Nudist beaches can be found throughout the world but an Italian beach town is planning on offering its guests just a little more. San Vero Milis, located on Sardinia’s west coast, wants to start introducing naturist weddings on the Is Benas beach. The beach has been a naturist-designated destination for over two years now and the initiative took off when a German couple asked whether or not a naturist wedding on the beach would be an option.
Even though Luigi Tedeschi, the mayor of San Vero Milis and a self-declared anti-fascist, got the idea from the German couple, according to him, his willingness to allow naturalist weddings on the beach goes much further than just a couple of nude wedding goers. “I think we’re living in a delicate moment for people’s freedom, with the nationalist movements in Europe. People protest and get rounded up by the police, or they’re intimidated. So I think we need to do things to show that people are free. Most people want freedom, not a regime”, Tedeschi told CNN.
Tedeschi also explained the central part of the Is Benas beach has always been attracting a naturalist crowd but he officialised the matter a couple of years back to allow for anyone going there to feel safe and welcome. “Nudity has nothing to do with sex. For [naturists] it’s a philosophy of life, and is linked to nature”, he said. “It should be respected – so why not? We have this beach, a place that lends itself brilliantly to naturism. And then we thought, let’s make a beach for weddings. If people want to marry nude, they can.”
Because of the location of the beach, which is partly hidden by vast dunes and a pine forest, any passerby can easily look the other way if they don’t want to be confronted with any nudity. Therefore, no complaints have been issued within San Vero Milis, a town counting 2,500 inhabitants and up to 30,000 during the summer months.
The mayor is part of those who want to create a naturalist beach network throughout Sardinia as a way to develop a more sustainable and unique kind of tourism. “We have to have a cultural exchange – not big hotels, but small accommodation offerings that tell the story of the area. That can only happen if I greet the tourist in my home, feed them something I made – and this kind of tourism [naturism] is perfect for that. They are more in touch with nature”, Tedeschi added.
Morover, according to Tedeschi, contrary to “normal” beaches which are often scattered with trash, the naturalist beaches are always in pristine condition.
