Eighteen miles off Tuscany's coast, Gorgona is Italy's last island prison. Its steep cliffs rise up from azure Mediterranean waters. Here, a select group of convicts serve the end of long sentences by farming. And now, a legendary winemaker is training them to make high-end wine.
Mentioned by Dante in The Divine Comedy, Gorgona was for thousands of years a refuge for hermits and monks. Since 1869, it's been a penal colony.
There's no regular ferry – just occasional police boats for relatives visiting inmates and prison guards. Dolphins and sea gulls often escort the boats.
With Italian prisons among Europe's most crowded, serving time here is very attractive. Prison guard Mario Pascale says Mafiosi and sex offenders are banned. The 69 inmates who are here know they've come for work and rehabilitation.
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