Porto Palermo Naval Shelter

A famous tunnel built to shelter military patrol boats inside the peninsula. It takes the form of a tall, straight tunnel 600 metres long, open to the sea at both ends, large enough to accommodate several naval vessels. Inside the tunnel are repair workshops, former ammunition stores, and the drive mechanisms for its massive blast gates. The facility was built with the assistance of specialists from the People’s Republic of China in the 1980s.

Mythbusting: despite widespread claims to the contrary, the tunnel was NEVER intended to shelter submarines.

On the western side, the portal is sealed by tall blast gates that reach down to the seabed. On the eastern side — where the naval base is located — blast gates were installed for reasons unknown that do not even reach the water. In 2025 they were demonstratively opened using a truck.

A museum may appear here one day, but at present no work is being carried out.

The area is guarded by the military. There are dogs. The pedestrian entrance on the western side has been filled with concrete. The only way to get inside is to descend the eastern slope of the peninsula.