Fight fascism by saying “I Do” in the nude
Anti-fascist mayor in Sardinia approves naked beach weddings, saying, “We need to do things to show that people are free.”
Back when fascist Benito Mussolini ruled Italy with an iron fist, naturist recreation was forbidden on the country’s Mediterranean shores—and everywhere else. Although Il Duce himself was fond of running around shirtless in front of the cameras to show off his strongman virility, for everyone else, nudity was prohibited—La nudità era proibita.
Fascism and naturism
Though Hitler’s Italian friend was overthrown long ago, the far-right authoritarian ideology the two of them peddled while trying to conquer Europe in the 1940s is back in vogue. And that development has one local mayor on the island of Sardinia looking for ways to remind people about the need to oppose creeping repression and stand up for liberty.
What better way than liberating the body and celebrating love?
That’s the conclusion reached by Luigi Tedeschi, mayor of San Vero Milis on Sardinia’s west coast. He’s just signed off on a new policy allowing nude weddings on the town’s serene and picturesque Is Benas Beach.
“We’re living in a delicate moment for people’s freedom, with the nationalist movements in Europe,” Tedeschi told CNN recently. “People protest and get rounded up by the police; they’re intimidated,” he said.
Extremist parties and organizations inspired by the dictatorships that ruled much of the continent before World War II are gaining ground. In Germany, the Alternative for Germany party is winning votes with neo-Nazi talking points. In France, Trump ally Marine LePen came in second place in the most recent presidential election. And in Italy itself, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rules the land at the head of the Brothers of Italy party, successor to Mussolini’s old National Fascist Party.
Like ultra-conservative forces in the U.S., these figures run on platforms obsessed with tamping down the rising influence of immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, and trade unions. In some places, like Spain and Malta, naturists and clothing-optional beaches have also become punching bags for the right wing. Nudists, like other marginalized minority groups, make convenient targets for political groups employing religious and moral panic strategies to rally supporters to their cause.
Tedeschi, who is a self-declared “anti-fascist,” argues that bold moves are needed to oppose the extremist agenda. “We need to do things to show that people are free,” he said. “Most people want freedom, not a police state.”
The decision to allow naked weddings at Is Benas Beach is not the first time that San Vero Milis has made waves when it comes to naturism and body freedom.
Italy has had clothing-optional beaches for decades, but they were few and far between and often had questionable legal status. A law dating back to the fascist era designating nudity as something shameful remained on the books for years and mandated a two-month prison sentence for anyone who went naked in a public area like a beach. Other regulations around “obscenity” that were backed by the powerful Catholic Church buttressed this prude positioning on the part of the state.
Introducing nude weddings
It was only in 2006 that a Supreme Court ruling overturned Mussolini’s anti-nude law and somewhat loosened restrictions that criminalized being unclothed. A new bill passed in 2017 edged things ahead a bit more, giving local authorities the power to dedicate stretches of coastline for naturist recreation.
Tedeschi was one of the first to take advantage of the change, allowing a three-kilometer section of the golden dunes and pine forests at Is Benas to go nude two years ago. He says he was just fulfilling his mayoral duty to promote tourism and simply putting the stamp of approval on what was already common practice.
“I’m 65 and remember the times when nudity on the beach was normal,” Tedeschi told The Guardian when discussing his decision. “Is Benas was already being used by naturists; all we’ve done is regulate it.”
Nobody in town has complained, according to the mayor, and tourism numbers are up. The regular population of 2,500 now swells to 30,000 or more during the summer months. There are plenty of other things to do in the area for visitors, as well. The famed Roman ruins of Tharros are nearby, as are the 28 giant stone figures of the Giganti di Mont’e Prama.
The decision to offer couples the chance to recite their vows au naturel under the Mediterranean sun is an evolution of San Vero Milis’s growing reputation as a tourist hotspot. The idea for nude weddings came about after a couple from Germany wrote to Tedeschi’s office asking for permission to get hitched on the beach.
Sensing the opportunity to attract more visitors, Tedeschi jumped on the proposal. “We have this beach, a place that lends itself brilliantly to naturism,” he said. “Let’s make it a beach for weddings, too. If people want to marry nude, they can.”
The Sardinian town chieftain has an appreciation for naturism that goes beyond just its potential to grab tourist dollars, though. “For naturists, nudity is a philosophy of life and is linked to nature,” Tedeschi told the press. “It should be respected.”
It also turns out that nudists take much better care of the area than typical textile beach-goers. “Whenever nudists come to Is Benas, they always leave it clean,” Tedeschi claimed. “This is the main thing—capturing the culture of naturism, not just seeing it as nudity.” It’s thus a two-fold win for San Vero Milis: A remote section of beach is now open to tourism, and the tourists who want to come are more environmentally conscious.
As for the nude weddings, some townspeople have joked with Tedeschi, inquiring as to whether he will stick with the dress code when fulfilling his duty of officiating ceremonies.
“People can wear as much or as little as they want, including me,” he said. “As long as the principle is to affirm people’s freedom, it’s all good.” 🪐
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If only we had political figures here in the United States that actually believe in freedom and individual liberty as opposed to those who are held in control by the evangelist crowd and their narrow minded views with regard to body freedom.
Thank you for calling things by their names.