Umbrellas of discontent

A sea of umbrellas at Porto Pino, near the Sardinian capital of Cagliari. A spot with a couple of chairs and an umbrella would cost upwards of €50. — Teal Thomsen/The New York Times

EVERY year in Italy, during the sultry weeks straddling Ferragosto – the sacrosanct mid-August national holiday – cities empty as Italians head en masse to bea­ches and mountain resorts.

But this summer, the usual idyll was sullied in the minds of many Italians shocked by how expensive a day at the seaside has become.