After the Santner Refuge scandal, South Tyrol approves new law to prevent sale of public lands in mountainous areas

Last week, the Provincial Council of Bolzano in the South Tyrol, Northern Italy, unanimously approved the bill proposed by provincial councillor Paul Köllensperger to modify the management of inalienable heritage in mountainous areas of historical, cultural, or landscape value above an altitude of 1,600 meters.

The new norm, which emerged following the sale of public land on Mt. Rosengarten / Catinaccio in order to build the new Passo Santner refuge, introduces greater transparency. In particular, it requires the opinion of a committee of experts composed of provincial offices, the AVS (Alpine Association of South Tyrol), and the CAI (Italian Alpine Club) before any sale of public lands in the mountains.

Köllensperger expressed satisfaction, emphasizing that this law will prevent future speculation and ensure greater protection of the mountains by involving environmental and mountaineering associations in the decision-making process. "It has been a long battle, at times really tough, but now we have reached its conclusion, and our beloved mountains will be better protected than in the past," explained Köllensperger, adding, "From now on, the sale of a piece of our mountains can no longer happen as it did in the past, in silence, only to discover what happened after the fact. Now, with the prior opinion of associations that deeply care about environmental and landscape protection, citizens will have the guarantee that vigilant eyes will ensure that high-altitude speculation, like what we unfortunately witnessed, will not be repeated."

The Passo Santner Refuge Case
In 2019, the Provincial Government of Bolzano approved sale of 900 square meters of public land on Mt. Rosengarten / Catinaccio to Stefan Perathoner's company, a representative of the SVP (South Tyrolean People's Party). The plot of land, sold for 27,470 euros (30.50 euros per square meter), was subsequently made buildable, allowing the Perathoners to expand the Santner refuge eightfold: from the original 319 cubic meters to 2,708 cubic meters. The project, visible even from Bolzano, was financed with over one million euros of public funds. This case sparked fierce criticism and became the starting point for drafting the new legislation.