There are plenty of tourists there. Most of them take pictures of the beach and post them on Instagram. Usually, this cliché is very popular on social networks, and for good reason! Everything looks idyllic in White Beach, on the Tuscan coast.
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However, the white sand and transparent sea hide a true ecological nightmare. It was a French Internet user, Marie Causse, who pointed this place out in a thread on Twitter that was widely shared.
A hidden secret
The reason the sand is so white and the water so transparent is because of the Solvay plant (which produces chemicals) and is located just a stone's throw from the beach, it spills all kinds of toxic substances directly into the water.
Among all the products thrown into the sea are thousands of kilos of arsenic, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, zinc and cadmium that are found each year, according to a survey by the newspaper Il Tirreno.
Heavy metals are not only found in water but also in the sand. However, swimming is not banned so tourists and locals alike flock to sunbathe and soak there.
Just to remind you that in Italy, swimming regulations are much less strict than in the UK. Only water contamination with E. coli bacteria and intestinal enterococci are taken into account and not the rest.
And in White Beach, none of these bacteria are found... So a little advice, if you go through Tuscany, don't stop at Rosignano Marittimo.
