Guardian names six free beaches

The Guardian on April 27 published a list of six natural, free beaches in Italy, pitching them as places where visitors can still reach the sea without paying a beach club. (theguardian.com) The paper said private beach clubs dominate much of the Italian coast, especially in famous resort areas, while a smaller set of beaches remains open, natural and publicly accessible. (theguardian.com) Among the beaches singled out were the Riviera del Conero in Marche, where Sirolo and Portonovo Bay still have stretches of free shoreline backed by pine-covered limestone cliffs. (theguardian.com) (britbrief.co.uk) The list also highlighted Gargano in northern Puglia, including Portogreco and Vignanotica, a national-park coastline of rocky coves, pebble beaches and limestone cliffs. (theguardian.com) (britbrief.co.uk) Ponza was another pick, with the article pointing readers toward the island as a lower-key alternative to better-known Italian beach destinations. (theguardian.com) The timing taps into a bigger Italian fight over beach concessions, the licenses that let private operators run lidos with umbrellas, loungers, bars and other paid services on public shoreline. (independent.co.uk) (politico.eu) Reuters reported in September 2024 that Italy planned to launch tenders for those contracts by June 2027, after years of pressure from the European Union to open the sector to competition. (independent.co.uk) That system is large. Reuters said Italy has about 28,000 beach licenses, tourists can pay more than €30 a day for loungers and umbrellas, and beach clubs generated €2.1 billion in revenue, citing Nomisma’s 2023 figures. (independent.co.uk) The political fight has been intense. Politico reported that beach operators staged a two-hour strike in August 2024, warning that competitive tenders could threaten family-run businesses and as many as 300,000 jobs. (politico.eu) Critics say the present model leaves too little coast open to everyone. A 2022 academic paper estimated that 43% of Italy’s beaches are occupied by private concessions, while Politico reported that in some beach towns concessions take up 90% of the coast. (mdpi.com) (politico.eu) The European Commission was still pressing Italy last year. Il Sole 24 Ore reported that Brussels sent Rome a letter on July 7, 2025, seeking a “constructive solution” on beach concessions, tenders and compensation rules. (ilsole24ore.com) That leaves the Guardian’s beach list doing two jobs at once: it is a travel guide for summer 2026, and a map of the parts of Italy’s coast where free access still survives. (theguardian.com)