Italy's toxic paradise: The beaches of Rosignano Solvay

REPORTERS © FRANCE 24

On the Italian coast, in the central region of Tuscany, the seaside resort of Rosignano looks like a picture-postcard paradise with turquoise sea and shimmering white sand. But this landscape is a result of its close proximity to a large factory producing soda ash. For over a century, the Belgian chemical company Solvay has managed the site, with the authorisation to discharge up to 250,000 tons of waste – pumped directly onto the beach. Although legal and monitored, this activity still has considerable environmental and health implications. Life in Rosignano revolves around a battle between the chemical giant and a number of local residents. Our reporters went to meet them.