Beach concessions in Posillipo: a bargain worth a few euros, but with huge profits.

Naples – The Posillipo sea, with its enchanting beaches and increasingly limited access, is preparing for a new chapter.

The Port Authority has announced a tender for the assignment of three beach lots for two years: two on Donn'Anna beach, currently occupied by Bagno Elena and Lido Ideal, and one on Le Monache beach, managed by Bagno Sirena. The asking price for a one-year concession? €3.204. A ridiculous sum that raises important questions about the true cost of "free sea."

This fee, set as the minimum by law for concessions smaller than 2000 square meters, is less than the cost of renting a parking space in Naples for a year. A sum that beach resort managers, with the prices they charge for a single entrance fee, an umbrella, and a lounger, can collect in less than half a day.

This yawning discrepancy highlights a systemic problem: state-owned concessions, often renewed with extensions, are awarded at ridiculously low prices, while private beaches continue to profit astronomically at the expense of bathers.

The fight for free seas and the ambiguities of the tender

The tender, while requiring concessionaires to take responsibility for cleaning the adjacent public beach areas and providing lifeguard services, appears to perpetuate a model that favors operators at the expense of the community. It mentions stringent financial and technical requirements, such as a minimum turnover of €200.000 over the last three years, which effectively restrict competition, favoring current occupants.

Despite promises, open sea remains a mirage. On Donn'Anna beach, only the portion of the shore in front of the Palazzo Petrucci, previously occupied by the Elena bathroom, which, thanks to a technical extension, has already repositioned umbrellas and loungers. A further insult to residents. The same situation is repeated on Le Monache beach, where the free stretch remains the same as always.

The tender fails to mention the additional regional fee, which many concessionaires have systematically failed to pay in past years. This is further proof that the concession system is an anomaly that benefits private individuals to the detriment of the state and its citizens. As we await the September 22nd application deadline, the hope of a truly "free sea" accessible to all seems to be fading further and further away.