The Italian island of Sardinia, the second largest in the Mediterranean Sea, is renowned for having some of the best beaches in Europe, from secluded spots to amenity-rich locations perfect for families, making it popular with British tourists. However, it also has a number of little-known rules.
A new rule means that tourists on its waters could be handed penalties ranging from just under £200 to £1,160.
According to the Super Yacht Times, new rules have restricted overnight stays in La Maddalena Park. Anchoring is now prohibited between 9pm and 8am for all recreational vessels including those used for rentals, leases, sailing schools, diving and snorkelling.
Overnight stays have been restricted, with skippers only able to use mooring buoys installed by the Park Authority – which act as a temporary floating anchor point. These are not suitable for any boat longer than 15 metres.
Also restricted by this rule are recreational vessels owned by locals and firms whose legal headquarters have been located there for at least five years. Only under a maritime state concession – a contract between a private enterprise for a specific activity – can the mooring of recreational vessels at buoy fields be owned by private entities.
Between 9.30am and 5pm, mooring buoys designated for passenger transport vessels cannot be used for any recreational boats, yachts or ships.
The new rules come after news that Italy was bringing in several measures to minimise the impact of tourists on its shores. For example, Sardinia has limited the capacity of visitors at Cala Sisine Beach to 1,600 while only 550 people are allowed to visit Cala Mariolu Beach a day, after paying a 86p fee.
Additionally, taking, holding, or selling sand, pebbles, stones, or shells from the coast or sea can result in hefty fines of up to €3,000 (£2,500). More severe penalties, including jail time, can be imposed for theft of public assets.
Environmental scientist Pierluigi Cocco stressed the impact of such activities in a BBC interview following the 2019 arrest of a French couple with 14 plastic bottles filled with sand.
“Only a fraction of the tourists visiting Sardinia spend their time digging up to 40kg of sand each,” he said.
“But if you multiply half that amount times 5 percent of the one million tourists per year, in a few years that would contribute significantly to the reduction of beaches.”
In June, a social media influencer from Dubai was fined over £1,500 for trespassing on the beach of Spiaggia Rosa, famous for its pink sand. The beach used to be more pink, but due to rising levels of tourism in Budelli where visitors began to steal the sand to sell it or keep it as a souvenir, the pink hue began to lighten. As a result, the Italian government made it illegal for any tourist to access the beach in 1994 in an attempt to preserve it.
