In the name of charity: After 80 years, Spotorno’s nuns may have to give up their beach

Italian media have already dubbed it a “holy war.” The dispute is unfolding in Spotorno, a small municipality on the Ligurian coast where thousands of people spend their summers. At issue is a 50-meter stretch of beach that the Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary have operated for 80 years.

The nuns run a paid beach facility, renting out umbrellas and loungers. Visitors cannot enter with only a towel. The sisters say the revenue finances charitable projects, and they also organize summer programs for children in July and August. That arrangement could now come to an end.

Ligurian authorities decided years ago that at least 40 percent of the region’s beaches must remain freely accessible. In Spotorno, the figure is below 20 percent. The municipality decided in July that some private beach facilities would have to go, including the sisters’ operation, and plans to reopen the concession for a free public beach in the autumn.

The decision has angered the sisters. “Why does the municipality want to take our beach away?” Sister Miranda, who is well over 80, reportedly asked at a municipal meeting. She argued that the nuns also provide holiday childcare and that financing for other charitable projects could be threatened.

According to La Repubblica, the sisters say their facility belongs to the tradition of “charity beach facilities” and should therefore remain under the order’s management. The category emerged in the 1950s, especially for beaches previously used for holiday camps under Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime. These facilities were intended for charitable and social purposes and were often run by religious institutions.

However, port authorities have for years registered the Spotorno facility as an ordinary paid beach operation, with chargeable loungers and umbrellas. Around 70 percent of Liguria’s beaches are paid access.

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Why does the municipality want to take our beach away?