It takes little to notice the fragility of landscapes in which we live; with that little effort so much can be done.
For the first time we walk a full day on the beach. It’s a clear day with bright blue sky, no wind, but the sea has the color of a swollen river, agitated by swells. It has already caused damage this winter.
We can see it along our path. Here it has a name: coastal erosion.
About 60% of Sicilian coasts are at risk. Of Italian coasts, 50%. Sicily is among Italy’s most affected regions.
Crossing this stretch of coast on foot is like participating to its suffering.
In addition to being littered in garbage, relics and illegal buildings, it’s also eroded away by the relentless action of the sea.
A passerby tells us to have witnesses, throughout his life, to the slow crumbling of an embankment in which he comes to fish. “In the past it extended till the breakwater. Then a several meters wide gap started to form.”
To be under threat are infrastructures, houses, restaurants, cabins, beach resorts.
These are worrying scenarios that prompted the district government to realise the “Regional plan against Coastal erosion”, approved in July 2020, one of the most substantial interventions of the last years to contain this phenomenon.
We truly hope that the measures will help to bring back the equilibrium of coastal zones and of gorgeous places like Sicilian coasts. It’s a real privilege to walk on them and it’d be wonderful to hand it down to future generations.
