Rome authorities have ordered the closure of several privately operated beach clubs in Ostia and demolished two commercial facilities in the middle of peak holiday season to create public shoreline, part of a plan by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri to halve the number of private beach clubs from 70 to 35 and expand free beach access from 1.2 kilometres to 6.5 kilometres.
The crackdown comes as Italy grapples with private concessions covering more than half of its 7,500-kilometre Mediterranean coastline. More than 7,300 stabilimenti balneari operate across the country, mostly family-run businesses, with visitors paying around 40 euros a day for two sun loungers and an umbrella. Similar pushes for free beaches are underway in Liguria and Apulia.
The closures align with a 2006 European Union directive requiring competitive re-tendering of state beach concessions, a measure Italy has long delayed and is now expected to implement from 2027.