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he diaspora of Italians who planted the seed of their identity in the NewWorld dates back centuries.
For the island of Hispaniola, this link with Italy has been present due to a Pleiad of men and women
who have sailed the waters of the Atlantic to make this island their home since 1492. Regardless of
the historical differences that may have marked their journeys, and whether these occurred as solo
voyages or in the subsequent migratory waves, a common feature stands out—beginning with Alessandro
Geraldini, the first resident bishop of the New World, who promoted the construction of the first cathedral
in the Americas, or Juan Bautista Cambiaso, one of the heroes of Dominican independence and father of the
Dominican Navy, as well as many other families who are honored in this book—all without exception were pi-
oneers of a legacy that has continued to gain importance over time. Any discussion of Casa de Campo Marina
in the Dominican Republic would end up as synonymous with its architect, Gianfranco Fini, a lover of sailing
and art who lavished both passions into this architectural work, creating a benchmark in the contemporary
architecture of the island. When conceiving the Casa de Campo Marina, Fini succeeded with the precision of a
surgeon, naturally incorporating it into the already successful Casa de Campo resort, but adding a taste of old
nautical traditions, a passion that had been reserved in the country for a very small group of fishing enthusi-
asts. Subsequent generations have thus been able to adopt a lifestyle not previously available in the main port
cities, as evidenced by the hundreds of boats that have become permanent residents docked at the Marina.
The Architect and the Marina
Gianfranco Fini discovered the Dominican Republic in 1988, upon the invitation of a friend who had entrusted
him with the design of a villa. At that time, his reputation as an architect was already quite solid: a few years
earlier he had participated in an international competition for the remodeling of the Gouvià Marina in Corfu,
Greece, immediately after receiving the commission to rebuild the old port of Porto Rotondo, which he trans-
formed into a modern and efficient marina that became the soul of the luxurious Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.
Upon his arrival in the Caribbean in the late 1980s, Casa de Campo was already fairly well-known by jetsetters
as a prestigious resort, stretching seven kilometers along a lush and wild coastline and overlooking the Carib-
bean Sea. Following the proposals involving his recent work in Porto Rotondo, and with a mind full of images
of the small ports dotting the Mediterranean, Fini proposed a preliminary project to Central Romana, the main
shareholder of Casa de Campo. Thus, during his stays at La Romana, he began to design a small marina that he
later presented to the Central Romana Corporation on February 23, 1994. The initial idea was embraced as a
CHAPTER 29
The Influence of the Porto Rotondo
Marina on the Casa
de Campo Marina, La Romana
By Diego Fernández
Entrepreneur
•
Gianfranco Fini