In the heat of summer, clashes have flared up on Italy’s coast, pitting those who want free access to the beach against operators who charge for umbrellas, sun loungers, food stalls and lifeguards, Reuters reports.

In the ancient port town of Santa Severa, about 30 kilometres northwest of Rome, the front lines are clear. The coastline is dotted with colourful umbrellas, punctuated by narrow stretches of free beach. Simone Vincenzi, head of the Pino al Mare resort, which has been in the family for three generations, said there was a bright side to the beach management contracts – there was everything you needed for a beach holiday. At Vincenzi’s resort, which also includes a restaurant and a 57-room hotel, guests pay 42 euros for two loungers and an umbrella on the beach, and they also have access to a beach volleyball court and a children’s playground.

There is also a beach lifeguard on duty all day. Vincenzi said Santa Severa is a place where families with young children come to relax, and safety is taken very seriously.

But others want more beaches to be freely accessible, saying those who are unwilling or unable to pay for a seaside holiday are being marginalised. Elisabetta Gallo, an activist with the Free Seas National Coordination, said the public beaches currently available are in the least popular areas, such as rocky coastlines or near sewage discharges. She added that

this is a logic of exclusion, not good advertising for freely accessible beaches.

The situation with free beaches is even more complicated in the neighboring town of Santa Marinella, where there are even fewer free spots and they are harder to reach. Activist Simonetta Gazzella said that on weekends all the free spots are taken because not everyone can afford to pay a significant amount for recreation areas.

The issue of beach management contracts has long been a source of friction for Italy with the European Union. The bloc has tried to get the government to move towards a more transparent procedure for issuing the coveted licenses. The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni passed a law in 2024 that allows existing licenses to remain in force until September 2027, with the possibility of extending them until March 2028.

In Santa Severa and Santa Martinella, the municipality published notices to issue beach management licenses until 2033, and in most cases they were extended to existing managers because no one else applied. However, the decision has led to legal proceedings, which are being reviewed by Italy’s Supreme Administrative Court.

Vincenzi said that beach management contracts help keep the coast clean and tidy. Meanwhile, Gallo said that municipalities could take responsibility for beaches, providing basic services such as showers, trash cans and lifeguards. She added that the sea belongs to everyone and should be accessible to everyone.

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