Latest news Summer, sand and strike - Italy's beach resorts shut down
August has always been the month when they earn the most money in Ostia. At the "Tibidabo", one of the beautiful old baths on Rome's city beach, opened in 1935, they often put up the sign "Ombrelloni essauriti" at the ticket booth in the morning: no more parasols available, everything is booked up until the evening. In Italy these days, it is advisable to be at the beach at nine in the morning. However, it's quite possible that this Friday won't help either.
In the middle of the high season, the tenants of many of the country's 7,200 lidos, the stabilimenti balneari, want to go on strike for the first time: initially only for two and a half hours in the morning. But if the government of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni does not budge, the pools will be closed for half a day in mid-August, still during the vacation season, and then for a whole day at the end of the month. The background to this is an EU directive that Italy has been cheating its way around implementing for almost 20 years.
Foreigners with towels are looked down upon
For the millions of holidaymakers on the more than 7,500 kilometers of Mediterranean coastline, such a strike would not necessarily be a disaster. But it would be a pain for many. The beach lounger (Italian: lettino) and the parasol (ombrellone) are to a certain extent part of the national cultural heritage. Foreigners who simply drop onto grains or stones on the beach with a towel are often looked down on from above - even if it is only from a height of 20 centimetres.
However, the more comfortable location comes at a price. According to the national bathing observatory (which exists), the average daily rent for two sun loungers and a parasol was 30 euros last year. There are hardly any upper limits to the rates: Beach clubs in Tuscany or on the Amalfi Coast also charge several hundred euros. Many families have become very wealthy with their stabilimenti.
Beaches actually belong to the state
Italy's coastline actually belongs to the state - in other words, to everyone. However, more than half of the beaches are leased to private individuals, often for decades, often under the table and often at ridiculously low prices. Some call this nepotism, others mafia-like structures.
On average, a leaseholder pays around 8,200 euros per year for the concession. The income is many times higher. The Center for European Policy (CEP) recently calculated an average annual turnover of 260,000 euros per pool based on figures from 2016 to 2020. Other estimates go far beyond this - especially as some of the beach money is presumably dodged tax.
Most Italians have come to terms with the fact that you have to pay for your time by the sea. "I don't know any different," says Giulia Toninelli, a civil servant from Rome, sitting on her lounger at Tibidabo. "I was here with my parents, now with my children. It just has its price." However, there are also some who no longer agree with the traditional system. Writer Manuela Salvi rails against "beaches like battery cages where the chickens have to pay for their stay". So far, however, the protests have been limited.
Tenant families want to defend their sinecures against EU directive
The status quo is in danger in another way: due to an EU directive that should have been implemented in 2006. According to this directive, state concessions for stretches of beach must be regularly put out to tender because they are public land - something that has been repeatedly postponed by various governments in Rome.
One of the arguments: It was necessary to prevent foreign corporations from calling the shots on the beach in future instead of Italian families - as was the case in the Gulf of Trieste, for example, where energy drink multinational Red Bull secured the contract for 120,000 square meters two years ago. However, tenders are now set to begin nationwide in January 2025.
Disappointment with Prime Minister Meloni
One of the biggest critics of the EU directive when she was still in opposition was the current Prime Minister Meloni. The disappointment among lido operators is all the deeper now. The president of the Sindacato Italiano Balneari, Antonio Capacchione, complains: "The government has done nothing at all for two years. We have sent eight letters asking for a meeting - with no reply. What else can we do apart from strike action?"
Hence the first "sciopero degli ombrelloni" ("umbrella strike") in Italy's history - even if some things are still unclear. What is certain is that the ticket booths will actually open later in the morning. However, regular guests may be able to open their sun loungers and parasols themselves. Others will probably bridge the waiting time with an espresso. On this occasion: the price for sun loungers and parasols will not change despite the strike. The usual daily rate applies.
