Interesting article about plans for a women's-only beach in Riccione, to accommodate certain foreign tourists.
 

Here's a link to the article that I saw posted on another forum: http://www.corriere.it/english/artic...riccione.shtml The beach would be to accommodate certain groups of wealthy Muslim tourists from some Middle Eastern countries, who follow strict cultural customs of being very covered up in public.

P.S. I hope this won't become a duplicate post. I treid to post this about 10 minutes ago, but the post didn't take.

Here's an article in the Guardian about the same thing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/stor...836899,00.html

I wonder if non-Muslim women will be allowed into that area. Will the lifeguard be a female?

Interesting concept, I would probably chose that beach if offered.

The lifeguards and maintenance staff will be all female. I assume that any women could go there. It's women-only, not Muslim-only. But it is in response to the needs of certain Muslm tourists, and would be designed for them, so they could enjoy the beach and the water without having to wear the full covering, so I guess it might be less appealing to non-Muslim women who just happen to be very modest.

I have wondered if women will be allowed to bring in their little children if they are boys. I assume not.

Hmmm. I guess not. I don't know whether the "rules" of modesty apply as between grown women and very young boys. But I doubt that these women would be traveling to a foreign country alone, so the little boys could swim with papa on the open beach.

Just in case anyone's interested, here's where I saw this article, and where maybe a discussion will develop (or maybe not): http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum....tag=ab-italian

Your thoughts make sense CMT, I didn't think about the fact the wives probably wouldn't be travelling without their husbands. Ha! If the women are lucky all their little ones will be boys and consequently all the women would truly have a day of peace and quiet, lol!

Interesting article, cmt.
For as long as I can remember, certain outdoor swimming pools in Switzerland have had a secluded for "women only" section, which includes not only a pool but also a lawn area for sunbathing. This, long before the arrival of a Muslim population, btw. Statistics show the "women only" section in my former hometown with the highest number of visits p/month. Sometimes women prefer to keep to themselves....it's usually more quiet and peaceful, especially since many go there from work during their lunch break. :-)

Actually the more I think about it the better I like the idea. Your comments are interesting waggis. I have read that in Japan (or maybe just Tokoyo) that there are certain train cars that are strickly for women.

I hated it when men starting using beauty salons btw. I hate sitting there with color and tinfoil in my hair while fellows are getting their hair cut, lol.

In Tokyo the problem is not the men taking over - it's the constant groping on the subway. Apparently the culture considers this a right of men in public places - or the women are too scared to haul off and deck the offenders.

(In the NYC subway stamping on their feet with your high heels is generally very effective - or if necesary an "accidental" elbow in the gut. But it's quite rare in NYC - and apparently rife in Tokyo.)

Hi NYTraveler, yes that is what I have read. I think perhaps the era of the submisive woman in Japan may be changing though? A lot of women do not want to get married, and some have filed for divorce. The times are changing I believe.

Did anyone have a problem with the link to the thread on the Italian forum? (I know one person who did.) It works fine for me, but that may be because i'm logged on there. But you don't have to be logged in to read the thread--only to post on it.

Waggis, that's interesting. I wonder whether the concept of women-only swimming facilities, at least indoor ones, is not that strange in Italy, too. so a women-only beach might not be such a huge jump beyond that, except that blocking public access to the waterline or low-tide area of the shore can present problems, since that is normally "public."

Hi cmt, earlier and right now I was able to access the Italian Language Form you posted just fine.

BTW, I just realized something cmt, a friend of mine who lives in the region of Veneto does go swimming three mornings a week at a swimclub in the small city she lives in. And yes she goes when it is "women only" hours. So perhaps not all that unusual. Take care.

Several years ago when I was a personal trainer at a resort on the South Carolina coast an Arab prince and his family were guests for several weeks.

One of the reasons for their visit was for the prince's wife (the princess) to get on a fitness regiment and I was hired to do a water aerobics class for her everynight night.

The resort had an indoor pool, but it was enclosed in glass, so long black curtains were installed to pervent anyone from looking in and the "regular" guests could use the pool during the day when the princess wasn't using it.

At 11pm every night (when the princess said she wanted a class at 11pm we did it for her!) I would head to the indoor pool and meet her sercurity entourage, and close all the curtains. Once her male security guards left the princess, her female assistant, her female nurse and her 3 young sons would then come to the pool. The princess would have her swimsuit on and get in the pool for the 1 hour water aerobics class while her assistant and nurse participated in the class, her sons (ages 5 -10) would splash around in the pool too.

So, in this instance, the young boys did go swimming with their mother.

It was quite an experience for me too!

That's so interesting, Islander.

I wonder if any of the other guests complained. Quite frankly, in the US, I wonder how far any resort should go to accomodate that sort of need. The princess could always get a private trainer to go to her private pool in Saudi Arabia.

I never heard of any complaints. Since the health club at the resort closed at 8pm and not many people used the indoor pool at that time of night, it didn't really present any problem, plus there were 2 outdoor pools other guests could use. And with the amount of money the "entourage" was throwing down (they rented half the top floor of the resort) the management wasn't about to say "no" to their requests.
:S-

I guess spending a bundle could cause everyone of your whims to be catered to, but I did wonder. Of course, if she was doing the aerobics at 11:00pm, I doubt many people would be in the pool.

I just read an article in The Washington Post about how young Saudi's are using cell phones to get around strictures on dating. It is inevitable that things are going to change there, but there is bound to be some sort of societal upheaval first. Saudi women are not immune from the modern world once they have access to the internet. I bet plenty of Saudi men chafe under the restrictions as well.

What happens if there is an accident at the women-only beach? Paramedics come in both sexes, and a majority of them are male.

If some group has religious beliefs that require them to avoid contact with Jews or blacks (instead of men), will a special beach devoid of Jews and blacks be set aside for them, too?

What happens when all the beaches are allocated to various groups that cannot tolerate each other's presence, and there is nothing left for people who are willing to associate with anyone?