Tourists face charge to sunbathe on popular Italian beaches

Tourists heading to a popular part of Italy this summer face being charged to go to the beach and sunbathe. Some beaches on the island of Sardinia are now asking for a daily access fee after new rules have been brought in. Which beaches are affected? The beaches of Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantine in the archipelago of La Maddalena are now charging tourists €3 per person for access each day. The Maddalena Archipelago consists of seven main islands and several small islets in the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica in France and Sardinia in Italy. It is a designated national park and is only accessible with a guide, which costs €25 for five hours. Only 60 people are permitted on each beach per day and slots must be booked in advance by contacting a local guide. Anyone who is caught visiting the archipelago without a guide could be prosecuted. The new rules have been introduced as local authorities look at ways to protect the sites from the impact of tourists. Visitor numbers have created problems for Sardinia and its beautiful coastline in recent years. Thousands of tourists travel to visit the Spiaggia Rosa beach every day during the high season due to its unique pink sand, but visitors are now only allowed to see the beach from a boat after people had been stealing it as a souvenir. Other beaches on the island have also introduced measures to minimise the impact of tourists, with Cala Sisine restricting visitor numbers to just 1,600, and Santa Maria Navarrese only permitting 1,300. Visitor numbers are even less on Cala Mariolu, where only 550 people are allowed in per day, with each charged a €1 access fee. Limited tourist access on Amalfi coast The strict rules in Sardinia come following a crackdown on tourist numbers in Italy’s popular Amalfi coast. The region which is a stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, has imposed new rules that aim to stop tourists from visiting every day because of the high volume of traffic plaguing its narrow roads. The new rules, introduced on 15 June, mean that certain tourists will be banned from accessing the famous 22-mile stretch between Vietri sul Mare and Positano depending on their car number plate. The alternate system will work by only allowing cars with number plates ending in an odd number to use the road on odd-numbered dates during peak hours in peak season. Cars with number plates ending in an even number can only visit on even-numbered days.The rules apply between 10am and 6pm for the whole of August, plus on weekends from 15 June to 30 September, according to CNN Travel. Residents of the 13 towns along the coast are exempt from the rules, along with public buses, taxis and NCC cars, which are hired with a driver. But standard rental cars are included in the ban. Anas, the authority which manages the roads, has also completely banned vehicles over 10.36 metres long. Caravans and vehicles with trailers will only be able to use the road between midnight and 6:30am. Anyone who tries to visit on the wrong day will not be allowed to enter and could face being issued a fine by local police.