There's the public "private" beach. You rent a chair, an umbrella. Most have changing rooms. Change in your changing room.

As kayakers we cannot land on the private beaches. These beaches are leased by the hotels and beach clubs during tourist season.  We can land our kayaks on the public section of every beach, and on the "private" beaches during the off season. 

Note here that you can camp for one night in the public section of any beach on Elba. I don't know what would happen if you were kayak camping, a storm comes up and you can't leave. I imagine it would be fine, since no one would be around to kick you off of the beach. If anyone knows more, please let me know.

Some nudity is OK on most Italian beaches.

Generally, the more isolated the beach, the more nudity is allowed.

Here's a helpful guide.

Family Beach 

The family beach is usually easy to get to. You can park a car right there and unload the chairs, coolers. and umbrellas, boats, and towels. It includes Nonna and the baby. You can take your top off here, but discreetly, and sunbathe face down.

This beach is usually a little harder to get to. You need to walk a steep path, or clamber over some rocks. But it's public, and near hotels. You can take your top off and just sit around. Sunbathe face up or face down. The bold and beautiful even get up and walk around topless. Generally men keep their bottoms on, though folks of all ages and sexes may just change clothes in the open for purely practical reasons.

Typically rocky outcrops  or beaches that must be hiked to, swum to, or boated to. Adults only. This is for the "naturalisti" the nudists.

No worries. Tanned Caucasian skin often has the same color as pink granite. So many a time we've been kayaking along the rocky shore, and bing! Holy Cow! Look at all the naked people! And there was that one year we came upon the naked fisherman in a little row boat. 

Some people just throw caution to the wind and change into and out of swimwear as if they were on a private cabana.

Some people have the elan to pull this off. I've seen it done successfully by a very old Sardinian man, and an attractive Scandinavian woman.

Most of us fall somewhere in between.

After kayaking or swimming, I hate walking around in wet salty clothes. In a few deft moves you can change clothes without exposing yourself.

Here's an approach that works for me. It's geared towards women, but men might find something useful here too.

First, you need the right tools. 

These include:

a sarong, beach towel, or skirt

a two-piece bathing suit with a halter top.

Let's start at the top.

To change out of your wet icky halter top in public:

1. Pull on a shirt.

2. Undo the halter top and either step out of it, or pull it off.

3. Put on a halter bra or  top under the shirt, or just skip this step. You're on vacation.

To change out of your wet icky bottoms in public:

1. Pull on a skirt, or wrap yourself in a sarong or towel.

2. Remove wet bottom.

3. If you're wearing a skirt, you can skip the following steps. You're on vacation.

4. Pull on dry bottoms shielded by skirt or sarong.

5. If you're wearing shorts or pants, pull them on under the towel or sarong,

6. Remove towel or sarong.

Now, doesn't that feel better?