Dubai influencer fined €1,800 for trespassing on Sardinia’s iconic pink beach.

Authorities have caught up with a woman who allegedly sailed a dinghy to an off-limits shore after she posted videos about it. A Dubai-based influencer has been fined €1,800 for trespassing on Sardinia’s pink-tinged beach before sharing videos and photos of her escapade on social media.

According to reports in the Italian press, the woman arrived by dinghy at Spiaggia Rosa, a beach on the tiny Sardinian island of Budelli, famous for its pink sand. She allegedly ignored all prohibition signs.

Tourists have been banned from walking on the beach and swimming in the sea there since the 1990s due to sand pilfering. However, they can visit the island during the day by boat and are permitted to walk along a path behind the beach.

The woman, a Brazilian living in Dubai, uploaded the content to @Rogeriaguiadubai, an Instagram account with over 35,000 followers. In one video clip, she highlights her footprints in the sand to the tune of Édith Piaf’s “La Vie en rose.” The trespass, alleged to have occurred a few days ago, sparked indignation in Sardinia, prompting the coastguard for La Maddalena archipelago, which includes Budelli, to investigate further.

Authorities traced the woman to Dubai and notified her of the €1,800 fine, comprising €300 for flouting the ban and €1,500 for arriving onboard a vessel without access authorization for Budelli. The woman rented the dinghy, and the hire company owner was unaware of her plan to sail to the island.

The Instagram account is private. The Guardian has emailed Rogeriaguiadubai for comment.

Budelli is uninhabited, though it was home to Mauro Morandi for over 30 years. Morandi, who stumbled upon the island in 1989 after his catamaran broke down, became its de facto caretaker. In 2021, at 84 years old, he was forced out by the authority managing La Maddalena national park.