Italians appear to be snubbing beaches this summer, amid claims they are rebelling against the high prices charged by the owners of private beach concessions.
Going to the beach and renting cabins, loungers and parasols – usually at the same location – has long been an ingrained habit of Italian summer holiday culture.
But this year’s season began with a notable fall in beachgoer numbers after private resorts along Italy’s two long stretches of coastline recorded a decrease of between 15% and 25% in June and July compared with the same period in 2024.
The problem is not so much the weekend, when beach resorts are often congested, especially those close to cities such as Rome, but during the week. Those who do go are also spending less on food and drink.
Fabrizio Licordari, the president of Assobalneari Italia, an association representing beach clubs, blamed the decline on the high cost of living and its consequences on spending power.
“Even with two salaries, many families struggle to reach the end of the month,” he told Ansa news agency. “In such circumstances, it’s natural that the first expenses to be cut are those for leisure, entertainment and holidays.”
The drop in attendance, however, also coincides with increases in the cost of private beach resorts and the growing rebellion against their dominance of Italian shorelines, which has left very little space for free beaches.
The cost of renting a sunlounger is a recurring topic of discussion, and rightly so – on average, it costs 17% more than it did four years ago, according to figures this week from the consumer group Altroconsumo. On beaches in the Lazio region, for example, it is difficult to rent two loungers and an umbrella for less than €30 (£26) a day. That rises to about €90 in the popular resort of Gallipoli in Puglia.
The actor Alessandro Gassmann stoked the debate after sharing a photo of a beach with deserted loungers on his Instagram page and writing alongside it: “I read that the season is not going well. Maybe it’s because the prices are exaggerated and the country’s economic situation is forcing Italians to choose free beaches? Lower the prices and maybe things will get better.”
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Maurizio Rustignoli, the president of Fiba, the Italian beach resorts federation, argued that reports of high price rises were “misleading” and that, where they occurred, it was by only a small percentage. He added that people in return benefited from services including security and lifeguard supervision.
But the consumers association Codacons said going to beach resorts had become “a drain” on people’s finances and accused the concession owners of “shedding crocodile tears”.
The beaches might be losing custom, but areas in the mountains, especially the Dolomites, have had a significant rise in visitor numbers, with some areas fearing overtourism. According to a report this week in the newspaper Il Messaggero, more Italians are venturing to the mountains for their holidays, partly as a way to escape increasingly hot summers caused in part by the climate crisis.