Muslim women in the northern Italian province of Bergamo will now have private access to a local swimming pool, where they are able to swim freely without traditional clothing and without the company of men. At the Siloe pool, men are not permitted to swim at designated times each week, when women’s-only hours are in effect. During such times, Muslim women can swim without their veils, burqas, or other garments usually worn in the company of non-relative males. The Siloe pool is owned by the diocese of Bergamo, who made the arrangement with local Muslim women; but the pool is also open to all Italian women during designated times.
