The Rites of Spring.(bulldozing houses in Sicily)(Brief Article)

Spring has sprung in Sicily. The wildflowers are blooming, pale northern tourists are heading for the beaches--and bulldozers are showing up outside people's homes. Giuseppe Micciche can see one from his window. "I'm trying to save the house my father built," he said by phone from the southern town of Licata. Sure, it's too close to the coast. And yes, it was built in total disregard for all relevant rules and regulations. But heck! "You should see how beautiful it is!"

Tales like this are as common in Sicily as Marsala wine. Confronted over years with whole communities of often unsafe, environmentally unsound and frequently ugly constructions--most of them built without permits and in blithe disdain for civic ordinances and zoning--the government has turned to a draconian solution. That's to knock them down. In the province of Agrigento alone last year, bulldozers rolled in and cleared literally hundreds of houses--some with clothes still billowing on their clotheslines. A hotel overlooking the coastline was pushed into the sea, reportedly with guests' luggage still in the rooms. Cars left inside garages, souvenir stands filled with statues of the pope and David, even grocery stores all fell to the bulldozers' blades.

This year promises nothing less. The drastic policy is enforced each spring, just before the peak tourist season gets underway. And picturesque Agrigento, home to the most spectacular collection of ancient temples outside Greece, is prime bulldozing territory. New construction has been banned around the archeological park since 1968. Yet hundreds of new and half-built houses dot the surrounding hills. There's even an illegally built church for the illegally housed residents. Not only do the buildings mar the landscape, but many are unsafe and unsanitary. Some route sewage into the sea and pile garbage on roadsides, since they cannot apply for city services. Others are built on dangerous cliffs, sites that would never be approved under Italy's usually rigorous building codes.

But, say residents, that's how it's always been. When asked why his father hadn't applied for a building permit, Micciche replied, "Things just aren't done that way here." The tedious red tape and numerous applications for legal permits can take several years to complete. And it's expensive, sometimes costing several thousand euros to secure all ...