after all you have done for Sardinia, you don’t deserve this.» The law was published a few days after our allotments had been assigned.   As far as I know, following these allotments – which regarded Porto Cervo, Cala del Faro, Pevero Golf, the expansion of Romazzino, and Pitrizza-Bagaglino – no others were issued to the Costa Smeralda. Whatever is still currently being built at Porto Cervo Marina and Porto Cervo Villaggio is owing to those very last concessions!

The Cala Razza di Juncu project [without success, with the municipality of Olbia]

In 1967 the so-called “Legge Ponte” was passed, which introduced standards regarding the development of urban plans, such as provisional building limits of  0,10 cubic meters per square meter.  I, as most Italians would, imagined that a long time would pass before the authorities prepared a new edification plan, and so I suggested we present as many projects as possible to the Municipality in order not to be blocked for years.

The Aga Khan, as always reacting with utmost seriousness when faced with what seemed to him unwarranted haste, did not follow my advice. Unfortunately his professionalism was not repaid, because a large number of owners presented projects to the municipality which were mere photocopies of previous ones, and there was a race for approval. The mayor of the time was Gian Michele Digosciu. I must have gone to him at least twenty times to solicit approval of our “normal” projects (by this I mean not photocopied, as the Prince would never have considered doing such a thing). The response was always the same: «There are numerous other projects ahead of yours.»

What year was that?

I think it was 1976-77. Because of these difficulties, the Aga Khan’s twenty billion lire allocated for these investments were redirected to Persia. Years later, when one day Ardoin and I were talking about the missed opportunity for investment in Olbia, Mr. Ardoin told me: «We should thank Asara and Carzedda for that, because the investments in Persia proved to be extremely lucrative for us. It’s a pity, though, for Sardinia.»

 10
OTHER PROJECTS, OTHER PROBLEMS

Double standards. [Italia Nostra, il Corriere della Sera di Giulia Maria Crespi, l’Espresso e altri media prendono di mira la Costa Smeralda]

After the meetings with the Regional Urban Planning Department, in 1971 “Italia Nostra” began its campaign against us. They were always our enemies. They were blind to the unsightly eyesores that were being built outside of the territory belonging to the Costa Smeralda Consortium. For “Italia Nostra” any cementification of the area, any blot on the landscape built, was built only by us. The person who attacked us most of all was the architect Luisa Anversa, who had never even been to Sardinia, had never seen any of our developments. (Neither, for that matter, had Giussani, the president of  “Italia Nostra,” to whom I had even written a letter which among other things invited him to visit the Coast to see first hand that things were not as he believed them to be. He never even answered the letter.)  

The “Corriere della Sera” published articles attacking us, written by the architect Antonio Cederna, another member of “Italia Nostra.” In “Espresso,” Giorgio Bocca invited the proud Sardinians to rid themselves of the Aga Khan, writing: «I am disappointed by the Sardinians! They are people of such great dignity, and yet when it comes to that exploiter of the poor who responds to the name of Aga Khan, they still haven’t kicked his a** off their island.»

Rather than defending us, the municipal government of Arzachena sided with the position of the Hon. Ghinami, and agreed to the possibility of giving limited building volumes in order to begin construction right away at Baja Sardinia and Cannigione. Shortly after the meeting with Bagnolo and Ghinami, I found myself in Cagliari, and reading the “Unione Sarda,” I realized that the Region had approved the edification plan of the municipality of Villasimius

But in Villasimius, Giulia Maria’s husband had been given three times his share.

I go to Villasimius, where I make a very useful discovery. We had been fighting over the building volumes there, too. Naturally I couldn’t reveal the fact that I was from the Costa Smeralda to those I met, or that my goal was to see the plans. Instead I said: «I’m Mr. … (I invented a name), a lawyer. I have some clients interested in purchasing property and I’m enchanted by your beautiful beaches. »

Objectively speaking, the beaches were splendid. I telephoned the mayor, who says: «Come on over. I will show you the plans. I’ll show you everything including the building volumes which have been assigned.» To reassure him, I repeat the original motives for my interest: «We want to build a large hotel and many other homes on the seaside. This is an important Swiss client. We’re talking about billions of lire in investments.» It works. The mayor says: «I can even meet you at six am.» «No, no, let’s say nine, nine-thirty, ten. In the early morning hours I want to soak up the beauty of Villasimius. Perhaps I’ll even stay another week.» I go and the first thing I discover is that the author of the edification plan of Villasimius is an architect by the name of Mozzoni. He is the husband of Giulia Maria Crespi, the majority shareholder of “Corriere della Sera,” the fiery female leader of “Italia Nostra.” I look at the plan. I think Villasimius had 15 thousand hectares, possibly fewer. We had 53 thousand. The cubic capacity in building volumes that had been assigned to Villasimius, if I am not mistaken, was 22 million cubic meters: more, far, far more, than had ever been assigned to us. 

I then attempted to recontact Bagnolo. Sure I had my facts straight, I make a proposal: «Look, Mr. Bagnolo, perhaps you haven’t fully visited our territory. Why don’t you come and make an inspection and we can go over everything there on the spot?» He actually did come and saw, but even so, we didn’t get anything accomplished. He hadn’t come to help us. 

At the time, Giulia Maria Crespi was the president of the FAI (the Italian Environmental Fund), a position she held until not long ago. She was also a close friend of the architects Cederna e Mainini. She was the one who had solicited Giovanni Spadolini, at the time the director of the “Corriere della Sera,” to publish the articles attacking us. How could we resist taking advantage of this great occasion which the municpality of  Villasimius was presenting us to make this fact known to the politicians?

In fact, I made use of the discovery to strengthen our case when we organized a big protest against the municipality and the Region. We were especially protesting the municpality which was hostile to us, with a mind to then going to the Region and with understandable spite, insisting: «Enough! You have to approve these plans, it’s time to quit applying double standards!»

After obtaining authorization from the Aga Khan and Ardoin, we organized the protest. With the help of our employees, it took just two days. We had also decided to occupy the municipality. Not only our own employees, but also many natives of Arzachena participated in the protest demonstration. When they saw the large participation, the mayor’s cabinet and almost all of the councilors themselves very astutely joined the parade of protestors lining the streets of Arzachena.

I remember that Mr. Gemelli, one of our employees and also a member of the city council, had made up some posters: «Double standards! Down with Ghinami and Bagnolo». And many others that were equally effective. 

Who else was present at that meeting with President Giagu and the group leaders of the Regional council?

The mayor of Arzachena and his entire cabinet were there, as well as representatives from the three trade unions, and a group of our own employees. All of the politicians present, with no exceptions, showed interest in finding out more about the positive aspects of our Master Plan. But the most decisive and effective contribution was certainly that of the Hon. Zucca. Without him, perhaps the others would not have come to our defense. The appointment with the Hon. Zucca was made for me by Pino Careddu. Our meeting lasted over three hours. Pino had come with me. After my explanation, Zucca had assured me of his firm commitment in our favor.

Neither mayor Digosciu nor the members of his cabinet had expected the representatives of the Communist party or the socialist PSIUP to side with us. A short while later, one of the members of the cabinet of Arzachena, more precisely Roich, nicknamed “Prinz,” confirmed for me what I had already guessed during the meeting, which was that no one had expected Zucca to intervene on our behalf. After that meeting, we were certain that we had resolved all of the issues of hostility regarding the approval of the edification plans of the municipality of Arzachena.

But it was not so: I am summoned to Cagliari by president Giagu, who tells me that all of the people who participated at the meeting have declared their agreement regarding approval of the Plan but that unfortunately the Hon Soddu, who was Regional secretary for the Democrazia Cristiana at the time, is completely opposed. I later learn from my friend Isoni, who belongs to the same political faction as  Soddu, that it is the morotei (followers of Aldo Moro, led by Martino Demuro) who have turned to Soddu to ask him to block the passage of our Master Plan.

I feel it wise to intervene in a casual fashion. Upon my return to Porto Cervo, I decide to pay a visit to Soddu in an attempt to convince him that he is mistaken. I had never had a friendly relationship with him, but Soddu had married a friend from my university days, Telene Doveri. It is nine pm and the drive from Olbia to Sassari takes no fewer than two hours – the  Olbia-Sassari highway had not yet been completed. I telephone the Soddu home, asking for Mrs. Telene. She is surprised by my phone call, given that we have not had the occasion to speak to one another or see one another in over twelve or thirteen years. After a friendly chat, I ask her: «Telene, is your husband home by chance?». «Yes, he’s home.» «Please do me a favor and keep him awake, at least until 23.30, to give me the time to arrive from Olbia to Sassari?» «But of course –  I’ll tie him up! Come on over, that way I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you again.»

After a brief conversation with Telene, her husband receives me in his study. I dive right in: «When you were a councilor for the Region of Sardinia, in 1964, I came to you to present our Master plan. You had just been appointed Councilman for city planning. Now I ask you – did you ever examine it? Of course not. Did you by chance agree to see me any of the many times I asked for an appointment? All of the people who have had the opportunity to meet you have told me: ‘He may be from Benettutto, but he is very intelligent.’ Well, I have my doubts.» I swear these were my exact words. A hint of a wry smile – but he says nothing. I go on: «At least tell me why you are opposed to our development plan.»

He is upset by what I have said, and said in a far from diplomatic manner. On the other hand, the way he had acted towards us couldn’t have been more hostile. After my outburst, he asks: «What benefits do you represent for Sardinia?» «Your Honor, are you referring to economic advantages for you personally?» «No, no, absolutely not.» «Well then, do you want me to tell you about how Arzachena and Olbia have profited up until now? Or the benefits which they will undoubtedly obtain when our investment plan is allowed to be developed? Your Honor, you cannot be unaware of what has been done to this point. Of how many people, even from the province of Nuoro, are working for the Costa Smeralda. Our plan provides for the employment of at least 25,000 people. I think that even the Democrazia Cristiana will benefit from it, in the same way that the population of Gallura has. I think of how Arzachena was in 1962, when I first started working for the Aga Khan. The road to get to Olbia was practically impassable. The road from Abbiadori to get to the handful of houses at Liscia di Vacca could only be traveled by oxcart, just like the one full of potholes that leads to the beach at Capriccioli». I went on detailing the benefits that had come to the whole Gallura area from the sole presence of the Aga Khan in Sardinia. After two hours of this, I take my leave from Soddu, begging him to finally examine the Master Plan. 

A week later, I run into the Hon. Giagu, who relays the good news that Soddu has given the green light to the approval of the edification plan and, implicitly, to our Master Plan. Having obtained the OK of all the political groups, Giagu had nominated a commission comprising three top professionals, who had unanimously approved the plan of the municipal government, and thus Giagu, in 1972, had been able to put his signature on the edification plan which conceded six million cubic meters to the Costa Smeralda.

The casino at Porto Cervo. [The Hotel at Pevero, the Villa at Spiaggia del Principe: The Aga Khan Gives Them Up]

What happened to the plans for a casino at Porto Cervo?

When he was Minister of Tourism, Adolfo Sarti thought that every Region should have a casino to attract tourism. He didn’t manage to realise it as Unfortunately, the post of minister at that time lasted at most a year, a year and a half. And he couldn’t only grant it to us, because that would have been a scandal. Among other things, the prince wasn’t interested. I believe this was above all for religious reasons.

They say there was a project to build a hotel and casino behind the Pevero beach…

Speaking of that hotel, the project alone cost the Aga Khan 500 million lire. 800 rooms, drawn up by a Swiss architect. It was to rise where there is a lagoon, behind the Grande Pevero. I remember that the project was approved by the Architectural commission but if I remember correctly, the municipal government did not authorize it because of a mere 1,000 cubic meter difference, nothing when you consider the size of the entire complex.  And the Aga Khan said: «I’m sorry, then I won’t build it.» And that was that.

It seems to me that the Aga Khan often took that position when he did not obtain what he wanted.

When Aga Khan had just gotten married he wanted to build himself a new house, a grand villa befitting his station, because the house at Porto Cervo was small. He had had Savin Coüelle draw up a plan for a building of 1,400-1,500 square feet, gorgeous, fantastic, in the inlet afterwards named “Spiaggia del Principe,” at Romazzino. He had even planned significant security work, because bandits and kidnappings were a serious problem at the time: one system rendered the walls insurmountable, and there was a sort of moat as well. But the house was never built.  Here is what happened. He had charged me with negotiating with the port authorities to obtain an exclusive concession for the beach. He would tell me: «I have to host authorities of State and I don’t want intruders on the beach in front of my house.» First I go to the port authority and then to the Ministry of the merchant marine and to the office of the president of the Region. Unfortunately the rule which had been adopted by the authorities, particularly the regional ones, was not to give private concessions to the beach. They did allowed for the installation of a number of mooring buoys sufficient for docking no fewer than ten small boats or rafts, which would then block the arrival of other possible boats on the beach in front of the house. The Aga Khan would not accept these insufficient limits and he abandoned the whole project. 

And on other things, instead?

On other things he would spend inordinate amounts of time, he would work patiently, he would make amends. But if he dug his heels in, there was no turning back!

He would say: «this, or nothing.» Of course given what he had done to that point for all of Sardinia, he rightly thought that he deserved greater consideration from the local and regional authorities.  

Exactly.

The brand-new village of Porto Cervo and the “Porto Vecchio”

11
THE HISTORY OF THE MASTER PLAN

The Regional Urban Planning law

The first urban planning law in Sardinia was passed in 1968, but its practical application in Gallura dates from 1972. For the first ten years of its activity, the planning of the Costa Smeralda was self-disciplined by means of its own construction regulations, which were already in force. The basic idea was to prevent fragmentary development, (where each owner develops his land in a completely autonomous way, doing whatever he or she liked)  favoring a homogenous and integrated development and the construction of buildings that blend into their natural surroundings. At the time this was an unusual and very advanced philosophy for planning, considering that in Italy construction was subject to virtually no ecological regulations or any rules regarding the landscape.

The Aga Khan had bought the first state-of-the-art computers, into which he had had entered data of the land and photogrammetric surveys of the entire territory of the Costa Smeralda, around 3000 hectares, and he had drawn up a long-term investment plan. A self-sustaining economic entity was to be created in which tourism-related activities would be integrated with other service activities as well as with social and civil infrastructures. This was the “Master Plan,” a unique project in Europe for its economic scope, typology, and environmental sustainability. 

Who was the executor, then?

Apart from the Master Plan project, which was prepared by the architect Enzo Satta (an excellent project, studied and copied the world over, as an example of intelligent and modern urban planning), an economic study was written by Prof. Gino Coccioli, a famous economist who worked for years in Geneva at the IMF, and then in Italy serving as the first president of the Istituto San Paolo of Turin, and later of the Bank of Naples.  Over the years we formed a great friendship. He was an extremely intelligent person, very affable, affectionate, a real good friend. Coccioli had studied the economic potential of the development of our territory over a 25 year program, with an estimated completion cost of 2.900 billion lire. The plan would have created around 14.000 jobs considering both direct employment and jobs created indirectly on a regional level, with an estimated annual intake from tourism of 780 billion lire.

Would you now like to talk about Nino Giagu, the Christian Democrat leader?

The relations that we had with the municipal administrators of Arzachena during the period in which  Digosciu was mayor, were always marked by misunderstandings, a disaster.

I knew Giagu because we were both from Sassari. In short, between the two of us there was a real understanding, typical of what generally happened in Sassari, a small city of seventy-thousand inhabitants where within a given social class, everyone knew everyone else. 

Nino Giagu was, in time, forthcoming and of great help with our projects, for which credit is also due to Cossiga. Suddenly, once the the political distrust had dissipated, my contacts with Nino Giagu intensified notably. This benefited the Costa Smeralda greatly.

Is it true that even Andreotti did his best to help the Master Plan?

I had suggested to Sergio Berlinguer, the diplomatic adviser to the Prime Minister, that Andreotti decorate the Aga Khan with an honorary title, provided that it was one of the highest of the Republic, the Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Knight grand cross). I believed it would be extremely useful to us. Sergio Berlinguer spoke of it with Andreotti, who accepted immediately and set the date for the bestowing of the title for 27 October 1979, at 11.00 am.

Ardoin and I went to the airport to pick up the Aga Khan, who was arriving on his personal plane. While we were on our way to meet the Prime Minister – I was driving a bullet-proof car that I had asked a friend, president of the Autostar Mercedes company of Rome, to loan to me – I told him: «Prince, this is a great occasion for you to speak of the economic plan of Prof. Coccioli and of our difficulties with the Region.» «Avvocato, don’t start with that old story. Forget it, this is not the right time for it. In fact, I absolutely forbid you to speak of it.»

We get to Palazzo Chigi. Andreotti receives us right on time, at 11.00. Upon being thanked for having bestowed such an honorable title upon the prince, he apologizes to the Aga Khan,: «No, I must give you my apologies, because no one had yet thought to present you with this reward, which you have deserved for a long time.» Continuing, very kindly: «Do you need any help, for your activities there in Sardinia?» «No, no, everything is fine, thank you.» And I, then: «Excuse me, Mr. President, I would ask that you let me say something.» Almost frightened, the Aga Khan, exclaims: «Avvocato, avvocato, what are you doing?» But Andreotti insists: «No, let him speak.» I continue: «I may lose my job for this, but as a Sardinian, I have to tell you that this Region is a disgrace…» «Avvocato, avvocato!» the Aga Khan admonishes me. I keep going: «But I speak as a Sardinian. It is a disgrace that the Sardinian Region behaves as it does towards the Costa Smeralda, not taking an interest in our project, which could be so important to the whole island.» Andreotti: «Thank you, sir, for having informed me of this problem.»

After a few months, towards January, the Hon. Soddu, who was the president of the Region at the time, calls me: «Mr. Riccardi, that’s enough of these constant solicitations from Rome. Prime Minister Andreotti does nothing else.» I answer: «I saw him last October 27th. Finally there is someone who occupies himself of the things that need doing!» When I meet him in person, Soddu gives me a real piece of his mind: «Still the same old story!» In the end, Soddu assigns Armando Corona, his vice president and Councilman for General Affairs the task of following our economic-financial plan. Corona begins by stating a condition: «Mr. Riccardi, I do not trust the Aga Khan nor the lawyer, Mr. Ardoin. I trust only you. Give me your word of honor that there are no underground financial operations.»

Awaiting a signature. [With the new urban planning assessor, the communist Muledda, they are on the verge of signing]

If I am not mistaken, there was another time when you had to intervene quite harshly with the Regional Councilors from the Christian Democrats, and in particular – if I remember correctly – with the Hon. Soddu.

Of course. In 1981, when the communist Hon. Muledda was the Councilor for City Planning. At a meeting in Cagliari, Muledda informed me that the Christian Democrats (and he was specifically referring to the Hon. Soddu) were opposed to approving our new edification plan and were advancing the idea of a reduction of building volumes, as desired by the municipal council of Arzachena, from the 5 million 700 thousand cubic meters provided for in the Soddu decree to one million 900 thousand cubic meters. (We must remember that with the Soddu decree there was the change from the original edification plan and a consequent reduction in building volumes.)

That same day there was a session of the Regional Council. I go to the council and wait for the Christian Democrat councilors that I know to come out. I go up to Giagu, Gianoglio, Floris, Isoni, Serra, Campus and others, and following the proposal of my friend Battista Isoni, we gather in the Christian Democrat meeting room. I let them know that the Hon. Muledda had told me that they, and in particularly the Hon. Soddu, were opposed to the plan proposed by Soddu himself. I reminded them how much we had had to battle to obtain the first edification plan, when Nino Giagu was president. It was hardly fair that now the Christian Democrats were the ones who were opposed.

I remember that Battista Isoni took the floor to criticize Soddu, who wasn’t present. He said that if Soddu (head of the morotei faction, of which the Hon. Isoni was also part) opposed the approval of the plan, he would split up the morotea faction. It was Martino Demuro, the mayor of Arzachena of the time, who had asked Soddu to help him get the plan rejected.

After the meeting, all of the participants spoke to Soddu. It was above all Isoni who managed to convince him, under the threat of a split-up of the morotea faction. Soddu, then in turn convinced Demuro to accept the plan. Having obtained the approval of all of the Christian Democrats, Muledda phones me to say that I have to go to Cagliari to his office at 10 am on 7 January 1982, together with Mr. Ardoin, as delegates of the Costa Smeralda Consortium, to sign, together with the members of the Mayor’s cabinet of Arzachena, presided over by the Mayor Demuro, the famous, long awaited and longed for Master Plan.

After the communist Muledda was nominated to be Regional Councilor for Urban Planning, the people of Arzachena, having learned of the excellent relationship that I had with hm, started a campaign against our program, revoking in court what had been approved by the Mayor Giagu and his administration in 1981 which assigned 12 million cubic meters for the entire municipality of Arzachena, which was practically 23.500 hectares, with 83 kilometers of coast, of which 53 kilometers were ours. The Consortium had been assigned 6 million two hundred thousand cubic meters.

Muledda had really taken it to heart, because he was convinced of the quality of our plan and of the significant effect that it would have on employment. I was put in touch with Mr. Costantino Murgia, a lawyer, a communist, nominated by the Hon. Muledda to negotiate with us about the whole juridical nature of the conventions of the Master Plan. It was a protracted task which took over a year, under the strict supervision of the Hon. Muledda.

We finally go to the Region to sign the Master Plan. I telephone Mr. Ardoin and give him the good news. His response is: «Mr. Riccardi, what did you say we were doing?». He can’t believe it. I insist and in the end he realises. 

He comes to pick me up in Rome with the private plane of the prince to go to Cagliari. At ten am on the dot we are at the Councilman’s office for City Planning in Cagliari. Muledda greets us and invites us in, and says: «We have resolved the problem. Rather than assigning you 5 million and 800 cubic meters, we have agreed with the administration of Arzachena to give you 5 million 400 thousand, with an additional distance from the sea of 50 meters for the village that you have planned for Cala di Volpe, and of 70 meters for that of Cala Razza di Juncu.» At that point, I am looking at the table near Muledda’s desk, where the folder containing our Master Plan sits, the plan we had studied, that I had seen hundreds of times. For which, I say: «I am ready to sign in acceptance.». But Mr. Ardoin intervenes: «We must speak of it with the Aga Khan.» The councilman gestures: «Be my guest, phone him, avvocato.» Mr. Ardoin replies: «No, we’ll just go to the Hotel Mediterraneo and then come back.» And Muledda: «You should know that at the Hotel Jolly Mayor Demuro of Arzachena and all of his cabinet are waiting to be summoned for the signing of the Master Plan.»

«Not a single meter less»

When we walk out of Muledda’s office, while we are on the elevator which will take us from the third floor to the floor where the City Planning Office is located, I say to Ardoin: «Avvocato, surely you are joking? Do not call him, you can’t know if he will tell us not to sign, so that he can better study the change relating to the additional distance from the sea for those two villages. You know how picky he is, he may latch on to this or that. Let it go. If you don’t want to take the responsibility, tell him: “Riccardi tricked me. Riccardi, the same old troublemaker.” Say whatever you want: “He told me the wrong figures and unfortunately I signed the papers!” Give all the fault to me. Will I get fired? No, avvocato», reconsider. Let’s go up there, let’s have the councilman call the Aga Khan, that will be better.» But he says: «No, I will do it!»

We went to room 131 of the Hotel Mediterraneo, the only one with a slightly larger meeting room. On that occasion, since I do not speak English, Ardoin starts speaking English with the Aga Khan and goes on for forty-five minutes, whispering so that I cannot understand what he is saying. Then at a certain point he turns to me and passes me the telephone. I take the phone and I knew from the look on Ardoin’s face that the Aga Khan hadn’t agreed and wasn’t going to authorize us to sign: «Prince, you’re absolutely right, not a single meter less, those Arzachena traitors!» And the Aga Khan: «You have taken the words right out of my mouth. Not a single cubic meter less!» The Aga Khan was fed up with all the bickering and the unjustified opposition to his quite noble plans and insisted more on principle that he be awarded his requests, without any reduction, «I said that I am not interested and it is not my problem!» And I continued: What are we to do, Prince, with two million 400 thousand more? Prince, I assure you, I will work for an entire year, to try to obtain every single thing you are asking for. But is it worth it now to lose this opportunity? We are wasting time. Look at all we have to do.» «I said I am not interested!» And he hangs up.

All of this happened in January. Mr. Ardoin had to call Muledda to say that we had been unable to reach the prince and that any decision had to be postponed. And then on 13 February we had the big arguement in Saint Moritz.

12
A FAMOUS TRIAL

“Italia nostra” to the attack. [The Complaints by the Costa Smeralda Consortium against the architect Cederna, the president of Italia Nostra Giussani, the director of “Corriere della Sera” Spadolini and the journalist Giorgio Bocca]

A chimney between two rocks. [The lawsuit threatened by Giulia Maria Crespi, the majority shareholder of Corriere della Sera]

“Italia Nostra” to the attack. [The Complaints by the Costa Smeralda Consortium against the architect Cederna, the president of Italia Nostra Giussani, the director of “Corriere della Sera” Spadolini and the journalist Giorgio Bocca]

Tell me about that famous trial for libel

After the protest demonstration in Arzachena, covered by the Sardinian newspapers with huge photographs and front-page articles in which the reasons for the protest were explained, “Italia Nostra” reacted by increasing the dose of negative judgments of us. These continuous attacks forced us to file a lawsuit against the architect, Mr. Cederna, the president of Italia Nostra Giussani, the director of “Corriere della Sera” Spadolini and Giorgio Bocca.

The territorial jurisdiction of the trial was in Milan. At the first hearing I recognize Dr. Cerrato, as I had met him in Pavia at a hunting reserve belonging to my friend Nino Muti. I had befriended him without knowing that he was a judge. My lawyers ask the presiding judge to question me. I explain to the judge about the attempts made to convince the directors of  “Italia Nostra” to come to the Costa Smeralda and see what the real situation was like. When those attempts failed – I go on – I had even written a letter to the president of “Italia Nostra” inviting him in the name of Aga Khan to come to Sardinia, to the Costa Smeralda, to see what we had done and to judge it in person. Giussani had never responded. I get up from the interrogation bench to hand them the letter that I had written to Giussani and the proof that it had been sent by certified mail. The lawsuit is postponed to a second hearing, set for a month later.

Out of a sense of correctness, even when the judges came to Sardinia to inspect the area for themselves, I never spoke to Cerrato, and this was the case until the suit was over. All of the defense lawyers and magistrates were staying at the Hotel Cervo. President Cusumano had set the appointment for the inspection at nine am. Before we leave, the president calls me: «Avvocato, given that you are a witness, and you are also the one who can be our guide, tell us where to begin our inspection.» I respond: «I think it would be better to go towards Liscia di Vacca and begin with the hotel Pitrizza, because that is the closest part. »

At the time, it was necessary to take an unpaved local road which served the hotel and three villas, those of Bettina, the count Henry de Beaumont and the ambassador Miller. The hotel, given the winter season, was closed to guests. As soon as we get to the hotel, Dr. Viola, the public prosecutor, seems captivated by the beauty of the place and starts taking photographs. While the judges and the lawyers are inspecting the place, I sit on the edge of the spectacular pool, waiting for the others to finish going around. After a little while, the judge comes to sit by my side. Given that no one was near us, I say to him very maliciously: «Believe me, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of Mr. Bovio (he was a self-aggrandizing lawyer, aggressive and much feared by everyone at the Milan Court.) How will he manage to demonstrate the rivers of cement?» He hardly breathes, pretending not to have heard, and obviously gives me no reply. I think: «I’ve really stuck my foot in it, what an unforgivable gaffe.» After a bit, Judge Cerrato calls the clerk of the court, the judges and all of the lawyers to begin dictating the minutes of the meeting. He turns to Mr. Bovio and asks him: «Avvocato Bovio, would you care to describe the “rivers of cement” for us?”» It may have been the first time in his entire life that Bovio kept his mouth shut. The presiding judge continued: «All right, as for the minutes, we’ll take them when we have finished doing the inspection.»

After Pitrizza we went to the hotel Romazzino, and then to the hotel Cala di Volpe and continued in the same way until we reached the end of our territory. I organized things so that the group ended up in a clearing from which it truly was possible to look out on a river of cement, but the one belonging to Baja Sardinia, which was NOT Costa Smeralda!

It certainly wasn’t a very nice gesture on my part, because the lawyers for the other side immediately took the bait and started saying how justified the criticisms of Italia Nostra were about the “rivers of cement.” Their enthusiasm vanished, however, when I told them that what they were observing was the area of Baja Sardinia, not the Costa Smeralda: I had intentionally led them to the end of our territory.

The next day other witnesses gave their testimony, among whom were Pino Careddu, journalist and owner/editor of the newspaper “Sassari Sera,” and Prof. Carità, who was the superintendent of Beaux Arts for the Provinces of  Sassari and Nuoro, and others of whom the names escape me. The testimony of Pino Careddu was the most interesting and influential, and that which was decisive in turning the trial in our favor.

What was the decision of the court?

The court of Milan convicted Spadolini of libel, for having published defamatory articles as editor/director of “Corriere della Sera.” Mr. Cederna and Prof. Giussani of “Italia Nostra” were also convicted of libel. 

The sentence was appealed, but before the first hearing could be set, after an official recognition on the part of the convicted parties of their wrongdoing, a settlement to end the dispute was reached in 1978. Articles of apology and reparation were published to rectify the damage caused to the image of the Costa Smeralda.

A chimney between two rocks. [The lawsuit threatened by Giulia Maria Crespi, the majority shareholder of Corriere della Sera]

Didn’t Giulia Maria Crespi, owner of Corriere della Sera, have a home at Punta Sardegna near Porto Raphael?

I never had the misfortune of meeting her. She had bought a beautiful country home without electricity, which she left as it was to conserve the environment on a beautiful beach. I had a project for a small block of apartments on a piece of land nearby, the roofs of which would have been visible to her. Prof. Carità calls me: «Avvocato, you have to do me an enormous favor. Giulia Maria Crespi, who among other things publishes my books, has asked it of me. Could we move the house to the other side of your property?» I told him: «Professor, how could I possibly deny a request from you? I’m even happy to do so, because moving it to the other side I can better see La Maddalena, Spargi and Corsica.» «Thank you, that’s great.» The reaction of Giulia Maria Crespi? To get Professor Predieri, an excellent lawyer, to file a complaint with the TAR administrative court. I call him up one morning and say: «Professor, listen, you are a person of great prestige. Could you possibly dedicate a morning to me to inspect the site? Tell your client, even though I am sure that Mrs. Crespi will not come.» He is happy to accept and we fix an appointment. We go to Predieri to check the view of my construction from the house of Giulia Maria Crespi. You could only see, or better yet I could only see it, because I knew it was there, a chimney between two rocks: «Professor, you tell me what disturbance this woman can possibly have from my property!» He looks at me quizzically. «Professor, have you not got good vision? Then look: see over there were the land slopes down? There are two boulders, and you can see something sticking up, about a meter high. From here it doesn’t look like much, but it might be about a meter!» «Professor, what do you say I put up a third boulder that covers it up?» He started laughing and we left. The complaint was dropped. 

Didn’t Raphael have it in for Mrs Crespi as well?

One day Raphael, incensed, says to me: «They tell me that this Giulia Maria has started criticizing Porto Raphael: ‘How disgusting here, how disgusting there!’ If I met her, I would tell her what I thought of her.»

Giulia Maria Crespi, image not in the book. She chose Cala di Trana (not far from Porto Raphael) as her holiday destination, where she spent every summer.
See more about her   HERE     –    HERE    –     HERE

13
NEITHER WITH YOU NOR WITHOUT YOU

That time in Saint Moritz [- February 1982]

A bottle of  Verve Cliquot. [The Serious Dispute Between the Aga Khan and Lawyer Paolo Riccardi, Who Resigns]

«Je suis bouleversé». [Ardoin tells Riccardi that he is “shocked”]

That time in Saint Moritz [- February 1982]

Mr. Riccardi, how do you think the animosity with the Aga Khan may have begun?

During the winter, we had meetings twice a month. The Aga Khan came to Sardinia for a week every month. He would summon us to Geneva or Gouvieux, or to his house in Paris, on Rue des Ursins, behind the Nôtre Dame. This habit of 3-person meetings lasted at least three or four years, perhaps even five. 

This time we were at the Hotel Kulm di Saint Moritz. It was February and he was taking a sort of vacation. The meeting was set for noon. Other commitments interfered, and the Aga Khan was only free at nine pm.

However I should provide some background. The Aga Khan often went to Rome and when there would make a request: «Avvocato, I need you to organize some dinners for me with the authorities.» Those days, he would arrive in Rome three or four times, with only a fortnight between them, and every time I would organize dinners with various authorities. I even enjoyed doing so.

Where did you organize these dinners and with whom?

At the Grand Hotel of Rome. I would invite, for example, Cossiga, or Sarti, the Minister of Justice, or Nerio Nesi, president of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, or perhaps Nordio, president of “Alitalia,” Formica, the Minister of Transport, Coccioli, who was president of the Banca San Paolo of Torino (our consultant for the Master Plan), and others.

At at certain point, referring to these dinners, that evening in Saint Moritz the Aga Khan says: «Avvocato, since I have to be in Rome, I would like to meet Prime Minister Spadolini to discuss the problems of “Alisarda.” They are accusing us of having rented planes which are registered in Switzerland. The unions are concerned, and thus I am willing to transfer all of that property to Italy. On one condition, however. Given that in Switzerland they loan us money at 10% while in Italy they ask  20- 21%, it’s a losing prospect for us. If the Italian state is willing to cut these interest rates to 10%,  I will immediately transfer all of the planes here to Italy, buying them rather than renting them to “Alisarda.” Do set up a meeting.» I was already well aware of the issue, as we had described the problem to several influential friends, without, however, going into detail about the financial question.

It was a cursed road-trip, then, wasn’t it?

On the appointed day, I go to pick up the Aga Khan at the airport in Rome. Mr. Ardoin is with him. We arrive on time. The ambassador Berlinguer comes rushing up: (at the time there were no cellphones to warn us in advance) «Prince, Prime Minister Spadolini is terribly sorry, but unfortunately he has had to leave urgently for Milan because the mother of Mrs Mondadori has died. He even used to date her daughter. He had to leave straight away. He sends his sincere apologies.»

The Aga Khan is quite upset. He was truly furious. But he says nothing. We go to the Hotel Excelsior, to await our meeting with the Hon. Formica. Just to be sure, I phone Mrs. Volpe, the secretary of  Formica, to reconfirm: «So are we set for three pm sharp or have there been any changes?» «Yes, avvocato I was looking for you: unfortunately the Hon. Formica cannot see you.»

It was a terrible blow! The prince turns on his heel and walks out. I go to speak with Formica. «Rino, what on earth has happened?» Formica responds: «Listen, we had a fight with a minister from the Christian Democrats: he had a stroke and is still in a coma. Then I went to “Mondo Operaio” where they were waiting for my response to a controversy that was in all the papers, and I just couldn’t see you. Whenever you want, we’ll go to Paris for the weekend and meet the Aga Khan and that’ll be that. Reassure him.»

I also go to see Spadolini, who says: «Avvocato, I am truly mortified. Have the Aga Khan come whenever he wants. Even if I am in a meeting with the cabinet, I will get up and walk out to see him. It was shameful, he really must forgive me.»

When was all of this happening, exactly?

It must have been 1981. Spadolini had me call Palazzo Chigi: «Mr. Riccardi, what was the meeting about?» «We had come to give you some notes prepared by the Aga Khan». «Avvocato, give them to me if you can, and I will start looking at them right away. That way, the next time you come we will be prepared to talk.» Those were notes, to be honest, that I had already delivered to 500 or 600 people, a combination of MPs and regional councilors.

A Bottle of Veuve Cliquot. [The Serious Dispute Between the Aga Khan and Lawyer Paolo Riccardi, Who Resigns]

Let’s get back to Saint Moritz.

As I was owed a significant sum of money, «Emoluments avv. Riccardi» was the first point that I had inserted on my list of things that I wished to discuss that day at Saint Moritz. In earlier meetings, when at the end of the order of the day we had arrived at my bill, the prince had always said: «Mr. Riccardi, I’m in a hurry. Next time.» This song and dance had been going on for a year. Therefore, to avoid further delays that time I had put my fees at the top of the list.

We read the note on the order of the day: «Emoluments avv. Riccardi». The prince announces: «Avvocato, we have given you a raise. I have assigned Mr. Ardoin the task of dealing with the question of your compensation with you.» «Thank you, Prince»

The next point on the list was: «Delivery of documents to Spadolini.» I express the great regret on the part of Spadolini for the missed appointment. I say that the Prime Minister is ready to see him at any moment. I report on the meeting with the Hon. Formica and say that he is willing to come to Paris at any time. He says nothing; I’m the only one speaking. In twenty years, he had never raised his voice, had never had any sort of hostile attitude. Ever. Suddenly, he shouts: «What is this document that you have delivered to Spadolini!?» I look at Ardoin, who is expressionless. I, instead, react immediately. I told myself: “He has conjured up some sort of fantasy. Who knows, he must have thought that I didn’t want him to meet with Spadolini or Formica! That I had orchestrated the whole thing for God-only-knows what reason!” I asked: «Prince do you remember that document of a couple of months ago, the notes on “Alisarda”?»  The Aga Khan: «How dare you have given one of my documents to another person?» «Prince – I respond with a chuckle – I am the president of “Alisarda”!» He turns to Ardoin and asks, his voice rising further: «And you knew?» Ardoin nods. Ardoin’s silent acknowledgment triggers an explosion: «Basta, That’s enough, I won’t put up with any more! Twenty years of mistakes in Sardinia!»

At that point, I too blow up: «That’s true. Twenty years of mistakes. But this is the last one!» «This is the last mistake that you will make with Mr. Paolo Riccardi!» I stand up and grab my briefcase: «Tomorrow you will have my letter of resignation!»

I go to my room. I open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and tell myself: «Finally, after twenty years!» It goes without saying that the Prince gave me plenty of satisfaction. But I had become tired. My wife had died in 1980. My children had had to move to Rome for fear of being kidnapped. I had wanted to leave for some time, remaining only as a consultant, because a day-to-day commitment was too much for me. That’s why I told myself: «Enough is enough!» I had already attempted to free myself. When I had suggested moving on to a consulting role, giving up the constant pressure, he would insist: «No, don’t do that to me, avvocato. Let’s wait, let’s see.»

«Je suis bouleversé». [Ardoin tells Riccardi that he is “shocked”]

A quarter hour after the semi-fight, I receive a phone call from Mr. Ardoin. «Maître, je suis bouleversé.» I respond: «Avvocato, I instead am happy. Come, have a drink. Have a drink with me, it will help.». «Mr. Riccardi, wait… I’ll call you back.» After three quarters of an hour, he calls me, a carrot in hand to offer me: «Mr. Riccardi, the Aga Khan has relieved you of your post at “Alisarda.” But he has given you a raise.. » My answer: «He owes me an apology. Since he will never give it to me, I am not budging.» «What are you doing in the morning?» «Tomorrow I have to take a taxi to Milan and then I’m leaving for Sardinia.» «No, don’t leave, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.»

I knew that Ardoin was going skiing with his wife as she too had come to Saint Moritz and that he had an appointment with the Aga Khan at noon. I suggest: «Come at 11, you needn’t come at 8». «No, no, I’ll be there right at 8.» The next morning he looks like death itself. I burst out: «Avvocato, what has happened?» «I had a terrible night.» «But why? I am so happy and yet you worry?» «I am very worried about your image.» «What? My image! You are mistaken, Mr. Ardoin. You should be worrying about the image of the Aga Khan. You know that in Sardinia, by taking on responsibilities that did not belong to me, I, Mr. Riccardi, have put the Aga Khan on a pedestal. You watch out for him on that pedestal.» Assuming a more realistic tone, he asks: «But Mr. Riccardi, what will I do with those people at the regional government?» My pulse quickens at the thought of twenty years’ work: «I will give you a hand. Willingly, but on one condition: I will continue to follow what I started, even for free, but I want the word of the Aga Khan that no one is to know of my resignation. And I want his plane to come and pick me up in Rome. A driver to take me where I need to go. Because now I am tired. I’m retiring. I’m a pensioner!» «Sì, Mr. Riccardi, agreed.»

After that pact, we go to Cagliari two or three times. The first time I go to the airport of Olbia to meet Mr. Ardoin. The Aga Khan sees me, rushing by as always, and greets me with a smile: «Avvocato!» I have a long talk with Ardoin. I take a plane and fly back to Rome.

The second time the plane of the Aga Khan came to meet me. The third as well. That time we were almost on the verge of a positive outcome with Cagliari.  The pact that we had both made was not to say anything to anyone about our fight. If they learnt of it at the regional offices, they would have put obstacles in my path when I tried to negotiate on behalf of the Aga Khan.

And yet the story quickly got around, at least within the Consortium. 

It was the dirty trick of someone very close to the Aga Khan. The pact was broken. Pisati, when I saw him at Porto Cervo, came out with: «You know, after what happened, given you aren’t with him anymore…»

I jump on the phone to call Mr. Ardoin and ask him: «Mr. Ardoin, were you the one who told Pisati I don’t work for you any more?» He says: «Are you joking? I give you my word of honor that I haven’t said a thing to anyone.» «Well then it was the Aga Khan to do so. Evidently he has told some friend or other!» «I’m coming right now. I’ll see you tomorrow.» «No, maître Ardoin, that would be a waste of your time. What’s done is done at this point.  Deal with your Master Plan yourselves.» And at that point, it was well and truly over. 

INDEX ⇒