Lovers of Tuscany's 'paradise' beach have factory to thank It is the Caribbean of Italy, with white sand and turquoise seas... But the "white beaches" of Rosignano Solvay in Tuscany owe their nickname to a factory, Solvay, specialised in sodium bicarbonate, which legally discharges limestone into its waste water, which is then dumped into the sea. There is a ban on swimming 100 metres around this uninviting stream, but apart from this ban, the authorities are clear: the quality of the water is "excellent". To the great displeasure of environmental activists who denounce massive pollution. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES