Major Military Bases and Installations in Chronological Order
Scope. This table reconstructs the permanent or strategically significant network established after World War II. “First U.S. presence/use” is preferred to “occupation”: many facilities are Italian military bases or properties made available to U.S. forces under bilateral or NATO agreements, without any transfer of sovereignty. Major historical installations that are now closed are included; small annexes, housing areas, depots, and technical sites are grouped under the principal hub. Surface-area figures are not always directly comparable: Base Structure Reports (BSR) distinguish administrative sites whose boundaries and classifications may change over time.
| First U.S. use | Installation / location | Function | Area / status |
| 1951 | Camp Darby Tirrenia-Pisa/Livorno (Tuscany) |
A U.S.-Italy agreement in June 1951 established a line of communication and supply supporting U.S. forces in Austria; the complex was formally dedicated on November 15, 1952. Today it is a major U.S. Army logistics hub for storing reserves, ammunition and vehicles, maintenance, and movement toward ports and operational theaters. | Camp Darby proper: 159 acres, about 64 ha. If the historical logistics hub is considered as a whole – Camp Darby + Livorno Supply & Maintenance (277 acres) + Livorno Training (50) + Pisa Ammo Storage (2,093) – the total recorded in BSRs was about 2,579 acres, or about 1,044 ha.
ACTIVE [1, 2, 22] |
| Oct. 3, 1951 | Naval Support Activity Naples Capodichino, Naples (Campania) |
Established as Headquarters, Support Activities to support Allied Forces Southern Europe and, later, the Sixth Fleet. Today it hosts the senior commands of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. Sixth Fleet and serves as a command, control, communications and support center. | Capodichino: 58 acres, about 23.5 ha, in the FY2015 BSR. The wider “Naples system” also includes Gricignano, Carney Park, Lago Patria/SATCOM, Gaeta and other annexes.
ACTIVE [3, 23] |
| June 2, 1954 | Aviano Air Base Aviano/Pordenone (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) |
First used by USAFE as a temporary station on June 2, 1954; an agreement for more permanent use followed in October 1954. An Italian base with a major U.S. presence. Today it is home to the 31st Fighter Wing: fighter operations, NATO deterrence, readiness and air power projection. | Before 1996: 1,110 acres. In May 1996 another 210 acres were made available: about 1,320 acres, or about 534 ha, plus external annexes.
ACTIVE [4, 5] |
| 1954 | Longare / “Site Pluto” Longare-Costozza (Vicenza) |
Underground installation associated with the SETAF presence and, during the Cold War, with storage of U.S. “special ammunition”/nuclear munitions. Its nuclear role ended in 1992; communications and training functions linked to the Vicenza Military Community remain in the Longare area. | The FY2011 BSR assigned 52 acres, about 21 ha, to the Longare Communications Site; the historic underground core of Site Pluto had a different perimeter and character and cannot be directly equated with that figure.
HISTORICAL / SATELLITE SITE ACTIVE [6, 22] |
| 1955 | Vicenza – Caserma Ederle Vicenza (Veneto) |
After the U.S. withdrawal from Austria, SETAF was established in October 1955 with units in Vicenza and Verona; headquarters moved permanently to Caserma Ederle in 1965. Today it is the core of USAG Italy and SETAF-Africa and also supports the 173rd Airborne Brigade. | Caserma Ederle: 147 acres, about 59.5 ha, in BSRs. The Vicenza Military Community also includes Del Din, Longare, storage areas and housing.
ACTIVE [1, 7, 22] |
| May 21, 1956 | SETAF – Caserma Passalacqua Verona (Veneto) |
SETAF headquarters after its brief initial phase at Camp Darby; the command remained in Verona until its transfer to Caserma Ederle in 1965. Function: U.S. ground-force command in the southern European sector and support for forces deployed in northeastern Italy. | The area cannot be reconstructed consistently from the public sources consulted; it was an Italian barracks complex granted for use, with additional support facilities in the Verona area.
CLOSED AS A U.S. HEADQUARTERS [7, 8] |
| June 25, 1957 | Naval Air Station Sigonella Lentini/Catania-Syracuse (Sicily) |
Land was temporarily made available to the U.S. Navy on June 25, 1957; the first U.S. aircraft arrived on August 8; the NAF was formally established on June 15, 1959. Today it is the principal U.S. naval-air/logistics hub in the central Mediterranean, supporting the U.S. Navy, joint forces and NATO. | The U.S. Navy currently states more than 1,300 acres, or more than 526 ha, distributed across four principal sites: NAS I, NAS II, NRTF Niscemi and support capacity at the NATO pier in Augusta.
ACTIVE [9] |
| 1959-1960 | Jupiter IRBM System Apulia and Basilicata |
U.S. personnel arrived in 1959; the Italian Air Force’s 36th Strategic Interdiction Air Brigade was established at Gioia del Colle on May 1, 1960. Ten positions, each with three PGM-19 Jupiter missiles: Gioia del Colle, Mottola, Laterza, Gravina, Spinazzola, Acquaviva delle Fonti, two at Altamura, Irsina and Matera. Italian crews; U.S. control of the warheads. Dismantled in spring 1963. | No single surface-area figure exists for the entire network. It consisted of 10 launch sites plus logistics areas; for Gravina, a parliamentary record refers to about 30 ha expropriated in 1963 for military requirements (later reduced).
CLOSED 1963 [10, 11] |
| 1959-1960 | San Vito dei Normanni Air Station between Brindisi and San Vito (Apulia) |
The first Americans arrived in 1959; the 6917th Radio Squadron Mobile operated there from 1960; it became a primary installation on March 1, 1961. A major USAF Security Service/NSA SIGINT/COMINT station, with the AN/FLR-9 “Elephant Cage” antenna operational from 1964. The principal mission ended in 1994; temporary uses followed, after which the site was substantially returned to Italy. | Public sources are not uniform: 117 ha fenced in 1959 according to a Chamber of Deputies record; 180 ha in a 2002 Senate record; a USAFSS history gives 318 acres, about 129 ha. The difference reflects changing perimeters and periods of measurement.
CLOSED AS A MAJOR U.S. BASE [12, 13, 14] |
| 1962-1963 | Ghedi Air Base – U.S. presence Ghedi (Brescia, Lombardy) |
The 2187th Communication Group was established in 1962; the 7232nd Munitions Maintenance Group followed in 1963, co-located with the Italian Air Force’s 6th Wing. Today the U.S. component is the 704th Munitions Support Squadron, supporting NATO deterrence/surety missions on an Italian Air Force base. | No reliable public figure exists for the U.S. enclave alone. BSRs list a small “Ghedi Radio Relay Site” separately (1 acre), but it does not represent the full U.S. presence on the Italian base.
ACTIVE [15] |
| Feb. 4, 1967 | NSA Naples Detachment Gaeta Gaeta (Latina, Lazio) |
Gaeta became the homeport of the Sixth Fleet command with the arrival of USS Little Rock on February 4, 1967, after the move from Villefranche-sur-Mer. Today it is the homeport of USS Mount Whitney and provides port and command support to U.S. and NATO units. | Historical BSRs reported about 8 acres, about 3.2 ha, for the detachment; the Monte Orlando compound closed in 2009 and the present shore presence is smaller and more dispersed.
ACTIVE, REDUCED [16, 17, 24] |
| Apr.-Sept. 1972 | La Maddalena / Santo Stefano La Maddalena Archipelago (Sardinia) |
Use was granted to the United States in 1972; the facility supported the Sixth Fleet and nuclear-powered attack submarines through a submarine tender and shore facilities at Santo Stefano. NSA La Maddalena ceased operations in 2007-2008. | An FY2004 MILCON document assigned 48 acres, about 19.4 ha, to Naval Support Facility La Maddalena; this does not correspond to the entire operational/harbor space at Santo Stefano. The extent of support areas varied across DoD reports.
CLOSED 2007-2008 [18, 19, 20] |
| 1982-1983 | Comiso Air Station Comiso (Ragusa, Sicily) |
Preparatory U.S. presence began in 1982; the 487th Tactical Missile Wing was activated on June 30, 1983. It was a base for BGM-109G Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles during the Euromissile crisis. It closed in 1991 under the INF Treaty. | 379 acres, about 153 ha, according to the 1990 Air Force Magazine Base Guide. It occupied part of the former Magliocco airfield.
CLOSED 1991 [21] |
| Oct. 1991 | NRTF Niscemi / MUOS Niscemi (Caltanissetta, Sicily) |
The Naval Radio Transmitter Facility was established in October 1991 for HF/LF transmissions supporting U.S., joint, NATO and allied forces. One of the ground stations of the MUOS satellite communications system was subsequently built there. | The U.S. Navy’s historical profile does not publish a separate area figure; Niscemi is included in the “more than 1,300 acres” currently attributed to the NAS Sigonella complex across four sites.
ACTIVE [9, 25] |
| Feb. 1996 / 1997 | NSA Naples Support Site Gricignano di Aversa (Caserta, Campania) |
Construction began in February 1996; the first housing units were accepted in 1997; the principal community services and hospital were operational by 2002. It is the major residential, medical, educational and logistics hub for the U.S. naval community in Naples. | 228 acres, about 92 ha, in the FY2015 BSR.
ACTIVE [26, 23] |
| July 2, 2013 | Caserma Renato Del Din Vicenza (Veneto) |
The new installation opened on July 2, 2013 on the former Dal Molin site, which the Italian Air Force had vacated in 2008. It houses most elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade as well as other U.S. units. | 145 acres, about 58.7 ha, of Italian military property; 27 principal buildings in the original project.
ACTIVE [27] |
Annexes and smaller sites now incorporated into the main hubs
The FY2024 BSR continues to list, in addition to the main hubs described above, a number of separate sites in Italy: Aviano administrative annexes, housing, ammunition storage and maintenance areas; Livorno and Pisa Ammo Storage within the Darby hub; Longare, depots and housing within the Vicenza hub; Carney Park, Lago Patria/SATCOM, Gaeta and Gricignano within the Naples system; and the NAS I Support Area, NATO Ordnance Facility, Belpasso housing, transmitter site and Augusta Bay within the Sigonella system. These are not autonomous “new bases,” but components of the same logistics and operational network.
Historical development at a glance
1951-1957: the logistics, naval, ground and air backbone takes shape (Darby, Naples, Aviano, Vicenza, Sigonella). 1959-1972: the network acquires a pronounced nuclear, SIGINT and Mediterranean-command role (Jupiter, San Vito, Ghedi, Gaeta, La Maddalena). 1983-1991: Euromissiles and telecommunications (Comiso, Niscemi). From 1996 onward: consolidation of major support and power-projection hubs (Gricignano, Del Din), with fewer isolated “bases” and more integrated systems of installations.
Key Sources
[1] U.S. Army Garrison Italy, “History”. https://home.army.mil/italy/about/history
[2] U.S. Army Garrison Italy, Darby Military Community / welcome. https://home.army.mil/italy/my-garrison-Italy/pcsguidedarby/living-darby/welcome-usag-italy
[3] Naval History and Heritage Command, “Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy”. https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/organization-and-administration/installations/nsa-naples.html
[4] Aviano Air Base, “Americans, Italians celebrate 60 years of partnership”. https://www.aviano.af.mil/News/Display/Article/724123/americans-italians-celebrate-60-years-of-partnership/
[5] Project Management Institute, Aviano 2000 program (area and 1996 expansion). https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/pmo-expanding-aviano-air-base-1862
[6] Italian Chamber of Deputies, parliamentary question on Site Pluto/Longare, sitting of June 28, 2007. https://documenti.camera.it/leg15/resoconti/assemblea/html/sed0179/bt08.htm
[7] SETAF-Africa, official history. https://www.setaf-africa.army.mil/about/history
[8] U.S. Army Germany / SETAF historical compilation (Verona opening, 1956). https://usarmygermany.com/Units/SETAF%20Units/USAREUR_SETAF.htm
[9] U.S. Navy CNIC, NAS Sigonella, “History”. https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAS-Sigonella/About/History/
[10] Italian Air Force, “La 36ª Aerobrigata Interdizione Strategica Jupiter” [The 36th Jupiter Strategic Interdiction Air Brigade]. https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/news/la-36-aerobrigata-interdizione-strategica-jupiter/
[11] Italian Chamber of Deputies, 18th Legislature, sitting of April 9, 2019, parliamentary question on the Jupiter sites. https://documenti.camera.it/leg18/resoconti/assemblea/html/sed0159/allegato_b.htm
[12] Italian Chamber of Deputies / OpenParlamento, parliamentary question on San Vito dei Normanni (2014). https://parlamento17.openpolis.it/atto/documento/id/70358
[13] Italian Senate, sitting of April 2, 2002, USAF base at San Vito dei Normanni. https://www.senato.it/show-doc?id=17666&leg=14&part=doc_dc&tipodoc=Resaula
[14] USAF Security Service unit history, 6917th Security Group (San Vito). https://usafunithistory.com/PDF/6000/6917%20SECURITY%20GP.pdf
[15] MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, “Ghedi Air Base – In-Depth Overview”. https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/ghedi-air-base
[16] Naval History and Heritage Command, USS Little Rock (Gaeta homeport, Feb. 4, 1967). https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/little-rock.html
[17] U.S. Navy CNIC, NSA Naples Detachment Gaeta. https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NSA-Naples/About/Installation-Guide/Department-Directory/N01G-Gaeta/
[18] Italian Senate, chronology: 1972 grant of use at La Maddalena. https://patrimonio.archivio.senato.it/attach/Atti%20parlamentari/Commissione%20stragi/XI-XIII%20Legislatura/XIII%20legislatura/Documenti/XIII%20leg.%20Doc.%20XXIII%2C%2064%20vol.%20I%2C%20tomo%20III%2C%20p.1.pdf
[19] Naval History and Heritage Command, U.S. Navy in the World 2001-2010 (closure of NSA La Maddalena). https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-navy-world-2001-2010.html
[20] Department of the Navy, FY2004 Military Construction Program, La Maddalena (48 acres). https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/04pres/constr/MCN_BOOK.pdf
[21] Air & Space Forces Magazine, May 1990 Base Guide (Comiso: 379 acres). https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/1990/05/May1990.pdf
[22] Department of Defense, Base Structure Report FY2011/FY2012 (Camp Darby, Ederle, Longare, Pisa/Livorno). https://usbaseproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FY2011_DOD_Base-Structure-Report.pdf
[23] Department of Defense, Base Structure Report FY2015 (Naples Support Site, Capodichino and other sites in Italy). https://www.scribd.com/document/381091364/Base-Structure-Report-FY15
[24] Naval History and Heritage Command, U.S. Navy in the World 2001-2010 (Monte Orlando closed in 2009). https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-navy-world-2001-2010.html
[25] Naval Information Forces, NCTS Sicily, “History” (Niscemi established Oct. 1991). https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Support/NCTAMS-LANT/Organization/NCTS-Sicily/History/
[26] U.S. Navy, Naples Public Health Evaluation, Appendix M (construction at Gricignano beginning Feb. 1996). https://www.med.navy.mil/Portals/62/Documents/NMFA/NMCPHC/root/Environmental%20Programs/Pages/riskcommunication/NMCPHC_Vol_III_Final.pdf
[27] U.S. Army, “New installation opens in Italy”, July 2, 2013 (Del Din: 145 acres, 27 buildings). https://www.army.mil/article/106769/New_installation_opens_in_Italy/
Note on surface areas. 1 acre = 0.4047 hectares. BSR figures are real-estate/administrative data and do not always coincide with the operational perimeter commonly understood as a “base.” Accordingly, where a figure would be misleading, the entry states “not available” or specifies the perimeter to which the figure refers.
