Umbrellas are banned for people aged 10 to 65 at Punta Molentis Beach in Sardinia, Italy. This rule is to ensure safety and emergency access. An entrance fee of 10 euros also applies to the beach.
Rome: Now you may have to consider your age before going on a beach holiday. Authorities have implemented a similar strange rule on Punta Molentis Beach on Italy’s famous Sardinia island. According to this new rule, people between 10 and 65 years of age cannot use umbrellas or any other thing to protect them from the sun on the beach.
Yes, you read it right. According to this new rule, use of umbrellas on the beach is allowed only to those families with children below 10 years of age, or those elderly people who are above 65 years of age. Everyone else will have to stay in the hot sun. Not only this, to visit this beach from June to the end of October, you will also have to pay an entry fee of 10 Euros (about Rs 900). Only the disabled and those who help them have been exempted from this fee.
There is a lot of anger among the people regarding this strange rule. One tourist jokingly asked, “So now we have to bring a child along to protect us from the sun?” Another person commented on the municipality’s website, “After spending a day on the beach, your body will burn and you will have to spend 20 hours in the emergency ward. It seems that the minds of those making these rules have already melted in the sun.”
However, municipal officials say that security is a major reason behind this decision. Last year there was a massive fire on this beach. At that time, people had put up thousands of umbrellas, due to which it was very difficult for the ambulance and rescue teams to enter through the ground route. The injured had to be taken to the hospital by boat. The municipality says that in case of any emergency, it is necessary to control umbrellas to get people out quickly. Also, the view of the sea is also hidden due to people placing umbrellas haphazardly.
The rules regarding beaches in Italy are often strange. Most of the famous beaches here are under the control of private clubs. At these places, a day’s rent for a chair and an umbrella ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 45,000. Strict rules have already been in place on Sardinia’s beaches. There is a ban on taking beach sand home from here. If someone is caught doing this, he can be fined more than $3,000 (about Rs 2.5 lakh). Even to prevent sand from sticking to clothes or towels, only mats made of straw are allowed.