The Italian Prime Minister spent numerous summers on the Canary Island, where she learned Spanish while playing with other children. Her father, a businessman with interests in San Sebastián, was convicted of drug trafficking.
Giorgia Meloni, the current Prime Minister of Italy, has a little-known connection to the Canary Islands. During her childhood, the political leader spent long periods in La Gomera, where she learned to speak Spanish fluently. She did so, as she has recounted, "for survival," while playing in the streets with other children from the island.
The Prime Minister's trips to the Archipelago were motivated by her father, Francesco Franco Meloni's residence. The parent was a well-known businessman based in San Sebastián de La Gomera during the 80s and 90s. There, he ran very popular businesses before being arrested and convicted of drug trafficking.
The father's businesses in San Sebastián
Franco Meloni arrived on the shores of La Gomera in the early eighties aboard a striking boat called Caballo Loco, a vessel that piqued the curiosity of the locals. In the island's capital, he opened the Marqués de Oristano Restaurant, located in the old Casa de Los Ayala.
This historic building was later acquired by the Cabildo of La Gomera and currently serves as the headquarters of the National University of Distance Education (UNED). Additionally, the businessman operated the popular Discoteca Fin Fan, becoming a well-known face in the nightlife of the time.
Summers in Playa de Santiago
During those summer stays, Giorgia Meloni and her sister Arianna often accompanied their father on excursions around the island. Witnesses from that time recall seeing the family group in the coastal town of Playa de Santiago, in the municipality of Alajeró.
In this southern hub, they would often have lunch at traditional establishments like El Bodegón or La Cuevita before spending the afternoon in the bathing area. However, the family connection was severed years later. The businessman entered into a second marriage on the island, and the relationship with his daughters completely broke down before they reached adulthood.
A judicial past that marked the Italian leader
The total disconnection of the Prime Minister from her father coincided with a dark judicial episode in Spanish territory. In 1995, Franco Meloni was arrested by state security forces while transporting 1,500 kilos of hashish, a drug trafficking crime for which he ended up serving time in prison.
The Italian leader herself has publicly acknowledged that her complicated childhood and experiences in La Gomera profoundly shaped her character, independence, and subsequent political career in Europe. For the island's residents, remembering little Giorgia playing in the streets is an image that contrasts with the far-right leader who now governs Italy.
Those who knew her then describe her as a lively and friendly girl who integrated easily. Now, every time Meloni visits Spain, the people of La Gomera smile at the thought that the girl who used to run around Playa de Santiago is now one of the most powerful women on the continent.
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