mini beach and sardine effect, there is the risk of escape and refunds

ANCONA – «We will try to give everyone an umbrella but there could be some inconveniences. The beach isn’t what it was last year.” Erosion runs fast in Portonovo, so much so that operators are now forced to reach out to customers to warn them of the faint beach. This is the case of Maurizio Sonnino, owner of Capannina, who in recent days is contacting those who have already booked an umbrella in his establishment. He explains that «I can’t afford to lose customers but it was right to say that the situation could be a bit spartan, with some inconvenience».

The obstacles

Like the space reduced to the bare minimum, with close umbrellas and a significant difference in height between the beginning and the end of the beach. And “in case this doesn’t make customers happy, we have offered to return the deposit to anyone who requests it” anticipates Sonnino. Although for now, fortunately, “everyone has been very understanding.” After all, what is happening in the bay is incredible and is beyond the control of beachgoers.

The shocking numbers

«We lost 2 thousand cubic meters of beach» says Sonnino. Approximately ten meters, with a pronounced step that crystallizes how far the force of the sea dared to go. «We won’t take away the umbrella from anyone, we will adapt because this is our job, adapting to make customers happy» underlines the owner of the Capannina. Even if it becomes more difficult to do so every time. «The beach is not the same as last year, we will work within the limits of what the remaining beach allows us» he warns. Things are no better at the Napoleonic Fort. «The situation is bad. Three years ago a wall collapsed and is about to collapse again” testifies the owner, Eros Renzetti. With obvious image problems. Customers “tell us that everything is beautiful, that the food is good and the hospitality is excellent but that the beach is very ugly” says Renzetti. Which for a place that has made the beautiful sea its ace in the hole, is a significant problem. «We could do much more» remarks the owner of the Fortino. And with the season now upon us, the chances of repairing the damage are becoming increasingly blurred every day. The nourishment “should be done in mid-May” according to Sonnino. An unrealistic term, today. «The Region has told us that if it is done, it will be done at the end of June» he adds. Too late for those factories that have been fully operational since the end of May. The problem, then, is that nourishment is just a patch. «We hope that a defense project for the Portonovo coast will be completed as soon as possible» is Renzetti’s hope. In short, operators are asking for a definitive solution. Various solutions have been proposed, which according to the owner of the Fortino “are all fine as long as they are decisive”. Also because “I believe that many small interventions risk causing damage to the environment much more than a single operation, then letting nature take its course.” Not to mention that, to date, the beach situation must also be evaluated in terms of the dangers encountered by bathers. In front of the Fortino, for example, “there are stretches where all that remains is large cobblestones.” A ghost beach that risks making the less attentive slip or blocking the elderly or disabled. The appeal is for the defense of the coast. “Let’s not leave it at the mercy of itself” is Renzetti’s warning.

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Read the full article at
Adriatic Courier