You might think that Italy, one of the more socially conservative and religiously encumbered countries in Europe, might be very disapproving of nude sunbathing at the beaches. (Voters last month failed to approve a referendum on reproductive freedom that was opposed by the Catholic church. And 76-year-old renowned author Oriana Fallaci has actually been committed for trial next year in criminal proceedings for blasphemy — more on that here — because she has written critically of Islam.)
But perhaps the attitudes of most Italians are more open-minded than their legal and political institutions would indicate. A recent poll commissioned by the Italian Naturist Federation indicates that most Italians think nude sunbathing is perfectly natural:
While topless sunbathing is widely practiced in Italy, bottoms are usually required and nudists can face fines of more than 500 euros ($595) on some beaches, the Italian Naturalist Federation said.
But the federation said a poll it commissioned from a mainstream media outlet found nearly 70 percent of those surveyed said they would sunbath nude if everyone else did it. More than 80 percent said nudism was not erotic, but natural.
Not bad. And the fact that beach topfreedom for women is widely practiced shows that Italians are a lot better off in body acceptance that the U. S…
The news story is also here.
You might think that Italy, one of the more socially conservative and religiously encumbered countries in Europe, might be very disapproving of nude sunbathing at the beaches. (Voters last month failed to approve a referendum on reproductive freedom that was opposed by the Catholic church. And 76-year-old renowned author Oriana Fallaci has actually been committed for trial next year in criminal proceedings for blasphemy — more on that here — because she has written critically of Islam.)
But perhaps the attitudes of most Italians are more open-minded than their legal and political institutions would indicate. A recent poll commissioned by the Italian Naturist Federation indicates that most Italians think nude sunbathing is perfectly natural:
While topless sunbathing is widely practiced in Italy, bottoms are usually required and nudists can face fines of more than 500 euros ($595) on some beaches, the Italian Naturalist Federation said.
But the federation said a poll it commissioned from a mainstream media outlet found nearly 70 percent of those surveyed said they would sunbath nude if everyone else did it. More than 80 percent said nudism was not erotic, but natural.
Not bad. And the fact that beach topfreedom for women is widely practiced shows that Italians are a lot better off in body acceptance that the U. S…
The news story is also here.
Originally published July 16, 2005