Nuns fight Italian town's plan to take away their beach club

A group of nuns is fighting back against local council plans to take away their beach club in the Ligurian town of Spotorno, according to the Guardian. The sisters argue they should retain the concession because it funds their charitable activities, the latest flashpoint in a long-running debate about the monopoly of private concessions along Italy's coastline.

The dispute touches a national question that has simmered for years: the vast majority of Italy's beaches are leased to private operators, often for decades, and the European Union has pressed Rome to open them to competitive bidding. The nuns' case adds a moral dimension to an argument usually framed in terms of commerce and tourism.