Since yesterday, Rafael Neville Rubio-Argüelles, Count of Berlanga y del Duero and founder of Porto Rafael, has been laid to rest in the small church of Santa Rita, which he commissioned. The urn containing his ashes was transferred from the Palau cemetery and blessed by the parish priest, Don Paolo Pala, during a liturgy attended by numerous people. His grandson Edgar and great-grandson Rafael were also present. The transfer took place on the centenary of Neville's birth and thirty years after his death. It is an opportunity to remember the figure of the Spanish aristocrat who played a decisive role in the birth of modern tourism in the Palau area and, more generally, in Gallura.
"Today we felt it was essential and fundamental to restore dignity to a man who can easily be called the pioneer of tourism in Gallura," said Mayor Franco Manna. "I say this because he is a man who is rarely talked about, who is often forgotten, and he is a man we should all be thankful for, because if it weren't for Rafael Neville, much of what exists today in Gallura would probably never have happened."
Rafael first arrived in Sardinia in 1958. The following year he returned to the island and purchased some land in Punta Sardegna, where he created Porto Rafael, destined within a few years to become a point of reference for international social life.
"From 1960 to 1962, he involved all his important friends and brought here a large part of the former aristocracy and high-class European society," Mayor Manna stated, "and he got Sardinia talked about; and precisely from the chatter in London, where people began talking about Porto Raffael, Palau, and the Gallura region, even the Aga Khan himself, through friends, was intrigued and came here. This is why I believe it is crucial and important to ensure that this man's central role in the Gallura tourism world regains its rightful place."