Early last week I settled down in my dentist’s waiting room and grabbed hold of an armful of Italian gossip magazines. Being summer, the paparazzi had declared open season on celebrities, holidaying footballers and their invariably stunning girlfriends frolicking on the beaches which make up the Italian Riviera.
Flicking through the pages I caught sight of the ubiquitous Flavio Briatore in what looked suspiciously like a penis-pouch south of his pubic region; starlets by the dozen sporting bikini-bottoms-only swimwear; and famous couples splashing about in the water. And in the background I caught glimpses of the beaches. I use the term “glimpses” intentionally because the beaches were practically covered with head-to-toe sunbeds, umbrellas and other paraphernalia related to beach concessions. It was almost impossible to see any spots which were not taken up by the regimented beach furniture of the concessions.
I wondered what would happen if an Italian family wanted to lay down their own towels on the sand and lie down under the shade of their own umbrella instead of the “ombrellone” which they had been forced to hire out. The issue is of particular interest to me because I’m a beach lover. I’m never happier than when I’m by the sea or in it. I find swimming pools are a comfortable alternative when the sea is infested with jellyfish or when it’s rough, but they’re no comparison to the real thing.
So every time I catch sight of an application for planning permission for “beach enhancement” or “setting up of beach facilities” a quiver of apprehension goes through me, as I wonder whether it’s an application for yet another beach concession in disguise. For you see, here in Malta, beach concessions come in two forms. There’s the out-and-out beach concession, such as part of the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet entrusted to the Ta’ Cenc hotel, where the non-paying public has absolutely no access to the foreshore from land.
Then there’s the “de facto” beach concession where, in theory at least, the non-paying public does have access to the foreshore but the beach is so crowded with umbrellas and deckchairs belonging to the concessionaries that it becomes practically impossible not to hire the stuff or to edge one’s way to the water’s edge. At times Ghadira Bay is like this.
I find both sorts of concessions deeply objectionable. In a country already suffocated by buildings, cars and general over-crowding, our beaches are the last few open spaces we have. They lead to the refreshing sight of the sea and they should be free to all, not just to those who can afford to pay for a lido membership or who own a boat. I have no truck with those who claim that the owners of beach concessions are providing amenities such as showers or deckchairs for the public and that consequently they should be granted a concession over the land where the amenities are sited. Users of the amenities should pay for the providers for these services and that payment should be reward enough. There is no way that the provision of amenities should serve as justification for barring off land to the public. I also resent the idea of cordoning off stretches of the beach for hotel guests – however high-spending they are. Malta’s coastline is limited, not all of it is accessible or suitable for swimming from. It is grossly unfair to Maltese citizens to restrict the coastline even further.
Being sadly aware of the above and knowing that we tend to copy foreign fads, trends, and even legislation I suggest that we copy the Italians. Not, of course in their mania for privatising every little inch of public beach or of snapping endless photos of droopy middle-aged entrepreneurs sporting butt-cleavage; but their recently enacted legislation guaranteeing free access and enjoyment of all the foreshore to the public.
That’s right. As of the beginning of this year the Italian government has passed legislation making it compulsory for all owners of beach concessions to grant the non-paying public the right of passage through the site occupied by a lido. In addition to this, any member of the public who wants to sit down or lie on his towel within a beach concession is fully entitled to do so for free. The only time that swimmers need to pay anything is when they make use of the amenities offered by the lido.
Furthermore, the Italian government has decreed that beach concessions cannot be granted for more than 20 years and has bound itself to ensure that there are enough public beaches for the Italians to enjoy. I know that everybody has Romano Prodi pegged as an unexciting politician but legislation of this sort is better than the exciting stuff of pre-election promises just waiting to be broken. Our politicians should take a leaf out of his book and copy these laws – and enforce them.

Beppe Grillo, the Italian actor and satirist, is one of the most fearless commentators on the Italian political scene. He is not afraid to call a spade a spade and to name and shame corrupt politicians or to lampoon them. His blog www.beppegrillo.it (in Italian and English) is one of the 10 most visited blogs in the world. In one entry he wrote about what he thought future generations of Italians would never experience – free beaches for all. I read through this entry, through the clumsy English and found myself nodding in consent at Grillo’s words. He had encapsulated precisely what I felt – a love for the beach in its natural state and a fear that we won’t be seeing much of it in the years to come. This is the unedited text of Grillo’s blog entry – see if it echoes what you feel:
“I have seen things that you Italian humans could not imagine… clean beaches that are free all over Europe. And I have seen free showers on the beach in the blinding light of summer.
“And all these sensations will be lost for you. They’ll be lost in time because of speculation, because of concessions, because of privatisation. It’s the time of big private sun umbrellas, of private deck chairs, of private beaches. It’s time for paying for what is yours.
“The Berlin Wall, the Great Wall of China and the steel barrier of Padua are nothing compared to Italian beaches. They have been confiscated. To get access to a public beach you need to do horrifying treks through the woods or walk for miles along the main road. All to find an outlet sewer without filtering. A free beach. It’s the usual enchantment of words. The beach is a beach and that’s it. Without adjectives. Why do beaches become private? Who is it that entrusts what belongs to everyone to private activities for their profit? Who authorises this? The local authorities? But the beach belongs to the citizens and not to the local authorities. The argument is always the same. Motorways, telephony, water, beaches. Our stuff, stuff of the State is privatised and our rights are ignored.
In Europe, the beaches are almost always free. In Italy there are half free. It’s a bit like everything in this country. I propose a movement for liberating the beaches. At least those.”

In his attempts to explain himself out of the ADT driving instructors mess, Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett wrote an open letter to The Times. Entitled “Dear Reader” the letter contained Mugliett’s views on handling his portfolio – which he termed a “hot potato” ministry. He says that this involves “expressing myself publicly on deadlines, knowing that my head was on the block, but knowing also that this was the only way to make contractors keep to their commitments”. As a friend pointed out, announcing deadlines for the completion of roadworks and ensuring that contractors carried out the works which they were paid for should be the norm and not some extraordinary feat that Jesmond should claim credit for. Jesmond should realise that roadworks are paid for by our taxes – they are not some form of undeserved goodies which he hands out because of his munificence. Announcing a completion date and keeping to it is his job. He should stick to that instead of being too “hands-on” about suspensions within the ADT.