Mare libero: the association fighting against beach expropriation

Their only weapons are towels, but the voice of the volunteers of Free Sea It's incredibly strong and makes its presence felt every year on beaches across Italy. When they arrive, they simply lay out their towels on the sand, one next to the other, symbolically occupying a space, expropriated by beach concessionaires, that should be available to all citizens for free bathing.

The battles of Mare libero, as seen from the pages of their site, They are widespread and go in several directions:

Defense of free access to the sea

The central goal is to ensure that the sea and beaches remain a common good accessible to all. The association fights against abuses and unlawful restrictions (such as fences or barriers to access) and promotes citizens' right to free use of the coast. A form of protest peaceful and visual: instead of aggressive slogans, the volunteers of Free Sea  They physically show what a free beach, full of ordinary people, should be like.

Legality control in beach concessions

It monitors and challenges situations in which beach resort concessions violate regulations or favor private interests to the detriment of the public. It also promotes legal appeals and interventions with institutions. Each year, in particular, volunteers from Free Sea they appear on the beaches put under observation with the project The capture of the Battle, concentrated on the beaches of Campania and Lazio. 

Legal battles

Through a team of volunteer lawyers, Mare Libero organizes appeals and legal battles to allow free beach access. Its latest courtroom victories date back to February 2026, when the association won two appeals before the Campania Regional Administrative Court (TAR) to guarantee free space on the city's beaches, now all occupied by concessionaires, some of them illegal.

The rulings are important, as they establish the principle that "free access to the sea constitutes a manifestation of a fundamental human right founded on three articles of the Constitution." A right, the TAR judges point out, that cannot be limited or restricted to suit the interests of concessionaires. 

Environmental protection of the coasts

The association works to protect the marine and coastal environment, for example by raising awareness about erosion, land use, and the need for more sustainable beach management. 

The main face of the Mare Libero activists is that of the lawyer Roberto Biagini, 61 years old, President and national coordinator of the association. He brings dual experience: as an administrative law lawyer, highly knowledgeable about beach concessions and citizens' rights to bathing; and for ten years, from 2006 to 2016, Biagini served as a municipal councilor in Rimini, where he was responsible for urban planning and maritime property. This experience allowed him to forge alliances in all Italian regions with beaches, transforming Mare Libero from a simple association into a national network. 

Cover image source: Altreconomia

Read also:

• Free beaches: the silent expropriation
• The Italian beaches at risk of disappearing