Felice Giannotti, 'Il Divino' of Capocotta beach, dies at 80

Felice Giannotti, known as 'Il Divino', the legendary beach attendant and pioneer of Rome's free, alternative Capocotta beach, has died at age 80 in Ostia. Giannotti was a central figure in the creation and preservation of Capocotta, a stretch of coastline that became a haven for naturists, artists, and eccentrics from the 1970s onward. He arrived in 1970, initially playing paddleball with friends, and soon became the beach's charismatic bagnino, attracting a diverse crowd. Over decades, he fought against evictions and development, voluntarily cleaning the beach and running his kiosk 'Harem'. The beach itself has a storied history: originally part of the royal Savoy estate, it faced a private development plan in the late 1950s, which was ultimately blocked in 1985 after a campaign by Renato Nicolini and Antonio Cederna. Capocotta became a nature reserve in 1996 and Italy's first official naturist oasis in 2000. Giannotti's death marks the passing of a key figure in the beach's mythology, but the beach remains a symbol of free, inclusive public space.