Babylonian beach scenes from the Green Island of Ischia and the lavish Marina Piccola of Capri have just re-ignited the most picturesque debate of all time: are Italian beaches really the best in the world?
Captured by Doors Of Italy founder Ryan Neeven, and then reposted to Type 7 — a luxury car and travel Instagram account — the iconic images immediately sparked debate among travel fans online.
While some people suggested that the images are the digital embodiment of everything a discerning traveller should aspire (and hopefully retire) to (“Me in 50 years on photo 7”) others remained unconvinced.
In response to fawning, “The Italians know how to do beach,” and “Makes me want to jump on a plane right now,” type statements, some fans of the page made comments like, “Amazing pics but if I’m honest those beaches look super unpleasant.”
“Easy pass — way over-rated, overpriced and crowded.”
This feeds into a larger debate about whether popular towns should charge tourists for entry — something which neither Ischia nor Capri have done yet, but which has been trialled by the likes of Polignano a Mare and Venice, to varying degrees of success.