An Island Built from Steel and Esperanto
On 1 May 1968, engineer Giorgio Rosa stood on a 400-square-metre steel platform in the Adriatic Sea and declared it an independent nation. Located 11 kilometers off Italy’s coast, the platform featured a bar, restaurant, nightclub, souvenir shop, and post office.
Rosa named it the Republic of Rose Island—Respubliko de la Insulo de la Rozoj in Esperanto, the official language of the self-declared nation. He became its president, issued stamps, and introduced a notional currency called the “mill.” Though it never received recognition from any sovereign government, the project quickly gained international attention.
Built to Stand, Brought Down by the State
Rosa had started construction in 1958, funding the project himself and completing it in 1967. Supported by nine pylons, the platform stood outside Italian territorial waters and drew interest from tourists. But Italian authorities viewed Rose Island as a tax evasion scheme disguised as a micronation.
On 26 June 1968, just 55 days after independence was declared, Italian police boarded the structure, removed its occupants, and enforced a naval blockade to prevent its reoccupation. Rosa’s attempt at sovereignty had collided with state power.
Bombs, Storms, and a Quiet Collapse
Initial efforts to dismantle the platform failed. In February 1969, the Italian Navy resorted to explosives. The first bombing attempt failed to destroy the structure. A second bombing on 13 February damaged the island but did not completely sink it.
Rosa, now operating a government-in-exile, issued stamps commemorating the incident. Reports circulated that his dog was on the platform during the demolition, but this was never confirmed. The final blow came from nature itself: on 26 February 1969, a storm toppled the remaining structure into the sea.
A President Without a Country
Rosa was later billed for the cost of the military operation. He continued his engineering career in Italy, but his micronation was gone. In later years, renewed interest in Rose Island inspired documentaries and scholarly research. Rosa approved a dramatization of the story shortly before his death in 2017.
The film Rose Island was released in 2020, bringing his project to a global audience decades after its destruction. Despite its brief existence, Rose Island remains one of the most detailed and physically realized attempts to create a sovereign entity on international waters.
In 1968, Italian engineer Giorgio Rosa declared a man-made platform in the Adriatic Sea an independent nation.
Named Rose Island and located 11 km off the Italian coast, it had a bar, post office, and its own stamps, currency, government, and president…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/19QRtnsJNn
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 6, 2025