Naples – An illegal beach resort, covering approximately 10 square meters, was discovered and seized in Coroglio, in western Naples, an area where swimming and even pedestrian access are strictly prohibited.
The operation, conducted jointly by the Guardia di Finanza, the Port Authority , and the Carabinieri, resulted in the charges against three people and the seizure of over 520 items of equipment, including sunbeds, umbrellas, and deckchairs.
According to the investigations, the illegal activity generated undeclared earnings of up to 3 euros a day, a thriving business operated in complete disregard of regulations.
The one who brought the matter to the fore is Francesco Emilio Borrelli, MP for the Green-Left Alliance, who had already reported the presence of the illegal beach resort in June . "The intervention of the police is positive, but it comes too late," Borrelli stated.
Borrelli's complaint: "Every year this illegal beach resort is closed at the end of the summer. This isn't right."
Every year, at the end of the season, this beach is seized, but the next day it's open again. This is a farce that cannot continue. A serious strategy is needed: either we decide to regulate these activities, or we fight illegality with constant checks and severe penalties.
We cannot allow free beaches, a common good, to be transformed into criminal enterprises managed with arrogance."
Borrelli doesn't mince his words and points to a deeper problem: "Too often, as we've already seen at Mappatella Beach , Camorra clans hide behind these illegal beaches. Fighting illegal activities means attacking organized crime, which profits from the sea and takes away citizens' space."
The MP calls for a change of pace: "The institutions must ensure a strong state presence along the entire Neapolitan coast. We need more controls, not just at the end of summer, but throughout the year, to prevent our sea from becoming a land of conquest for those who live outside the rules."
The Coroglio affair reignites the debate over the management of Naples' public beaches, which are increasingly prey to illegal activities that, in addition to damaging the environment and public access, fuel a shadow economy often linked to crime. Borrelli and the citizens' demands are clear: beaches must once again be a right for all, not a privilege for the few.
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I read in the article that the illegal business was shut down, but it's not the first time; it happens every year. The problem is deeper, and a strategy is needed to resolve the issue of free beaches in Naples.