Anger is growing in Italy over the mass privatisation of beaches by exclusive clubs and bars that have been accused of stealing the nation's coastline.
For decades, Italians have paid for the comfort of sunbeds, umbrellas and beachside bars at beach clubs and in return, large portions of the shoreline remained open to everyone.
But furious locals now say private concessions are swallowing more of the coast.
In Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Campania, nearly 70 per cent of beaches are now under private control, while in some resorts, only three per cent remain free to access.
The Italian daily La Stampa described the spread of beach clubs as a 'silent expropriation' and warned: 'In Italy, they are stealing even the seaside. Free beaches are becoming ever rarer. And those which are not free are ever more expensive.'
