Home to the Venice Film Festival and several luxury hotels, Lido in Venice is famous the world over as an exclusive escape for the rich and famous. Its reputation began in 1857 when the first beach resort in the world opened on the tiny sandbar and the island has been attracting celebrities every since.
Now, the mayor of Venice is doing away with the restrictions, signing a law that will require all hotels and residences to clearly mark their property lines, and preventing them from claiming the 15 feet of sand nearest to the waters edge. This extra space will be free for anyone to use during the day.
The angry elite, who pay up to 15,000 euro a season to rent cabins on the beach, are in an uproar. They argue that the steep price should come with greater privacy and want to limit access by non-paying day-trippers.
As a concession, the officials in Venice have also passed several laws regulating beach-going behavior.
The beach may be free, but there will be no games involving balls of any kind or loud music between the hours of 1 pm and 4 pm. Dogs are banned, as is diving and using soap in the outdoor showers.
