Sex-Segregated Beach Pictures, Lanterna Trieste Italy

Skip navigation!

Begin Slideshow

Photographs by Lavinia Parlamenti.

Pedocin Beach is nestled in the northeastern city of Trieste, Italy. It looks like any other beach in the seaside town, save for one key detail: Men and women are separated.

Since its founding in 1890, Pedocin has been totally segregated by gender. A low wall divides the men's side from the women's side, and while that may not sound like a beach you've ever visited, Pedocin's regulars find this distance freeing rather than restrictive.

Photographer Lavinia Parlamenti paid a visit to Pedocin to photograph and speak with beachgoers one on one. She met women who prefer to chat with their friends rather than have men look at them in their swimsuits, men who spend their days sunbathing in silence, and couples who enjoy the beach but crave alone time, too.

Parlamenti's images show people totally at ease, happy to relax on the beach as they wish. While a gender-divided beach might not be everyone's first choice for a vacation destination, the single-sex experience is what makes it special to some. Pedocin's visitors have found a beach they love; it's a place where they feel comfortable. And isn't that what we're all looking for in a summer getaway?

Click ahead to learn more about Pedocin Beach and see the men and women who frequent its shores.

It's your body. It's your summer. Enjoy them both. Check out more #TakeBackTheBeach here.

More from Body

Athena Club Is Your One-Stop Shop For All Things Wellness

All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission. Whether it was pads, multiv

by Karina Hoshikawa

How To Tell If You Have A Yeast Infection & Get Rid Of It

Yeast infections are the most common type of vaginal infection and up to three out of four people with vaginas will get a yeast infection at some point in

Help R29 & Period Law End The Tampon Tax

We’re getting personal about our periods. The path to menstrual equity starts with talking about it. There’s a lot of feelings around get

by Refinery29 Staff

It’s 2024 — Why Isn’t Every Workplace A Period-Positive One?

We’re getting personal about our periods. The path to menstrual equity starts with talking about it. Debbie Herrera has been working on the influence

by Elizabeth Gulino

5 Women On The Effect Of Having A Good First Period

by Elizabeth Gulino

My Heavy Periods Make Me Feel Like A Social Burden

My Period: We’re getting personal about our periods. The path to menstrual equity starts with talking about it. My heavy, abnormal periods make life

The News About Tampons Is Scary, Let Us Break It Down

Arsenic, lead and other metals have been found in tampons by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. In the study, 30 tampons from 14 brands

by Tanyel Mustafa

R29 Intelligence

Women Athletes Should Never Have To Apologize For Being Competitive

When Alexa Coubal was in eighth grade, a volleyball teammate told her to quit, because she was “too competitive.” Her immediate reaction: “Why are we

by Andrea Cheng

For Black Fat Women, Is The Body Positivity Movement Dead?

Get your obituaries in order folks, because the body positivity movement as we knew it, is dead and gone. Sure, that declaration may be a bit extreme, but

by Stephanie Yeboah

My Miscarriage Was “Common” — For Black Women That Is...

Content warning: This article contains graphic details of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and the Black Maternal Health crisis. When I was 11, I was convinced

by Kathleen Newman-B...

I Feel Romantic Love Even If My Body Won’t Produce The Hormones

As 21-year-old Toria Christie scrolled through TikTok, she started to cry. “I was so sad when I first saw [those videos],” she tells me. “Like, so sa

What’s The Best Way To Relieve Period Cramps?

For some people, just imagining the pinching, aching, piercing abdominal pangs that come with their period is enough to make them want to assume the fetal