Narconon’s 60th Anniversary: A Retrospective of the Past Two Years of Success & Community Service in South Europe

 

Across Italy, seven Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers work under the leadership of Narconon South Europe, the regional organization that coordinates the Narconon program in the country. From the Piedmont hills near Turin to the Salento coast at the southeastern tip of the peninsula, each center runs the same standardized program: a supported, drug-free withdrawal, followed by the New Life Detoxification in a sauna, and the life skills training that completes it.

Between 2024 and 2026, as the Narconon program marked its 60th anniversary worldwide, the Italian centers and Narconon South Europe carried that work into schools, sports clubs, town halls, and the national media.

Here are some of the highlights of that work and the volley of recognitions Narconon South Europe has achieved through its efforts and the many milestones of their rehab centers:

In November 2024, Citterio and the attorney for Narconon in Italy were interviewed on Mattino 4, a program on Italian national television, promoting Narconon's unique and effective drug rehabilitation program that has saved countless Italian lives from drug abuse.

In December 2024, Citterio and Narconon were honored at the Maxima Laud award ceremony.

In October 2025, the O Leudo Association named Citterio “Grandfather of the Year,” an award covered by two newspapers, Levante News and Prima il Levante.

And in March 2026, the LACCADEMIA professional school sent Narconon South Europe a letter recognizing a drug education lecture delivered to its students.

 

Narconon Argo: A Tenth Anniversary and a Recognition Outside Rome

Narconon Argo is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center at Via Santa Fumia in Rome, set in a quiet agricultural area on the outskirts of the city, a few miles from the Mediterranean coast and about half an hour from the center of Rome.

A Tenth Anniversary

In February 2024, Narconon Argo marked its 10th year of operation. Giuseppe Barone, priest of the Old Roman Catholic Church and President of ANNA, the National No AIDS Association, presented the center with a recognition honoring L. Ron Hubbard, the humanitarian who researched and developed the Narconon program.

The recognition, dated 17 February 2024, read: “On the 10th year of operation of the Narconon Argo center we remember L. Ron Hubbard through whose discoveries thousands of lives have been permanently freed from drug and alcohol addiction.”

Narconon Alfiere: Anniversary, Drug Education, and Community Cleanup in Pesaro

Narconon Alfiere is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Pesaro, on Italy's Adriatic coast, a couple of miles from the sea and surrounded by open fields. For more than thirty years it has run the Narconon program in the region, taking each person from a supported, drug-free withdrawal through the New Life Detoxification and life skills training that follow. In 2024, the center marked its 30th anniversary, and across the year it worked both inside its walls and out in the community around Pesaro.

A Thirty-Year Milestone

 

In February 2024, Narconon Alfiere held an event for its 30th anniversary. Local television station Rossini TV and the local newspaper Vivere Pesaro covered it.

Dr. Andrea Biancani, who at the time was Vice President of the Council of the Marche Region, recognized the center for the milestone. “On the 30th anniversary of the center Narconon Alfiere, I want to remember the thousands of people saved from drug addiction and brought back to life by this commendable organization.” Biancani was later elected Mayor of Pesaro.

Drug Education in the Schools

In January 2024, staff delivered four drug education lectures to 280 students at the IPSIA Benelli Institute in Pesaro. Vivere Pesaro News published a press release on the lectures on 25 January 2024.

A Cleanup at Miralfiore Park

Later in the year, Narconon Alfiere organized a “Syringe Collection and Cleanup” at Miralfiore Park, a place commonly used by drug dealers and people struggling with addiction. Andrea Biancani, Mayor of Pesaro, took part. Two media outlets, Rossini TV and Fano TV, covered the activity.

Across 2024, Narconon Alfiere continued the work it has carried out in Pesaro for three decades, rehabilitating people struggling with addiction and taking its prevention message into the schools and public spaces of the community it serves.

Narconon Astore: Three Decades in the Mountains, and Recognition Old and New

 

Narconon Astore is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center at Poggio San Romualdo, in the mountains of the Fabriano area not far from Ancona, Pesaro and Pescara. National parks surround it on every side, and the center draws people from all over Italy to recover far from the places where their addiction started.

 

A Thirtieth Anniversary

On 1 February 2024, retired Italian Senator Sergio Romagnoli presented a recognition to Narconon Astore for its 30th anniversary and for L. Ron Hubbard, the humanitarian who researched and developed the Narconon program.

The recognition read: “In celebration of the philosopher L. Ron Hubbard’s 113th Birthday and the 30th anniversary of Narconon Astore Aps, I am grateful for the Narconon drug rehabilitation program that has saved countless lives.”

Drug Education for a Basketball Team

In December 2025, Narconon Astore held drug education lectures for the managers and athletes of the Janus Basketball Team of Fabriano, the municipality where the center is located. Seventy people attended.

 

A Sixtieth Anniversary Plaque

In March 2026, as the Narconon program marked its 60th anniversary, the Angeli del Volontariato (Angels Volunteer) Association in Fabriano presented Narconon Astore with a plaque recognizing humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard and Narconon.

Narconon Astore celebrates its own 30th anniversary in tandem with the overall Narconon program's 60th. Narconon Astore continues its work in the mountains near Fabriano, rehabilitating people struggling with addiction and carrying its prevention message to the community around it.

Narconon Aurora: Anniversary Events and Expert Commentary in Lombardy

 

Narconon Aurora is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center outside Osnago, in the Province of Lecco, about 40 minutes northeast of Milan in the Lombardy countryside. The center occupies a former fortress that was later converted into a country villa and renovated for rehabilitation, drawing people from across Northern Italy.

A Panel on Drug Rehabilitation in Italy

In July 2025, Executive Director Paolo Stucchi was interviewed by Cusano Media for an expert panel on drug rehabilitation in Italy, giving the center a platform to speak about addiction and recovery to a wider audience.

Narconon Aurora continues its work in the Lombardy countryside, taking people from across Northern Italy through the Narconon program and back to a drug-free life.

Narconon Falco: Media Coverage, an Anniversary, and a New Sauna in Calabria

 

Narconon Falco is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center at Contrada Monti in Altilia, in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria. It sits a few miles into the mountains from the beaches along the Tyrrhenian Sea, among thick woods and farmland.

On Television in Bergamo

On 4 January 2024, the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of Narconon Falco were interviewed on the television program Casa 94, on SeilaTV Channel 94 in Bergamo.

A New Sauna

In April 2024, Narconon Falco installed a new sauna. The sauna is central to the New Life Detoxification, the step of the program in which time is spent sweating in a low-heat sauna, combined with exercise and nutritional supplements, to help flush out drug residues stored in the body.

Narconon Falco continues its work in the Calabrian mountains, taking people through the Narconon program and back to a drug-free life.

Narconon Gabbiano: Volleyball, Drug Education, and a Sixtieth Anniversary in Salento

 

Narconon Gabbiano is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center at Contrada Sentinella in Torre dell'Orso, near Lecce on the southeastern tip of Italy, in the Salento region. Also known as “Narconon Top,” it began in 1992 when a program graduate started a small group and moved to its current facility in Torre dell'Orso in 1995.

A Sponsored Volleyball Team

Narconon Gabbiano sponsors the Volley Melendugno team, which plays with the Narconon logo on their jerseys. In February 2024, the team, Narconon Melendugno, held a presentation event to receive its new uniform shirts bearing the Narconon logo, captured live on local television by Telerama News. Later that month, the sponsored team appeared in the media in its new jerseys. In September 2025, the Lecce Prima newspaper published two positive articles on the Narconon volleyball team.

Drug Education and Community Outreach

The center takes its prevention work to young people and the wider community. In March 2024, staff delivered a lecture to 75 students at a local school in the town of Giovinazzo, in the Province of Bari.

That same month, Narconon Gabbiano joined the “Galattica Project,” a competition among community outreach activities in which selected projects receive sponsorship. In July 2025, the center took part in World Drowning Prevention Day, proclaimed by the United Nations for July 25, alongside other organizations and authorities.

In February 2026, staff delivered a drug education lecture to the Under 13 Volley Melendugno team as part of a campaign called “Academy NextGen,” which promotes a healthy lifestyle to youth.

On National Television

In July 2024, Narconon Gabbiano's Qualifications Secretary, Andra Pascucci, was interviewed on the national broadcaster Channel 5 about the rise in drug abuse in Italy. The channel reaches more than 2.84 million viewers.

Recognition on the Program's Sixtieth Anniversary

In 2026, as the Narconon program marked its 60th anniversary, Narconon Gabbiano received recognition tied to its 38 years of work in Salento. In February, Dr. Domenico Macchione, administrator of Narconon Volley Melendugno, presented the center with a plaque honoring the program and L. Ron Hubbard, the humanitarian who researched and developed the Narconon program. The following month, the Mayor of Melendugno, Maurizio Cisternino, presented the center’s Executive Director with a plaque.

 

The citation, dated 13 February 2026, read: “The Municipality of Melendugno thanks the Narconon program, based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, for the work carried out and for having saved many people during these 38 years of continuous activity.”