No trip to the beach is ever complete without taking a beach towel. Small or large, colourful or plain, this is an item as essential to one’s travel plans as sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhats.
However, Brits wanting to get a headstart on planning for the summer holidays might be surprised to find one popular beach in Europe has a peculiar rule regarding the humble beach towel.
Over in Italy, the Sardinian beach of La Pelosa is one of the continent’s most sought-after beaches. It is famed for its strikingly crystal clear waters, its diamond white sands and famous 16th century tower a few metres from the shore.
It also boasts some of the toughest rules for holidaymakers in Europe, the most striking one being its ban on placing beach towels on the sand.
The rule was introduced in 2018 following fears that tourists were ruining the beach’s precious landscape by taking vast quantities of sand back home as souvenirs – and towels trap a lot of sand when placed on the surface for long periods of time.
A year earlier, the whole of Sardinia passed a law making it a criminal offence for anyone to take home shells, sand and pebbles, with fines of anywhere between €300 and €5,000 (£250 to £4,183). To circumvent the towel ban, La Pelosa’s authorities insist on tourists placing their towels on a straw mat which they can rent.
According to TheLocal.it website, the towel ban was met with fierce local opposition when it was first introduced. Locals accused Antonio Diana – at the time, the mayor of La Pelosa’s home town, Stintino – of trying to turn the area into a resort for wealthy tourists.
Diana hit back, telling the La Repubblica newspaper: “People can say what they want, but the important thing is to save La Pelosa.
“The idea of banning towels is not our invention, the entire plan currently being implemented is based on scientific studies in which towels are indicated as one of the greatest dangers, because when they are damp they retain a lot of sand. It is not an idea made up in thin air.”
La Pelosa’s website also echoed Diana’s words, adding: “[The beach] is as beautiful as it is fragile: over decades it has undergone change and erosion, including by maxiflux. To protect it, regulations have been enacted.”
As well as the ban on beach towels and taking marine paraphernalia back home, visitors must follow these additional rules as stated on the official La Pelosa website:
- Wash sand off their feet when leaving the beach
- Smoke in designated areas
- Dispose of rubbish immediately
- Do not use shampoo or soap on the beach
- Do not bring dogs between 8am and 8pm
On top of the strict rules, La Pelosa is also well-known for becoming too crowded during the summer months.
To remedy this, a daily cap of 1,500 people to be present on the sandy shores in high season is in force. Tickets for entry can be bought online at the La Pelosa website for E3.50 (£3). This year’s allocation has yet to be released, but when they do go live, advance booking is recommended.
Reviews of the beach on TripAdvisor are mixed. One person complained about the strict rules: “Absurd rules like no sandcastles, and literally have security patrolling around checking if you have an arm band or not. Completely kills the vibe and is the only time I’ve seen anything actually enforced in this country.”
On the other end of the spectrum are those who rave about the pristine nature of the beach. This commenter summed up such thoughts: “The most beautiful beach I ever seen and the most clear water with white sand. You can’t skip this!”