Trieste: Separate bathing areas at La Lanterna beach remain in place

Trieste – 10 August 2026: The municipal Bagno Marino La Lanterna beach, usually called Pedocin in Trieste, is once again attracting international attention during the current summer season. The facility on Molo Fratelli Bandiera is divided into two bathing areas by a wall: men use one side, while women and children up to the age of twelve use the other. The City of Trieste continues to list this arrangement in its official visitor information.

La Lanterna is owned by the municipality and is located directly on the Adriatic coast near the historic lighthouse of the same name. According to the Italian tourism organization, the beach opened in 1890. The separation of the areas has remained in place for more than a century, even though bathing habits and social norms have changed fundamentally. The local nickname Pedocin is more commonly used in Trieste than the beach’s official name.

The wall is therefore not merely an architectural detail, but shapes everyday life at the facility. Access to the separate zones follows a fixed arrangement. Women may bring their children up to the age of twelve into the area designated for them. At the same time, visitors are subject to the usual rules of a municipal beach, including regulated opening hours and paid admission during the bathing season.

For 2026, the city lists a daily admission price of 1.20 euros. Swimming is permitted there from 15 May to 30 September; during the high season, from 1 June to 15 September, the facility is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. According to municipal information, the beach has showers, changing rooms, sanitary facilities, a first-aid area and accessible entry.

The claim that La Lanterna is the last bathing facility of its kind in Europe to be permanently separated by a structural barrier is used primarily in current media reports and tourism descriptions. Official information from the city and the Italian tourism organization explicitly confirms the continuing division into two zones; they describe its uniqueness primarily in relation to Italy. Its European status therefore remains a widespread attribution, but one that has not been conclusively established by official sources.

The beach’s distinctive character can also be explained by Trieste’s history as a port city shaped by Austrian-Hungarian, Italian and Slavic influences. La Lanterna preserves a local tradition that has largely disappeared elsewhere. For many regular visitors, the facility is a permanent social meeting place; for travelers, it is a visible sign of the city’s unusual history at the intersection of the Adriatic and Central Europe.

The current summer season shows that the historic separation is not merely of museum interest. The municipal beach is operated regularly, its bathing areas continue to be organized in their existing form, and the city publishes specific hours, prices and access requirements. La Lanterna therefore remains a functioning public place rather than a disused relic of past bathing culture.