Hundreds of sun loungers stolen in Italy turn up two years later — on a beach in Albania

An Italian beach club, Onde Chiare in Reggio Emilia, has finally tracked down property stolen from it two years ago — hundreds of its branded sun loungers have turned up on the rocky beach of Cape Rodoni in Albania. The stolen furniture is worth a total of €45,000 (roughly 1.1 million crowns), according to broadcaster Sky TG24.

The mystery was solved thanks to an Italian tourist from Reggio Emilia who used to be a regular at the Onde Chiare club and later went on holiday to Albania. On the beach, she instantly recognised the loungers — the thieves hadn't even bothered to remove the Italian club's logo.

The woman, who had previously read about the theft in the press, filmed a video, took photos and sent them to the club's management. Staff immediately identified their furniture and initially considered travelling to Albania themselves to retrieve it, but ultimately decided to pursue the matter through the courts.

"Our lawyer found a colleague in Albania who has started legal proceedings. In theory, the Albanian authorities should confiscate the loungers," club manager Alberto Costoli told the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino.

"Meanwhile, another one of our customers who happened to be at Cape Rodoni sent us a video. That means the loungers are still on that beach. We're absolutely furious," he added.

The Italian club has brought the media into the story and appealed directly to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who frequently speaks about developing the country's tourism industry.

"This certainly doesn't do Albania's reputation in Italy any favours. We've worked with various Albanian suppliers for years and never had any problems. We hope the prime minister will take an interest in our case," Costoli said.

News of the loungers' discovery sparked heated debate on social media. Users wondered how thieves had managed to smuggle such a bulky haul across the EU's external border. Others couldn't resist the irony: "Let's admit them to the EU immediately — this is exactly the kind of country we need," one commenter wrote.

Read also: 8 best swimming spots near Prague: lakes, quarries and beaches within an hour of the capital

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz