ORBETELLO. Everyone wants to have a front-row seat, even at the beach. This is how bathers, to ensure a good tan just a few steps from the water’s edge, leave their umbrellas and deck chairs on the beach for the entire duration of their holidays. However, it did not go well for those who chose to spend their holidays along the Giannella beach and in the Osa area, two of the most frequented areas of the Silver Coast.
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The seizure
Here, an operation coordinated by the Orbetello municipal police and the Harbor Master’s Office led to the seizure of 197 umbrellas, 51 deck chairs, 243 stakes, 2 shading structures, and 6 stands for giant umbrellas. All these materials were removed from the beach at dawn during two separate operations carried out on different days: the first on Giannella beach in collaboration with the Orbetello Locamare and the second on Osa beach with the assistance of the Talamone Locamare.
The sanctions
The material was then taken to storage, where the owners of umbrellas and deck chairs can recover them by paying a fine of 200 euros. This is the penalty for leaving them on the beach to occupy the spot. In this case, article 1164, paragraph 2 of the navigation code and the mayoral ordinance number 173 issued by Mayor Andrea Casamenti in June are applied. Paragraph 2 of article 1164 states that: «Without prejudice to the case where the act constitutes a crime or violation of the regulations on protected marine areas, anyone who violates the prohibitions established by ordinance by the public authority regarding the use of the maritime state property for tourist-recreational purposes, other than for profit, shall be subject to an administrative sanction providing for the payment of an amount between 100 and 1,000 euros».
The rules
It seems that some owners went to retrieve some of the seized umbrellas which, evidently, had some economic importance. The municipal police and the coast guard remind that «it is not allowed to leave umbrellas, sunbeds, or other equipment on public beaches after sunset». Leaving objects overnight to “hold a place” violates bathing ordinances and constitutes unauthorized occupation of public state property. In Giannella and the Osa area, however, it is common practice to “reserve” a spot for the next day or, in some cases, even for the whole week or more. But beware, local police and coast guard vehicles can arrive very early in the morning and remove everything, forcing uncivilized bathers to buy their beach equipment again. Moreover, even inflatable boats or other types of boats cannot be left on the beach.
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