San Felice Circeo, Italy: The inhabitants of a hilltop town in Italy are in revolt after the descendants of a Swiss aristocrat revived their claim for

‘It’s absurd’: Italian seaside residents hit with bygone feudal tax

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2021-05-25 08:00:12

San Felice Circeo, Italy: The inhabitants of a hilltop town in Italy are in revolt after the descendants of a Swiss aristocrat revived their claim for payment of an obscure feudal tax.

Locals in San Felice Circeo, a picturesque town between Rome and Naples overlooking sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs, have been told they owe thousands of euros as a result of a medieval levy long forgotten.

The demand is being made by six descendants of Giovanpaolo James Aguet, a Swiss baron who bought the rights to the levy, known as a fief, in 1898. Dating back centuries, the fief passed from the Papal States, which ruled much of Italy, to the Kingdom of Italy after the country was unified in the 1860s, and then to the baron.

His heirs intend to levy an annual charge on properties in the seaside town, claiming arrears for the past five years that in some cases amount to €35,000 ($55,000).

“It’s absurd that we are even discussing feudal rights that should have died out centuries ago,” Mario Montalbano, a surveyor who has received a payment demand, said. “We are getting organised. The battle is just beginning.”

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