Italy's largest environmentalist group on Friday made an appeal for better controls on the number of beaches that have been taken over by private bathing establishments.
Around half of Italy's 7,375 kilometres of coast is made up of beaches, but many of these have been conceded to private businesses who charge people for entrance as well as the hire of sun loungers and umbrellas and the provision of showers, changing rooms and toilets.
Legambiente said that in many Italian regions these private beaches outnumbered free beaches, where anyone can sit on the sand without having to pay.
''They have invaded our coasts, making the beaches more inaccessible for those who are not prepared to pay to enjoy a common property like the sea,'' Legambiente said.
Topping the list of regions whose beaches are now taken up by private bathing establishments is Liguria, where only 19 km out of 135 km of beaches are free of charge. Emilia Romagna is in second place, with sea-lovers having to fork out to use 80 km out of 104 km of beaches.
The region's worst offender is the popular tourist resort of Rimini, which is crammed to capacity every summer as 700 bathing establishments crowd 40 km of coast.
Around 50% of the beaches in Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio, Abruzzo, Calabria and Basilicata are private, Legambiente said.
The situation improves in Campania, where there are 130 km of free beaches compared to 80 km of private beaches, while in Puglia around 75% of beaches are free.
Sicily and Sardinia remain the best bets for sands unlittered by loungers and umbrellas, with private bathing establishments the exception rather than the rule.
In theory, even on private beaches the 10-metre strip of sand from the water's edge remains public property, and beach-goers who manage to get access to it can spread their towels without paying a fee.
