Note: these are the expensive tourist rules on the Italian beaches

Are you moving or are you pregnant? Then feel free to let your former colleagues know. Not only to talk about yourself a lot, but it can also be an opportunity to ask how they are doing. Maybe a nice drink will come out of it. But even if you've been promoted or have a new job, it's nice to update the people from your old work. Especially your old manager, whom you can thank again for everything you learned from him or her back then. That's really sympathetic, right? this summer to the Italian sun? Then you are probably looking forward to it. You think you are going on a nice vacation. Bikini on, sunglasses on, towel under your arm and somewhere along the way grabbing a focaccia. Until you eat that sandwich on the wrong bench and suddenly risk a fine of hundreds of euros. Yes, welcome to Italy. Various Italian coastal towns have tightened their rules for tourists significantly in recent years. And honestly? They are so crazy that you would never think about them. But yes. A fine is not a nice vacation souvenir, so pay attention: these are all the rules you need to consider.

Why have they come up with these rules?

Actually, I understand it. The Italians are a bit fed up with overcrowded beaches, mountains of trash, and vacationers who behave as if the whole country is one big all-inclusive resort. Maybe you are a neat tourist, but most? They are not so gallant. Think of wandering cans, leftover bags, and hordes of people who can’t find their way every time. I would find that annoying too if I lived in Sorrento. But some rules are so specific that you could hardly have thought of them yourself. Whether you are talking about getting fined for walking around in your bikini or almost being symbolically shot down while eating a sandwich; these rules are, eh, peculiar. Read the signs at the entrance carefully, because these are the rules you need to pay attention to.

1. The Italian ‘panino police’ checks your beach bag

On some beaches in the Apulia region, a sandwich has become quite a controversial topic. At various private beach clubs, visitors are discouraged from bringing their own food. A mother in Vieste was recently approached after her son took a homemade sandwich out of his bag. She reportedly had deliberately hidden the lunch because the beach club prohibited outside food.

There is no national Italian law that prohibits you from bringing food to the beach, but there are private clubs that enforce their own house rules. It gets so intense that the president of the Apulia region even got involved in the discussion. He emphasized that no one can forbid you from eating food on the beach. In short: your lunchbox doesn’t have to stay at home, but it can lead to a heated discussion.

2. A sandwich on a bench can cost you €500

In Portofino, you better think carefully about where you eat that freshly bought focaccia. In the chic coastal town, there are rules against ‘camping’ in public spaces during the high season. This includes hanging out on the ground, on walls, or on benches with food and belongings around you. Extensive picnicking in public spaces is also not allowed.

Anyone who decides to display their lunch in the middle of the center can receive a fine ranging from €25 to €500. Fortunately, you don’t have to throw your gelato straight into the trash, but organizing a half picnic while standing on the famous Piazzetta is not such a good idea.

3. Just popping into the supermarket in your bikini? That can get expensive

Quickly grabbing a bottle of water from the beach without putting something over your bikini first? That’s not a good plan everywhere. In various Italian coastal towns, it is prohibited to walk around outside the beach in swimwear or with an exposed upper body. Yes, you heard that right. Quickly walking around in your bikini and jorts is no longer allowed.

The exact fine varies by location. In Gallipoli, the ban is in effect until September 30, 2026, particularly in the center, on squares, in parks, in shops, on public transport, and at historical monuments. The fine can go up to €500 there. The rule does not apply on the beaches, at beach clubs, and on the routes that directly border the beach. So, putting a blouse in your beach bag could save you a very expensive vacation souvenir.

4. A cigarette on the beach can cost you up to €500

We knew the days of smoking in bed were over. We are not Carrie Bradshaw, but that you can’t smoke on the beach? That can come as a shock, but it’s true. In Rimini, the smoke-free zone has been expanded this season. Where smoking was previously only prohibited at the waterline, the ban now applies to the entire beach managed by beach clubs. Only in specially designated smoking areas is it still allowed to light a cigarette. The ban also applies to electronic cigarettes.

Anyone who smokes outside such a designated area risks a fine of €25 to €500. This may not be the best news for smokers, but for everyone who has ever lain next to a chain smoker under a parasol, it is probably a small vacation gift.

5. On this beach, you can only bring an umbrella if you are with a child or grandparent

Now we head to Sardinia, where the rules at Punta Molentis might be the most peculiar. Beachgoers between the ages of ten and 65 are not allowed to set up their own umbrella there. Only families with children under ten years old and visitors aged 65 or older are allowed to bring one umbrella. And if you think you are reading this wrong, you are not.

But good: it is not the intention that you adopt a random grandparent just for a day at the beach. The rule is part of measures to protect the vulnerable nature reserve, after the area was damaged by a wildfire and severe weather. So you can lie on the beach, but an umbrella is really not done for most visitors. So bring some extra sunscreen, a big hat, and a blanket. Because you will need them.

6. Leave that handful of sand alone

Taking a shell or a bit of sand as a vacation souvenir may seem innocent, but in Sardinia, they do not take it lightly. Taking sand, stones, pebbles, and shells from the beaches is prohibited. Fines range from €500 to as much as €3000. That jar of sand in various layers with some shells in between turns out to be an expensive joke.

At airports and ferry ports, jars, bags, and bottles of sand are regularly intercepted. Even when your child proudly has a collection of shells in their backpack, you are ultimately the one who gets the bill. So just buy a fridge magnet.

7. Full is really full in Portobello

Do you want to go to Baia del Silenzio beach (also known as Portobello) in Sestri Levante? Then you have to get up at sunrise or wait in line. Between July 1 and August 31, a maximum of 450 bathers may be present at the same time. At all three entrances, staff count how many people go on and off the beach. You don’t need to reserve, but if it’s full? Then it’s really full. That means waiting until someone leaves the beach. Rolling out of bed at eight in the morning can make the difference between a day at the sea and sulking from the promenade watching other people.

Do those rules sound crazy? Then unfortunately you have to deal with them. You might get away with a warning if you try to explain in your best Italian that you didn’t read the sign properly. But we can’t guarantee that. The most important vacation tip is therefore not to bring extra sunscreen, but to check the local rules. No matter how delicious that focaccia is: for €500, even the best sandwich tastes a lot less good.