Day 362 – EU – Italy [Livorno to Cecina]

01/04/21

37.5km

  From Livorno (Italy) to Cecina (Italy)

Europe

Back by the sea, a day on the west coast of Italy with a beautiful (but toxic) surprise

First glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea out of Livorno

I was very happy to hit the road this morning. I would get to be by the sea again, which last happened on 15th September when I reached Thessaloniki in northern Greece. I had designed my European crossing to be almost entirely by the sea, from Portugal to Istanbul. Covid19 changed the plans somewhat. Anyway I get to enjoy a bit more of seaside and given the weather, it is quite fabulous.

By the Spiagge Bianche

Halfway through the run I reached the “Spiagge Bianche” or White Beaches. I went to the shore to see it and it was stunning. White sand and turquoise water, made even more beautiful by the white seabed. I was struck by how pristine it appeared and looked it up on Google. Well… the sad reality is that the white sand is mostly the result of natural limestone mixing with the effluents of the nearby chemical company. The effluents (arsenic, mercury, ammonia, lead…) end up in the bay making it one of the most polluted beaches in the Mediterranean Sea.

What a natural disaster and human tragedy. I thought the picture of me beaming in front of the sea was highly inappropriate but decided to keep it. The beach is labelled “White Beaches” as a tourist attraction on Google Maps. The description reads: “Spa Garden” and amenities as: “good for kids” – one wonders… Had it been called “Toxic Beach” it would have been way more accurate and maybe I wouldn’t have posed happily in front of what I thought was a natural beauty spot.

Castello Pasquini in Castiglioncello

I kept on running thinking it is a reminder that there is always more than meets the eye and this has been another striking cunning lesson. I reached Cecina by midday, on a run shorter than the previous ones, but still feeling somewhat tired. I am pretty sure I still have not fully adjusted to the daylight savings time. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s run, which will be the last one before my next rest day. I feel I need it now.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: