Italian beaches are the new frontier of the war between rich and poor.
The August protests in Mondello have shone a spotlight on a phenomenon that has been silently transforming the face of Italy's coastlines for years: the progressive erosion of the right to the sea . What was once considered a common good , the heritage of all citizens, is increasingly becoming a paid resource that redraws the map of the country's social stratification .
The turnstiles installed by the Mondello Italo Belga company on Palermo's historic beach are the most striking symbol of this drift toward privatization. These devices, which regulate access like those on a subway or a stadium, have sparked public outrage and prompted inspections by the Guardia di Finanza . The legal issue is complex: Sicilian law guarantees unrestricted access to the shoreline, but what actually constitutes an illegal "obstacle" remains unclear.
The Palermo situation, with its access controls and fences delimiting private areas, represents only the most obvious manifestation of a national trend. The numbers speak for themselves: in three years, beach concessions in Sicily have grown by 41%, in Liguria the percentage of privatized coastline often exceeds 70%, and in Tuscany, there are coastlines—like the Apuan-Versilian coast—where it reaches 90%.
But behind the statistics lies a profound anthropological transformation . The sea, historically a democratic meeting place where classes and generations mingled , is becoming a space of invisible but effective segregation . On one side are the wealthy families who can afford the 50-80 euros a day for sunbeds and umbrellas ; on the other are those who are forced to give up or retreat to increasingly degraded and crowded coastlines.
The Mondello turnstiles have become the catalyst for broader discontent. Their physical presence materializes what has remained hidden for years: the transformation of the sea from a right to a service . It doesn't matter that, as CEO Antonio Gristina claims, these devices "aren't digital" and theoretically allow passage. The symbolic message is unmistakable: entry here is only permitted by authorization .
This dynamic is creating what sociologists call "differentiated proximity tourism" : while the middle classes are moving to cheaper locations or inland, the working classes are finding themselves excluded from the right to vacation. The phenomenon takes on even more worrying proportions when considering the "new poor" : single-income families, retirees, and young people with precarious employment for whom a day at the beach can cost as much as their weekly grocery shopping.
The effect on children is particularly significant. Entire generations grow up considering it normal to pay to access the sea, losing the very concept of a common good. It's a cultural conditioning that risks becoming entrenched and irreversible. Sicilian councilor Giusi Savarino , who has banned new permits for turnstiles and fences, is going in the right direction but risks remaining inadequate without a broader regulatory framework . Her decision to no longer grant permits for "devices that could hinder access" represents an initial warning, but the problem is systemic and requires structural interventions .
The paradox is clear: in a country surrounded by the sea, finding a free space to lay out your towel is becoming increasingly difficult. And when you do find it, you often have to contend with the illegal occupation of deckchairs and umbrellas , effectively rendering unusable even what should be free. It's democratization in reverse : a public good becomes private through a thousand small, everyday expedients.
The issue touches the heart of the concept of citizenship and social cohesion . How can a society consider itself equitable if access to one of its most precious assets depends on spending capacity? The problem arises from the contradiction between the constitutional principle of public ownership and the practice of concessions , often automatically renewed for decades. The Council of State and the European Union have set limits and called for tenders, but the practice of extended extensions is a historical fact.
Legambiente 's proposal to reserve at least 50% of the coast for free use is not utopian, but represents a reasonable compromise between economic needs and collective rights. Other European countries have successfully reconciled quality tourism and democratic access to the sea: Italy can and should do the same.
Luce
