Mayor Enzo Sindoni Proposes Taking Over Villa Piccolo Foundation, Calls It Elite Club

Mayor Enzo Sindoni of Capo D'Orlando has suggested that the Fondazione Famiglia Piccolo di Calanovella, which oversees Villa Piccolo, be managed by the municipality, describing it as a "foreign body" and criticizing its four decades of poor administration. He proposed that the assets be handed over to the comune for improved cultural promotion. In response, foundation president Carmelo Romeo called the suggestion an "irricevibile provocazione," highlighting the foundation's limited attendance at cultural events and its financial difficulties, with only two employees due to funding issues. Founded in 1972, the foundation has suffered from institutional neglect. Sindoni, known for his unconventional actions and disputes with cultural entities, has faced several judicial inquiries, all of which ended in acquittals or dismissals. The villa was once the residence of poet Lucio Piccolo and writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.