Sirmione Ports Management and Concession Process on Lake Garda

Sirmione was the first Municipality on Lake Garda to obtain and manage its own state-owned port, built partly with regional funding and partly through significant financial resources of its own.

Let’s go back at least ten years, when the Ministry of Finance granted the concession for the area (among the proponents was Franco Cerini, then councilor, now opposition advisor) to the Municipality. Later, the Arduino administration finalized the formal transfer and completed the work.

The new marina, with approximately 70 moorings, is located in Lugana. Currently, following the transfer of many responsibilities concerning internal navigation and port management, the other two ports — Castello and Galeazzi di Colombare — have also been transferred to the Municipality. In total, there are 131 spaces (87 at Castello, 44 at Galeazzi) adding to the 70 at Lugana.

Assignment Procedures and Regulations

In recent days, Municipal Director Gabriele Busti signed the notice for the allocation of concession rights. The duration will be 3 years, and applications (forms can be collected at municipal offices) must be sent by registered mail between October 2 and October 31, 2000.

Applicants must also attach two color photographs of the boat, a self-certification, and subsequently all other required documentation to exercise possible priority rights (e.g., fishermen, shipyards, etc.).

At Galeazzi port, the following spaces will be reserved: 1 for persons with disabilities, 3 for taxis, professional fishermen, and public service vessels, 1 for vessels of public surveillance, 1 for vessels in difficulty, and 9 for residents. All remaining spaces will be allocated to applicants.

In case of a tie, priority will go to those who already held the concession last year. This criterion will obviously also be applied to Castello port. Of the 87 available spaces, 1 will be allocated to disabled persons, 17 to residents, 1 to transiting or vessels in difficulty, 43 to taxis and fishermen, and 1 to public surveillance.

The fee has been set at 33,000 lire per square meter. For example: if Tizio has a boat measuring 6 meters in length and 2 meters in width, they will multiply the area of 12 square meters by the fee of 33,000 lire.

The mooring space may not be transferred to third parties or subleased. Overall, the regulation seems fair, as it provides broad guarantees to residents, who in the past have often complained about being “too neglected”.

Impact on the Community and Inspections

Indeed, residents generally use their boats more than non-residents. There are cases, for example, of boats that remain unused during an entire season, except for about a fortnight per year. At this point, the port, which is a public resource, loses its characteristic of allowing broad public enjoyment.

Finally, urban surveillance will be able to conduct inspections more promptly than in the past. For illegal activities, thus, tighter enforcement times.