Ferrara, August 21, 2026 – “We are going through the footage from the cameras we have in our establishment, I hope we caught the gang of five or six maranza who damaged the umbrellas and stole five bikes, one belonging to a little girl. Shame,” Mery Carli, owner of the Virna beach establishment, targeted in recent days by vandals, does not give up. “We will find out who did it. I called the technician, we are watching all the footage up to the time when the raid most likely took place,” she says firmly.
4 establishments hit in 2 nights
There is strong frustration among beach operators. On the night between Wednesday and Thursday, more damage occurred at the establishments, a streak that does not stop. In two nights at least four establishments were hit. “It’s their turn,” the bitter comment. The turn of the San Marco bath, also in Spina, the latest addition to the list of ’victims’. Here too the usual scene, umbrellas torn down, in some cases broken. An escalation that now confirms even more strongly that the Ferragosto was only a truce, an apparent truce. The strong deployment of law enforcement, the presence of ten street tutors were a deterrent. The day after everything went back to how it was before. Mountains of sunbeds, liquor bottles gone, thefts, damage to lighting.
“The maranza rented apartments in our beaches and have fun at night”
“It’s clear – says a beach operator – that the maranza rented apartments in our beaches, these are not raids by groups that maybe come from Ferrara on weekends. They are here, five or six in a house. And at night they have fun, they raid the beaches, breaking whatever is in front of them.” Last night the San Marco bath, the night before the Palosanto and Sport establishments, always at Lido di Spina. The first bath to suffer the end of the Ferragosto truce was Virna.
“They are bored kids, children of parents on vacation at the family home”
“A few weeks ago we hoped to have escaped after a close nighttime encounter – the open letter from the owner of Palosanto –. Instead no, last night they devastated the beach, uprooted and thrown poles, broken umbrellas, everything overturned and kicked, with unheard-of violence. Not organized crime but bored kids. Children of parents on vacation at the family home. Parents who will probably be the first to complain in the morning about yet another blow from the maranza chatting with the neighbor under the umbrella. We apologize to our customers if there will be any inconvenience today. We are working to try to fix everything somehow. And we hope that institutions also start doing something concrete for a situation now out of control, with us completely abandoned. But we move forward despite everything.”
Fingers crossed. Hoping that tonight it won’t be our turn.
