‘Sexist’ or historic? Italy’s 123-year-old beach sees visitors surge after ‘men here, women there’ controversy
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Sexist’ or historic? Italy’s 123-year-old beach sees visitors surge after ‘men here, women there’ controversy")
Generic image of Italy's beach for representation Photograph: (AFP)
Trieste’s historic La Lanterna beach saw July ticket sales surge to over 53,000 following public debate over its traditional 1903 gender-segregated bathing wall, with female visitors driving most of the growth.
A historic beach club in Italy that faced criticism this year over its policy of separating male and female bathers has recorded a sharp rise in visitors, with the controversy appearing to have brought more people to its shores. La Lanterna beach in Trieste, northeastern Italy, has operated since 1903 and is one of the last beaches in Europe to maintain separate bathing areas for men and women.
The council-run beach is divided by a 74-metre wall that extends into the sea, separating the male and female sections. The arrangement also allows women to sunbathe topless without being seen by men, if they choose. Bathers who want to communicate with someone on the other side can walk through the shallow water to the end of the wall.
The unusual arrangement came under scrutiny in June when a man and a woman visiting from Milan entered the men’s section together. When the woman was asked to move to the women’s area, she initially refused and criticised the policy.
“You’re a bunch of sexist oafs … This is a form of discrimination. Shame on you,” she was reported as saying, describing the segregation as “medieval”.
The couple eventually left, but the incident quickly sparked a wider debate online and across Italian news sites over whether the traditional arrangement should continue. Many Trieste residents defended the beach, arguing that the separation is part of the city’s history and culture.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
One social media user described La Lanterna as “part of Trieste’s traditions” and said it had become a victim of “cancel culture”. Another wrote: “It’s not from the Middle Ages! It’s part of the history of Trieste. No Triestino wants to remove that wall!”
Rather than driving visitors away, the controversy appears to have had the opposite effect. According to local newspaper Il Piccolo, La Lanterna sold 53,610 tickets in July, compared with 34,885 during the same month last year. The increase of more than 18,700 tickets represented a significant jump in visitor numbers, with women making up most of the additional customers, the newspaper reported.
