Most Italian beaches have the quintessential look of the Mediterranean: dark water and rocky beaches. However, there is a stretch of beach on the western coast of Italy, known as Spiagge Bianche (White Beaches), that looks bizarrely similar to the Caribbean, with white sand and light blue waters. Unfortunately, this seemingly beautiful beach is not a natural phenomenon. It is the result of a nearby chemical plant discharging thousands of tons of toxic wastewater every year into the Mediterranean Sea.
Belgian chemical industry Solvay has managed the site for over a century and although the dumping is legal and monitored, this activity still has considerable environmental and health implications. For this reason, you likely will not find these white beaches on any Italian tourist guides.
A sign warning ‘no bathing’ at Spiagge Bianche in front of the Solvay plant
A sign reading “No Bathing” is seen on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. For over a century, Belgian chemical industry Solvay has managed the site, with the authorization to dump tons of waste, pumped directly onto the coast, giving it the unusual appearance of the Caribbean’s white sand beaches. Although legal and monitored, this activity still has considerable environmental and health implications. Life in Rosignano revolves around the battle between the chemical giant and a number of local residents. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
People enjoy the beach with the Solvay soda ash plant in the distance
Tourists swim on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Tourists at Spiagge Bianche
An aerial view shows tourists on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
A drainage canal carries industrial waste into the sea
An aerial view shows the drainage canal pumping industrial waste from the Solvay soda ash plant to the “White Beaches” of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
The drainage canal coming from the Solvay soda ash plant
An aerial view shows the drainage canal pumping industrial waste from the Solvay soda ash plant to the “White Beaches” of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
One of the entrances to Spiagge Bianche
Tourists arrive at the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Sunbathers set up on Spiagge Bianche in front of the industrial plant
Tourists sunbathe on the “Spiagge Bianche” (white beaches) in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
A stretch of artifically white, sandy beach in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy
An aerial view shows tourists on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
The drainage canal with a smoke stack from the Solvay plant in the background
The drainage canal spills industrial waste from the Solvay soda ash plant to the “White Beaches” of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
A close up of the ‘white sand’
A general view shows the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
The water gets darker and the beaches less white as you look beyond Spiagge Bianche
An aerial view shows tourists on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Despite its dubious source, tourists come to Spiagge Bianche for a beach day
An aerial view shows tourists on the “Spiagge Bianche” in front of the Solvay soda ash plant of Rosignano Solvay, on July 9, 2024 in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
