Naturism in Italy: laws and customs

At a glance

What the law says

Article 726 of the Criminal Code punishes anyone who, in a public place or one exposed to the public, commits acts against public decency ("compie atti contrari alla pubblica decenza"). Since 2016 it has no longer been a crime but an administrative offence. In 2022 the Constitutional Court reduced the penalty to the current €51 to €309 (Normattiva, ruling no. 95/2022). If you pay within 60 days you pay a reduced amount: with the current figures that's €102.

The same ruling explains the difference between nudity and obscenity: what matters is the message, not how much you show. If nudity has no sexual meaning, it is "al più" (at most) an act against decency; among its examples the Court mentions precisely "l'esporre il corpo nudo in una spiaggia pubblica non riservata ai nudisti". Obscene acts (art. 527) are punished much more severely.

On unauthorised beaches the Court of Cassation has given different answers. In 2000 it wrote that nudity without erotic behaviour is not indecent on a beach "riservata ai nudisti o da essi solitamente frequentata". In 2012, however, it upheld the fine given to a naked man on a beach in Taormina that nudists had used for years, but that was full of swimsuit-clad bathers and children.

Italy has no national law on naturism. At home, or in a space that can't be seen from outside, these rules do not apply.

Where you can be naked

• Authorised beaches: the municipality decides, with an ordinance or a council resolution. FENAIT keeps a list of official beaches, from Varallo Sesia to Gela, including Capocotta (Rome), Lido di Dante (Ravenna), la Lecciona (Viareggio), Piscinas (Sardinia) and Stignano (Calabria). Each beach has its own rules: at Lido di Dante, for example, naturism is only allowed in the signposted area and in certain months, and crossing the dune is prohibited; anyone who breaks the rules risks €150 to €450 (2024 ordinance).
• Regional laws: Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Piedmont and Abruzzo have a law dedicated to naturism; Sardinia and Lombardy cover it in their tourism laws. They allow municipalities to set aside beaches, woods, lakes and rivers, as long as they are marked out and signposted.
• Naturist stays: private places where nudity is the rule or is allowed in some areas. You'll find them in the list of naturist stays in Italy.

Tolerated beaches and bans

Many coves have been used by naturists for decades without any authorisation, such as Punta Crena in Varigotti, in Liguria. Reviews describe nude and clothed people getting along peacefully, and don't mention any checks. But there is no legal basis: if someone files a complaint, article 726 applies.

Municipalities can also ban nudism with a mayor's ordinance, with fines of €25 to €500. In summer 2026, for example:

• in Torri del Benaco, on Lake Garda, the municipality banned nudism on all beaches (topless allowed) and five people were fined €150 (L'Arena);
• in Torre Salsa, in Sicily, no-nudity signs appeared on a beach that has historically been naturist;
• in San Vero Milis, in Sardinia, two naked couples just outside the authorised area of Is Benas were each asked to pay €3,333 (L'Unione Sarda). That figure matches the reduced payment of the old penalty declared unconstitutional in 2022: under the one in force it would be €102.

In the cases reported in the news, checks almost always start with complaints from other beachgoers or with sexual behaviour.

Topless, towns and saunas

• Topless: for the Court of Cassation it has been "comportamento comunemente accettato" (commonly accepted behaviour) since 2000, and it is allowed even where full nudity is banned. Today, though, only a minority of Italian women go topless.
• In town: many tourist towns ban walking around in swimwear or shirtless away from the beach, with fines of up to €500 (among others San Bartolomeo al Mare, Varenna, Sorrento, Tropea and Gallipoli).
• Sauna: in most of Italy you go in wearing swimwear. In South Tyrol, on the other hand, many hotels and spas have swimwear-free saunas, often with a minimum age.

The local mood

Italians are among the least used to nudity in Europe, but they are not hostile. Just over one in five has been naked outdoors at least once as an adult, yet only 17% find nudity on a nudist beach unacceptable (YouGov, 2025). Young adults are the most open.

So nudity is accepted where it is provided for and tolerated on many secluded beaches. Problems arise where naturists mix with families, in crowded places or when there is sexual behaviour.

Naturist associations

• FENAIT, Federazione Naturista Italiana: the national federation recognised by INF-FNI, the international federation. The INF naturist card is issued through one of the affiliated associations and is personal, with a photo and an annual sticker.
• A.N.ITA., Associazione Naturista Italiana, and UNI, Unione Naturisti Italiani.

No law requires you to show the card: it depends on the venue, so it's best to ask beforehand.

LGBTQ+ travellers

No legal risk: same-sex relations have been legal since 1890 and civil unions have existed since 2016.