Two of the best-known beach clubs on Amalfi's main beach, Silver Moon and Mar di Cobalto, remain closed on July 21, 2026. There is now a possible route back for Silver Moon during the second half of the summer. For Mar di Cobalto, the outlook is much less encouraging.
First, an important distinction: Spiaggia Grande and the sea are not closed. This is not a pollution alert, a swimming ban or a weather-related closure. The problem concerns the commercial beach clubs, their concessions and the permanent structures built on state-owned maritime land. The sealed structures and the fenced areas around them are off limits, while the accessible parts of the beach remain in use.
Mar di Cobalto on Amalfi's Spiaggia Grande.
Why the beach clubs were closed
On April 16, 2026, the Coast Guard executed preventive seizure orders for four establishments on Spiaggia Grande: Silver Moon, Mar di Cobalto, Stella Maris and Marina Grande.
The cases are not identical, but they share the same broad problem. Court judgments and municipal decisions refer to expired concessions, extensions that could not lawfully continue, and structures that had been enlarged, altered or made permanent without the required authorizations. Italian beach concessions also have to comply with EU rules requiring transparent public tenders rather than indefinite automatic extensions.
TAR Salerno rejected challenges from the four operators in December 2025. The April seizure then stopped the businesses from operating. When some beach equipment appeared again in early May, the Coast Guard removed umbrellas and sunbeds. By the end of May, the Comune had ordered tall bamboo screening around parts of the closed structures for safety.
This is why old opening hours on Google, Facebook or the clubs' own websites are misleading. They describe normal seasonal operation, not the current legal situation.
Could Silver Moon reopen this summer?
Possibly, yes, but there is no confirmed opening date.
Silver Moon's concession covered almost 978 square metres and explicitly included the beach club, restaurant and bar. The Comune declared the concession forfeited and revoked the older food and drink authorizations in January 2024. After the April 16 seizure, Silver Moon described the shutdown as a temporary suspension.
The important change came on July 15. The Consiglio di Stato suspended the relevant TAR judgment for Silver Moon until October 30, following an agreement signed with the Comune on April 28. Under that agreement, the deadline for returning the maritime property moves to December 31, 2026. Silver Moon must remove the disputed unauthorized works and withdraw its appeal by October 30.
Silver Moon and its former red-and-white beach area before the closure. Archival photo: Silver Moon Amalfi.
Local reports describe this as an opening that could preserve part of the 2026 beach season. There is still one major complication: suspending an administrative court judgment does not automatically prove that the separate April preventive seizure has been lifted. I found no dated announcement saying that the seals have been removed, the club is accepting reservations or guests can return.
My reading is that, if Silver Moon is going to reopen this year, late July or August is the realistic window. The purpose of urgent summer relief would be largely lost if the practical steps took until autumn. That is an informed guess, not an official date. I would treat Silver Moon as closed until the club publishes a clear reopening notice and live reservations resume.
What about Mar di Cobalto?
Mar di Cobalto does not have the same July court relief.
Its legal history goes back much further. A 2014 municipal order required demolition of the complex and restoration of the area. Consiglio di Stato judgment no. 11200/2023 upheld that order, citing occupation beyond the permitted space, permanent anchoring of what should have been removable seasonal structures, and missing landscape authorization. The December 2025 TAR material also described its 2009 concession as definitively expired.
I found no later suspension, release from seizure or reopening plan for Mar di Cobalto. The honest answer is that there is no foreseeable reopening date for the existing club. A compliant beach service could eventually return to this part of Spiaggia Grande after new planning and a public concession process, but the old structure reopening in its previous form looks unlikely.
Are the restaurants open?
The bars and restaurants are part of the same beach-club complexes, not separate unaffected businesses. There is no verified reopening for either restaurant.
For Silver Moon, this is especially clear in the court record: the restaurant-bar formed part of the same concession, and the Comune revoked its earlier food and drink permits in January 2024. If the beach club receives all the necessary releases, the restaurant could return with it, but no separate restaurant opening has been announced.
The Silver Moon restaurant terrace before the closure. Archival photo: Silver Moon Amalfi.
Mar di Cobalto's restaurant and bar should also be treated as closed while the structure remains seized and subject to demolition measures. Online directory listings are not reliable enough to override that.
Why this matters to returning visitors
Several of my guests used these beach facilities last year and were very happy with them. Some returned this summer expecting the same easy arrangement and are now genuinely disappointed. They have not found another place in Amalfi that feels quite as convenient.
I understand why. A central lido on Spiaggia Grande gives you shade, changing facilities, food and drinks within a short walk of the ferry port and bus stops. Other beach options may be pleasant, but they do not necessarily replace that simple setup for families, older visitors or anyone who does not want another transfer in the middle of a hot day.
The legal questions have to be resolved, and unsafe or unauthorized structures cannot simply be ignored. But the way this happened, with four facilities closed at the start of the season and no quick replacement ready, has left a very visible gap on Amalfi's main beach.
For now, my practical advice is simple: do not plan your beach day around either club. Keep an eye on Silver Moon because its situation may change quickly. For Mar di Cobalto, expect a much longer wait.
Sources
- Il Vescovado: Consiglio di Stato suspends the TAR judgments for Silver Moon and Stella Maris
- Il Quotidiano della Costiera: possible return in the second half of the season
- Il Vescovado: four permanent beach establishments seized
- AmalfiNews: Silver Moon announces a temporary suspension
- Il Vescovado: TAR Salerno decisions on the four concessions
- Il Vescovado: safety barriers around the closed structures
- Positano Notizie: Coast Guard removes beach equipment
- TAR Salerno judgment no. 2074/2025 concerning Silver Moon
- Consiglio di Stato judgment no. 11200/2023 concerning Mar di Cobalto
- Silver Moon official website
