From crime to culture. In Ville Couëlle opens the first museum of the Costa Smeralda

The former Ville Couëlle complex in Sardinia's Costa Smeralda, an iconic example of organic architecture designed by French visionary Jacques Couëlle, has been officially transferred to the municipality of Arzachena after being seized from organized crime by Italy's National Agency for Seized and Confiscated Assets. The 37-million-euro property, spanning 30,000 square meters in the Abbiadori district, will be transformed into the first museum of the Costa Smeralda, featuring exhibition spaces, conference halls, educational labs, a bookshop, and a café.

This transformation matters because it converts a symbol of elite exclusivity and criminal ownership into a public cultural asset, preserving the architectural heritage of the 1960s and 1970s while linking it to the area's ancient archaeological treasures, such as the Tombs of the Giants and Nuragic complexes. The project realizes Couëlle's original vision of total mimesis with nature and the island's deep soul, turning a confiscated property into a community resource that celebrates both modern design and local history.