Italy: Woman’s act at gender-segregated beach, Bagno Marino La Lanterna, sparks fury from locals

A dispute over a centuries-old beach tradition in Italy has erupted into a near-physical altercation after a woman entered an area reserved exclusively for men.

The squabble unfolded at Bagno Marino La Lanterna, known locally as Pedocin beach, in the northern city of Trieste.

Established in 1903 and believed to be Europe’s last remaining gender-segregated beach, there is a wall that separates the stretch of sand and the shallows into a section for women and another for men.

The hotspot’s layout became a point of contention when a woman, reported to be visiting from Milan, entered the men’s section of the beach with her partner before being approached by a local who reminded the pair of the rules.

The exchange then heated up when the tourist called the local, a woman aged in her 50s, “sexist” and backward” after being asked to leave the area, according to Italian publication Il Piccolo.

“You’re living in the Middle Ages,” she reportedly said.

“You’re a bunch of sexist oafs... this is a form of discrimination. Shame on you.”

The tourist continued her war of words with the local woman, who had entered the men’s side of the beach to help her husband take their disabled child to the toilet, by calling the a city “medieval”.

What began as a verbal disagreement almost escalated into a physical argument when the young woman “threateningly” raised her hand at the older mother.

A beach worker was then shoved, but a group of men on the beach were able to diffuse the situation before it escalated further.

The pair eventually left the beach but demanded they be refunded the €2.40 ($3.93) entrance fee they paid upon arrival.

Gender-segregated beaches became common place in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries to reflect a strict societal standard of modesty, but was gradually phased out as attitudes relaxed toward gender segregation.

Trieste residents defended the gender-separated layout at the seaside destination, arguing that women who visit the beach like being able to sunbathe topless without having men around.

“The visitors were very provocative. Nobody made them go to that beach,” one resident wrote on X.

Another said: “Pedocin is part of Trieste’s traditions. Now it’s a victim of cancel culture”, while a woman called Federica commented: “It’s not from the Middle Ages! It’s part of the history of Trieste. No Triestino wants to remove that wall!”