‘Liberate the lidos!’ Who will win the war over Italy’s private beaches?

Almost all of the sandy stretches on the country’s 8,000km of coastline are run for profit. Now ‘free beach’ campaigners are fighting back against the mafia, the military and those profiteering from sun loungers and cocktails Walking along Italian beaches is like strolling through a rainbow. The sand will be subdivided into colours: for 50 metres or so the perfectly spaced parasols and deck chairs will be all red, then they become orange, then yellow, green and so on. These are the country’s famous bagni (lidos), formally known as concessioni balneari (bathing concessions). They’re simple but stylish. The sand is raked at dawn. The bar plays ambient music and serves negronis or fried squid. There will probably be a table-tennis table, or a beach volleyball area. Some have swimming pools. Everything about these lidos is orderly. Deck chairs are priced with the precision of theatre tickets, with spaces by the water often costing double those by the bar (in Milano Marittima this summer, on the less glamorous Adriatic coast, a parasol and two deck chairs cost €30 by the bar, but up to €60 by the water). Many families rent a space all summer, year after year. Sometimes yo