‘Liberate the lidos!’ Who will win the war over Italy’s private beaches?

A sign saying ‘Military Zone. No Access. Armed Surveillance’, separates a public beach from a private one. The fence runs all the way down the beach to the water. Photograph: Gianni Cipriano/The Guardian

Walking along Italian beaches is like strolling through a rainbow. The sand will be subdivided into colours: for 50 metres or so the perfectly spaced parasols and deck chairs will be all red, then they become orange, then yellow, green and so on.

These are the country’s famous bagni (lidos), formally known as concessioni balneari (bathing concessions). They’re simple but stylish. The sand is raked at dawn. The bar plays ambient music and serves negronis or fried squid. There will probably be a table-tennis table, or a beach volleyball area. Some have swimming pools.