The Municipal Council of Arzachena today approved the naming of Porto Cervo's Piazzetta after Karim Aga Khan IV, founder of the Costa Smeralda, a "pivotal figure in contemporary Sardinian history."

"Arzachena is the municipality of the Costa Smeralda, which, with its administration and its people, wishes to commemorate Prince Karim, an honorary citizen of this town, a man who regarded our territory with love and foresight in his entrepreneurial projects," declared Mayor Roberto Ragnedda. "When the Monti di Mola area was still a rugged expanse of granite and Mediterranean scrub, the Aga Khan understood that the beauty of the natural heritage, the local culture, and the unique landscape would become the foundation for building his dream, but also for creating a new dream for the people of Arzachena and the Sardinians themselves: he would create not only a top-notch tourist destination, but also a development model based on respect for the environment and local identity that the entire world envies us today."

It was he – as stated in the municipal resolution – who created the village of Porto Cervo, founded the Costa Smeralda Consortium, established the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club, and laid the foundations for the consolidation of the style that would make Sardinia famous worldwide. Among other things, in 1963 he founded Alisarda, the airline that would later become Meridiana and, finally, Air Italy.

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