15 people including local officials under investigation after public funds for rock museum go up in smoke.
An ambitious project to honour Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler with a rock museum in his family’s ancestral town in southern Italy has degenerated into a major scandal.
A total of 15 people, including local officials, are under investigation for corruption in relation to the failed museum project in the small Calabrian town of Cotronei.
The museum was intended for a building where Tyler’s grandfather Giovanni Tallarico had lived before emigrating to the US from Cotronei at the turn of the 20th century.
Tyler, born Steven Tallarico, had been enthusiastic about the project, pledging to donate memorabilia and perform a free concert with his daughter, actress Liv Tyler, for the inauguration at the historic Palazzo Bevilacqua building.
Good start
The proposed museum got off to a good start, several years ago, after securing €1.3 million in regional funding, intended for the development of historic villages.
The project began to unravel when the municipal administration changed the museum’s location away from Palazzo Bevilacqua, claiming the building was falling to pieces and they were unable to reach an agreement with the owners of the property.
However, documents subsequently filed with the Crotone prosecutor’s office reveal that the expropriation procedures were never initiated, the owner was never contacted, and the museum was almost immediately diverted to another property, purchased at an inflated price, La Repubblica reports.
Legal action
Informed of the move in 2022, a furious Tyler issued a formal cease-and-desist warning to the municipality, via his lawyer cousin Nino Grassi, who described the new museum site as a “soulless reinforced concrete structure”.
Despite Tyler prohibiting the use of his name and promising not to donate a single piece of memorabilia, the museum project continued, allegedly with one false claim after another.
To avoid losing the funds, the administration allegedly tried to shift the blame onto the superintendence of cultural heritage, according to La Repubblica, however prosecutors discovered that in reality the authority was never contacted.
Corruption
Crotone prosecutors are reportedly pursuing a series of corruption allegations including rigged tenders, falsification of documents, and missing public funds of €1.3 million.
The 15 people under investigation reportedly include the town’s current mayor, a former mayor and several municipal officials, who will face trial if they are unable to prove their innocence.
Photo credit: Adam McCullough / Shutterstock.com.
