Italian beach bans umbrellas for people between the ages of 10 and 65

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ROME — Authorities managing one of Sardinia’s most popular beaches have banned umbrellas for people between the ages of 10 and 65, citing safety concerns in the event of an emergency.

Sun protection and skin cancer prevention is a priority in most places in the world, yet for those wanting to visit the Punta Molentis Beach, on the Italian island’s southern coast, shade will be in short supply this summer.

Only families with children up to the age of 10 and people aged 65 and above will be allowed to bring one umbrella, officials said. Everyone else is prohibited from putting up umbrellas and other shade equipment.

The measure, which has faced widespread criticism, is one of several that officials are introducing.

From June 5 to late October, those accessing the beach will be charged €10 (US$11.50). Those who are disabled and their companions are exempt from the charge.

“It is prohibited to install umbrellas, gazebos, tents, or other shade systems,” the ordinance states, according to the local authority website.

“One large umbrella is permitted exclusively for families with children up to 10 years old and persons 65 years of age or older.”

The move has drawn scorn from beachgoers, whose comments range from sarcasm, asking if they have to become a parent just to protect themselves from the sun, to cynicism, with one person commenting on the municipality’s website: “How wonderful, a beautiful day at the beach and 20 hours in the emergency room for burns. I think they tried this ordinance before and it fried their brains.”

The municipality says it had no choice but to regulate the use of umbrellas to avoid the scenario that played out last year when dozens of beachgoers had to be evacuated by boat following a fire in the area.

Part of the problem was beach overcrowding and too many umbrellas, which made it impossible to evacuate on land, officials said.

“It is essentially because of that fire and the difficulty we had evacuating the beach due to the sheer number of umbrellas set up that the commune has set up this rule,” a spokesperson for the municipality of Villasimius told CNN Thursday.

“This is also an area where the paid beach establishments are prohibited, meaning people set up umbrellas next to each other, which blocks access, causes various hazards and blocks the view of the sea, which also led to the ordinance,” the spokesperson added.

Beach rules

Italian beach culture is not for the faint hearted. The peninsula is famous for its highly organized beach establishments with matching colored umbrellas spaced out in perfect rows on the sand.

The price for a day at these paid beach clubs can run between €100 to €500 (US$115 to $575) for a chair and umbrella, and seasonal reservations can cost thousands.

People tend to reserve the same chairs in the same rows year after year, but there are crowd limits in these areas and people cannot pitch their own tents or use their own chairs.

Anger over the increasing private club use of the country’s beaches has led to countless problems.

The beaches in Ostia, near Rome, have been subject to numerous closures this season after the Italian capital, which has jurisdiction over the seaside, ruled that many of the establishments either pay too little or do not even have the right to sell umbrellas and chairs on public sand.

Beach rules in Italy have often raised eyebrows.

In recent years, beaches in Sardinia have made it illegal to take sand from the seaside, subject to fines of up to US$3,500.

In many coastal communities, beachgoers must use straw mats instead of towels to avoid accidentally taking sand off the beach caught in the fibers.

To avoid overcrowding, many Italian beaches also have time limits, with people arriving by boat limited to 90 minutes or requiring reservations for a spot on the sand booked and paid for online.

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN