Twenty paces from our house in Mošćenička Draga in Istria, across the pebble beach, there gurgles the Adriatic. I was the first in the water this sunny morning, but the beach was already alive with holidaymakers establishing their temporary property rights with towels, mats, umbrellas, foldable chairs and beds… Even at six-thirty this morning it was clear every inch of this wonderful beach will be fiercely contested soon after breakfast.