 Gibraltar was a very tempting target for the Italians , who saw it as a refuge for British warships and allied merchant shipping . The Italian <unk> originally used a Spanish villa ( Villa <unk> ) located two miles ( 3 km ) from Gibraltar owned by an Italian officer who had married a Spanish woman named <unk> <unk> . Their base was shifted later to the Italian <unk> SS <unk> , interned in <unk> . 
