Brits face big fines if they bring these souvenirs back from holiday | Travel News | Travel

Holidaymakers jetting off to Italy soon for the Easter break have been warned they face fines of up to £4,200 if they take sand, seashells and pebbles back home as souvenirs. For many Brits, bringing back a memento from their holidays – be it magnets, T-shirts, or mugs – is as part of the travel ritual as remembering their passports, checking into their hotels or visiting the famous sights.

However, some people have reportedly been going the extra mile and brought back coral, shells, and sand from their travels – often while being unaware of the local laws cracking down on such acts.

Now the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has reminded British tourists heading to Italy to respect its rules governing the export of marine paraphernalia. 

In a post on X, it warned people: « Did you know in Italy, it’s illegal to take sand, shells or pebbles from the beach? You could face hefty fines – and no one wants to bring those home as a souvenir. Take photos, not shells! »

It posted a link to its travel advice page with the message: « Always check local laws and customs before you travel. »

The laws that the X post alluded to relate to the island of Sardinia, which in 2017 passed legislation banning tourists from taking home sand, sea shells, and pebbles from its many beaches.

Some of the island’s famous hotspots include the Is Arutas Beach in western Sardinia, full of white and pink quartz sand resembling grains of rice; the Pelosa Beach in north-west Sardinia, renowned for its ice-white sand; and the southern haven of Cala Mariolu, known for its pink and white pebbles.

However, according to article 4 of the Sardinian Regional Law (28/07/2017), tourists who remove, hold or sell even small quantities of sand, pebbles, stones or shells from the coast or the sea « without a regular authorisation or concession issued by the competent authorities » will be fined anything between €300 and €5,000 (£250 to £4,183). 

The laws were introduced in an effort to protect the island’s marine environment and preserve its pristine beaches following decades of overtourism. Officials had hoped that the rules would reverse decades of tourists taking home pebbles and, in effect, ruining their beaches.

However, the opposite has happened. Since 2017, more tourists have been arrested and fined. Some notable cases include a British tourist in 2018, who was fined €1,032 (£930) for taking sand from a beach near Olbia as a souvenir.

In 2019, a French couple faced six years in prison after being caught with 40kg of Sardinian sand en route to Toulon, France. They told local police that they did not realise they committed an offence and only wanted a « souvenir ».

In 2023, another French tourist risked a €3,000 fine after being found with 41kg of pebbles and stones taken from Lampianu Beach in northern Sardinia.

Such is the scale of the problem, there is even a Facebook group dedicated to reporting such incidents. Sardinia Robbed and Plundered (Sardegna Rubata e Depredata) posts images and news stories highlighting various incidents.

In its mission statement, the group claims that Sardinia’s customs officials confiscate nearly five tonnes of material from beaches each year.

It said: « Dear guest friend of our island, please be respectful of our natural heritage, help us to protect and preserve it for our children and grandchildren. Observe, touch, smell and enjoy all the beauty that surrounds you, take pictures and keep the memories in your mind, but don’t take anything away with you! »

In addition, Sardinia’s environment councillor Rosanna Laconi blamed poor enforcement of the rules as the reason why tourists are still taking precious sand back home as souvenirs. 

She told the local paper L’Unione Sarda in 2024: « Harsher sanctions are needed. It is a problem of civic education, of information that should come from families but we do everything possible to inform those arriving in Sardinia about the bans. If we can legislate on this or find measures to intervene in this sector, we will certainly do so. »