Sardinian beach bans umbrellas for 10 to 65-year-olds

Visitors to a picturesque beach on the Italian island of Sardinia ban have been told they can only erect an umbrella if they have a child under 10 or they are aged over 65.

Authorities at Punta Molentis beach, on Sardinia’s south-east coast, say wildfires that ravaged the beach, dunes and car park last year mean they have to impose a maximum of 150 visitors at a time.

“It’s therefore necessary to limit human impact and ensure protection of this heritage for future generations,” the local town of Villasimius has decided.

Sardinia’s idyllic beaches have long attracted big numbers, and Punta Molentis is not the only one trying to impose limits this summer.

However, Villasimius Mayor Gianluca Dessi this month signed an official order, imposing a compulsory fee of €10 (£8.60) per visitor arriving at the beach by land, while anyone arriving by boat needs to pay €5.

Under the new rules, vehicle access to Punta Molentis is curbed at 70 cars per day until 31 October, and reservations to attend the beach will also be compulsory, according to the order posted on the Villasimius council website.

Parasols or umbrellas are banned for everyone, except for families with children under 10 or for those over-65.

“The ecosystem of Punta Molentis is one of the most valuable in our territory but also one of the most fragile,” the official notice reads.

Beachgoers at Punta Molentis were forced to flee wildfires by boat in late July, 2025, as fires licked the water’s edge and black smoke billowed out to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Dozens of cars were left burned out in the beach car park.

Not everyone is happy with the new rule.

One Sardinian, posting on the Villasimius social media page, wondered whether people would soon need to hire young children or older people to visit the beach, arguing that the only solution for the beach to recover from the fires would be to close it for a few years.

Sardinia’s tourism website describes Punta Molentis as “one of the pearls of Villasimius”, lying at the tip of a promontory jutting out on the island’s southern coastline.