When the hotel was built in 1968, environmental activists soon filed suit. Many more lawsuits followed, and it even took an act of Parliament to ensure that the hotel would finally be removed.The hotel was constructed illegally, as are 20,000 to 25,000 new buildings in Italy every year. However, the Fuenti hotel became a well-known international issue.
The removal of the
hotel is seen as a tremendous victory for environmentalists in Italy. Legambiente, Italy's largest environmental conservation group, had classified the Fuenti hotel as among the top 10 "eco-monsters" in all of Italy.
Edo Ronchi, the environment minister, flew to the site of the hotel demolition to ensure that the hotel was finally being taken down.
Many unemployed workers in the area protested against the demolition of the
hotel. They hoped that the hotel would be able to stimulate the economy of the region and provide jobs to the many unemployed people in the area. The hotel's owners also complained that they were being singled out on political grounds.
