Radio Caroline South might have once been based on a cargo ship but the Riviera incarnation, that calls itself after one of the two legendary Radio Caroline offshore stations in the 1960s, feels more like an ark according to Caroline South presenter Mark Dezzani. "We are perched on a hill-top in an Italian medieval village that used to be a monastic principality. It overlooks the French Riviera. If you've read the 'Name Of The Rose' you'll get the picture," says Mark addling, "Many listeners remember Johnnie Walker's Frinton Flashing on the original Radio Caroline South in 1967 when he got lovers in cars on the coast to flash their head-lights towards the radio ship during his night-time show. We could almost do the same now from up here looking over the Mediterranean with Antibes or even better Monaco Flashing! At 500metres altitude on a clear mistral day we can literally see for miles and miles," which is one of the reasons why Mark settled in the 'Ancient Principality of Seborga.'

View of Monaco & the Cote d'Azur from the Caroline South Studio in Seborga

So with the glamour of the Cote d'Azur in eye-shot, why did Dezzani settle for the relative austerity of a Ligurian mountain village. "Well, it is jaw droppingly beautiful, but I have to admit that the main reason was that it had an English language radio station. I arrived in 1982 to work for Radio Nova International. At that time there was free radio in Italy, the real thing, real wild west stuff. You could transmit with hundreds of kilowatts with just a rubber stamp from the local post office and a certificate from the regional council. Free radio was still illegal in France at the time so there were half a dozen cross-border stations. Five broadcasting in French and the other, Radio Nova in English."

"It was great fun, I worked with Grant Benson and Kevin Turner who both went on to work for Radio Caroline and Bilbo an engineer who also joined Radio Caroline, assuming the subtle undercover pseudonym of Roland Butter. Replacing him was another wonderful character Ian Hurrion, known as Brigg who had been involved in several near-miss attempts at launching offshore radio stations from a derelict lighthouse in the Thames Estuary and a boat that nearly sunk in the Bay of Biscay! He passed away in 1992." After a one year spell in 1984 with newcomer Radio Sovereign, also broadcasting from Italy into the French Riviera, Mark returned to Nova only to see it eventually sold to an easy-listening muzak operation from Hawaii. "They re-launched the station as Radio Relax! It was time to leave Seborga," says Mark. "It was a toss up whether to join Radio Caroline on the Ross Revenge as a newsreader or to realise another ambition and establish a new radio station."               Mark Dezzani in the Radio Nova Studio 1982

Mark found backing to launch Sunshine Radio in Antibes, France in 1987. "We exploited a loophole in French media law at the time, it was unlicensed but not illegal. We took on-board several Radio Caroline DJs including Susan Charles, Jamie King, Tom Anderson and Kevin Turner. Rob Harrison also cut his radio teeth there."   Sunshine Radio broadcast for two years. Before the loophole had eventually closed, Dezzani returned to Italy. He worked for Radio 2000 in San Remo, Italy and then returned to Seborga, co-owning and operating Electra 108 with Grant Benson. "It was mainly a satellite relay of BBC World Service with commercials inserted between programmes with the BBC's blessing!" Electra 108 was sold and became Crown 108 before that was sold to a consortium headed by ex-RNI DJ Alan West. "Star 108 was the last of Seborga's English radio stations or so I thought," said Mark. Star 108 closed in 1992, having failed to get a now required Italian radio license.

"I took up trade journalism as Italian correspondent for media titles such as Billboard, Music & Media, Broadcast and The Hollywood Reporter, and freelanced at Riviera Radio in Monaco." Mark then got into TV production producing reports for BBC World TV and music documentaries which have sold internationally.

Shirley Bassey is interviewed at the Stars 'n' Bars club in Monaco by Mark Dezzani, the week that her single 'History Repeats' with The Propellerheads was released in 1998.

"After Radio Caroline closed in 1990 due to stringent new legislation which made it impossible to continue at sea, towards the end of the decade I was thrilled to see its revival on satellite and the Internet with a steady, sustainable growth and most of all independence. It had kept the spirit from the offshore days. I just had to become involved."

Dezzani's company Europa Productions arranged for the production of programmes initially with Tom Anderson, Rob Harrison and himself and for airtime for these and Radio Caroline programmes from the UK on the Italian based station The Rock Of The Riviera 88.4 FM. "Its kind of like things have come full-circle. We have a 'virtual' English language radio station back here in Seborga and The Rock is sister station to Radio International, renamed after its new owners acquired Radio Relax." Not only was the muzak banished but the new manager Jack Kelly invited Radio Caroline on board The Rock Of The Riviera at weekends! The reason I love Radio Caroline is that its spirit remains unique. In this day and age of robot radio and rigid play-lists, the DJs on Radio Caroline are allowed to express themselves both musically and on-air as human beings. I first broadcast on land-based pirate radio back in the UK. I guess once a pirate, always a pirate!"