♪ michelle: hello, and welcome to "focus on europe," i'm michelle henery. as it's summer, one of today's stories that really stands out to me is about a resort in italy, where male and female sun-seekers are separated by a wall. sound old-fashioned? well, it's a hit with the locals. we'll hear from them later. on a much more serious note, we head to corsica, where attacks against muslim residents are on the rise. some young nationalists say they're taking the law into their hands. older nationalists, who have sworn off violence, want all of the island's diverse communities to live peacefully. the mediterranean island of corsica is home to the national

liberation front -- a militant group which has long fought for independence from french rule. initially violent, in recent years it has adhered to a ceasefire. but a young splinter group has found a new enemy and wants to take up arms in their fight. reporter: corsican arnaud seassari, who sees himself as a youth icon and entertainer, posts pithy comments on the internet. his posts also refer to terror attacks like the recent one in nice. they receive huge numbers of likes. arnaud sessari: president hollande, could you please come over and explain to me what the state of emergency is good for, if someone can still just drive his truck up onto the sidewalk and kill 84 people. reporter: thousands of young corsicans follow seassari's openly anti-islamic messages. he says there are too many muslims on corsica. and the many moroccans who live in his neighborhood on the outskirts of bastia need to pabide by the rules.

arnaud seassari: look at the paesano district, people are seen as sensitive here. but that's not true. if someone bothers someone else here, we don't hesitate to let them know. if that doesn't help, we use tougher methods -- it gets violent. we take justice into our own hands. corsicans are hot-blooded. reporter: seassari likes to portray himself as a descendant of the flnc freedom fighters. the corsican nationalists fought for more independence from france for almost 40 years. they wanted to preserve their own language and cultural identity, and fought for more national rights. jean biancucci was one of them

-- an armed fighter. some of his compatriots are still serving long jail sentences. he says some young corsican nationalists are right wing populists and have little to do with his generation's campaign. jean biancucci: my philosophy is quite simple. the corsican people share a common fate. a real corsican doesn't just live on corsica. he needs to carry the island in his heart. that's more important here than on the mainland. and it goes for everyone -- catholics, protestants and muslims alike. reporter: biancucci only ended the armed opposition to the government in paris two years ago. it wasn't an easy decision. but the movement had been weakened and had been infiltrated by the mafia.

and paris was paying more attention to corsica, with talk of negotiations on independence. today, biancucci is the head of an autonomist fraction in parliament that is opposed to violence. he wants to make corsica a model of tolerant society. jean biancucci: if someone lives in a corner then they risk rejecting others, and we'll end up in a crisis that is no longer controllable. reporter: not everyone welcomes his change of policy. some see the fact tat a former freedom fighter is now looking for a peaceful solution as treachery. arnaud seassari: i don't approve. they shouldn't have called a ceasefire. back then, they made sure nobody could simply do as they please.

now they've laid down their weapons to appear in a good light. but in reality, there are still some who are prepared to fight. reporter: at the end of april, this muslim prayer room in ajaccio burned down after a break-in. the muslims immediately suspected nationalists were to blame. and even if the police cannot confirm that, their fear continues. mohamed: i work with corsicans, i grew up with corsicans, ate with them, played soccer with them. i am a corsican. mohamed: all this sudden hatred worries us. we're afraid for our wives and children, our families. and the feeling is unbearable. reporter: the young right wing

nationalists want to see results. a secret splinter group of the flnc recently announced it was prepared to bear arms, this time against i.s. -- a sign that biancucci and his "femu a corsica" supporters are losing their influence. jean biancucci: i'm worried that the french government will be deaf to all our demands. even if we reach a unanimous decision. we know that would lead to a return to violence. and that would be a huge problem. reporter: still, so far, biancucci refuses to declare the corsican nationalists' political experiment a failure. he sees it as his task to reunite young and old nationalists.

michelle: it isn't only the young nationalists of corsica who feel a need to arm themselves, but also those in mainland france. following the lorry attack in nice in july, the government announced plans to establish a national guard. it urged volunteers to come forward, with thousands answering the call. reporter: a drill to practice warding off an attacker. >> recule, recule. reporter: it's situations like these the french reserves are preparing to face. the two week crash course provides participants with the skills needed to respond to attacks -- whether with their bare hands, batons, or guns. caroline is a nutritionist. she's one of many who have enlisted in the reserve forces. caroline: everybody should serve their country according to their abilities. we're all doing something. we'll be part of the gendarmerie if called up.

not just auxiliaries, but proper gendarmes. reporter: the french government called on people to join the reserves following the attack on nice. it wants to bolster the reserve forces from 12,000 to 15,000 by the end of this month. most of the participants don't have military training. caroline: the trainers make it clear that we could be confronted by very difficult situations. we need to learn to deal with that. reporter: france is reeling after a string of attacks. in january 2015, the target was satirical magazine charlie hebdo. in november last year, co-ordinated attacks on a stadium, restaurants, and the bataclan theatre. and on bastille day this year, a truck ploughed into a crowd of people. days later, a hostage situation at the saint-etienne-du-rouvray church.

these are tough times in france, and a feeling of uncertainty is spreading. >> they're constantly boosting the police force. but that's not the answer. you can't have a police officer standing by every single person. >> the government needs to act. the parties need to come together. this war, which people can't defend themselves against, needs to stop. reporter: some analysts say the mood in france is changing. dominique moisi: after the first attack, there was a sense of national unity. after the bataclan, there was a mixture of numbness and resistance. after nice, it was a feeling of powerlessness and anger. reporter: people have increasingly been directing their anger towards the government. the prime minister was booed during a visit to nice.

soldiers now patrol the streets of paris. sniffer dogs check cars before they're allowed onto ferries. the country has extended its state of emergency for the fourth time -- till january 2017. it enables authorities to raid apartments without a warrant. suspects can be placed under house arrest and computers and phones can be monitored. those measures couldn't prevent the attack on nice. still, the policy has widespread support. >> it's understandable. something has to be done in a situation like this. i'm definitely in favor of it. >> you don't really notice the state of emergency. i think it's important and right. it's a good thing. reporter: but how much can an extended state of emergency actually achieve?

catherine gaudard: the fight against terror can't be won by announcing a state of emergency. much more substantial measures are needed -- rights need to be respected, even in dangerous times. reporter: caroline says being in the reserves is her way of doing her part to protect france. caroline: the attacks have strengthened my resolve to serve my country and live up to my civic duties. reporter: she says she's not scared, and is ready to fight whatever threat comes her way. michelle: along with france, turkey is also in a state of defiance and despair. in the aftermath of july's failed military coup, the government initially moved swiftly to silence its critics with thousands of judges, lawyers, and civil servants either arrested or fired. but even now, more and more people are being detained. a climate of fear has seen an increase in people leaving

turkey. in our next report, we meet a woman from istanbul, who feels she has no choice but to leave behind the only home she's ever known. reporter: bengisu gencay never wanted to leave her hometown of istanbul. but now, she's had enough -- she's on her way to a real estate agent so she can sell her apartment. she and her husband want to move somewhere abroad. bengisu gencay: i have my friends here, my family. this is not an easy decision for me, and i'm feeling slightly anxious. but on the other hand i'm also excited, since i might have a chance of a more secure life, a life without fear, and maybe even a happier life. reporter: the real estate agent says housing prices have plummeted.

he suggests they sublet their home -- there are currently too many apartments on the market. sahin sonmez: more and more people who want to leave are coming to me to sell their apartments. finding work in europe or other parts of the world isn't easy either. but still, people want to leave. that's what i've been observing. reporter: the district of kuzguncuk on the asiatic shore of the bosphorus is one of the more westernized parts of the city. many writers and artists live here, including bengisu gencay. at first, it seems as though living here is pretty easy. there's now a climate of fear, since the government began persecuting its opponents with increasing brutality. bengisu gencay: a lot of people i know have recently lost their jobs completely out of the blue -- or they've been prosecuted.

we feel like we have to constantly watch our step. this uncertainty has caused us to consider risking starting over elsewhere in the world. reporter: more and more people are indeed being arrested. following a purge of police officers, lawyers, and journalists, business people are now being targeted. they're all accused of involvement in the muslim cleric fethullah gulen's network. president erdogan is convinced gulen was behind the recent failed military coup. people who are arrested have to be protected from angry mobs. it's this inflamed, nationalistic atmosphere that has motivated gencay and her husband to pack their bags. government supporters proudly hang turkish flags from their windows on the couple's street. the neighbors cannot understand people who want to emigrate like gencay. >> we shouldn't abandon this country. turks can't just forsake their homeland.

reporter: gencay is leaving behind a well-paid job in istanbul. on her laptop, she sorts through new job offers in canada. the main thing is to get out -- whic is why she's not choosy in her job search. bengisu gencay: my husband's a good cook -- he's also had some training. if all else fails, we can always open up a restaurant abroad. reporter: there are still places in istanbul where gencay and her husband can go out and drink alcohol. but the pressure from religious-nationalist circles on western-oriented young turks has been increasing. in the past week, a cell-phone video circulated online, which showed a man drinking beer being abused by people at a pro-erdogan demonstration. he had refused to hold a turkish flag. the perpetrators boasted that he got the punishment he deserved. videos like these are intimidating. behic sabuncu: incidents like

this started right after the failed coup. this sort of thing never used to happen. the message is clear -- we don't like you or your lifestyle. it's better if you just leave. otherwise, you'll be sorry. reporter: even so, it will be hard to say goodbye to the bosphorus. bengisu gencay says that she and her husband might return one day -- when turkey is once again a true democracy. michelle: and now on to slovenia, a small mountainous country south of austria which has found itself in the spotlight for entirely different reasons. some people are wondering -- why did melania trump lie about receiving a university degree in the country of her birth? it seems odd that mrs. trump, known as a successful model and wife of donald trump, would feel the need to embellish her past. our reporter went to the small

village where she is from to find out if the potential first lady is the same as the girl they grew up with. reporter: she's used to the spotlight. but melania trump's appearance at the republican convention was no ordinary photo opportunity. this time, the former model and third wife of the republican presidential hopeful had to prove she was first lady material. but what do we really know about her? we head to her home country of slovenia to find out. as it turns out, her beginnings were pretty humble. she grew up here, in the town of sevnica, some 100 kilometers east of the capital ljubljana. it has a population of 8,000 and features soviet-era architecture. for 18 years, melania knaus, as she was known then, called it home. this was her elementary school. it got its name from the world war ii resistance fighter savo kladnik. her former classmate diana kosar

is still in touch with melania. she says not much has changed. diana kosar: whenever i see her on tv today, i think she's just like she was before. she's still guarded -- not quite comfortable being the center of attention. reporter: diana shows us photos of melania as a 4-year-old. apparently, even back then, she dresses. this is the man who took the first photographs of melania as a model in 1987. almost three decades have passed between then and now. stane jerko: she's a different woman. more american, more beautiful. reporter: melania grew rich from modelling. by the time she married donald trump, she'd already earned

hundreds of thousands of dollars. but being first lady would catapult her to a new level of stardom. now, under more intense scrutiny, melania's past is threatening to catch up with her. slovenian journalist bojan poar has spent months looking into her life -- and discovered several inaccuracies in the narrative she's presented. bojan pozar: claiming your mother is a fashion designer when she was actually just a seamstress is a lie in my view. but saying you've got a diploma in architecture when you actually just spent a semester or two studying is a much bigger lie. that borders on deception. reporter: trump's campaign managers were swift to respond to the accusations. melania's official website, which featured fabricated details of her life, has been taken offline. beyond the glitz and glamour, a sign perhaps of a crumbling facade.

michelle: and in our final report, we head to italy's la lanterna beach for some old-fashioned relief from the continent's troubles. located in trieste in the far northeast of the country, it is considered the last beach in italy -- perhaps even in europe -- that divides the sexes. a stone wall designates one side for men and the other for women and children. this may sound like something from the dark ages, but locals love it. men and women say the division allows for more freedom, away from the prying eyes of the other. reporter: at first glance this looks like a completely normal beach resort. it's 7:00 a.m. and the loungers are neatly packed away -- the clothes hooks ready for a new day of bathing. time to give trieste's beach pool a quick tidy up before the guests arrive. the regular guests are already waiting to get in.

>> the water is best in the morning. we always have the same loungers. reporter: the pool opens at 7:30 just like many others in the area. but here there is one major difference. women and children enter to the left, the men, to the right. mara bisiacchi makes sure everyone abides by the rules. when she's not controlling the tickets, she takes care of the cash desk. the pool attendant knows many of her customers' habits. mara bisiacchi: many women just come for a couple of hours at midday, to sunbathe and relax, separated from the men on the other side. reporter: this wall keeps men and women apart, and the women's side is often much busier than the men's.

a ticket for the pool still costs a modest one euro. mara bisiacchi: if the city council decided to privatize the pool, because it's not profitable, there would be a revolution in trieste. reporter: and micol would be among those in the uprising. she's one of the younger regular visitors, but is just as much in favor of upholding traditions as the older guests. the women are glad the wall is there to separate them from the men -- it protects them from curious glances. micol brusaferro: if you have a bit of a spare tire after the winter and aren't in the best shape, you have less stress and less problems than you would have on a normal beach where men can look at you.

you feel a lot freer. reporter: 110 years ago, the female bathers were still completely covered up. trieste was under austrian rule back then. the so-called lanterna pool below the lighthouse opened in 1903, complete with the dividing wall. it survived two world wars, austrians, italians, germans, and yugoslavians -- and has also outlived some unsavory episodes in history. fabiola: after world war i, my grandfather got rid of his lice here before he came back home. reporter: in wartime the soldiers washed on one side and washed their horses on the other. fortunately, times have changed, but men are still men. claudio is trying to persuade the ladies to meet up in the water through a slit in the wall.

they might be separated on the beach, but the men and women can mingle freely in the water. claudio quadrelli: if your wife asks you who the blonde was you were talking to in the water, that can lead to arguments. reporter: like most of the people here, the 74-year-old has been coming since he was a child. but things aren't always this peaceful. people often fight for the best spot on the beach. mara bisiacchi: i try to persuade the regulars that they don't have a right to reserved spots. that's the rule here. reporter: but peace normally returns by the end of the day. now the pool is left to the

seagulls and the bagno lanterna is ready for another day. michelle: i think a women's only beach sounds great. who knows, maybe italy will start a trend. what do you think? let us know by getting in touch on facebook, email or twitter. that's it for today. thank you for watching. in the meantime, it's goodbye from me and the whole team. see you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

steves: i'm meeting my florentine friend tommaso at i fratellini, a venerable hole in the wall much loved among locals for its tasty sandwiches and wine sold by the glass. -grazie. -tommaso: thank you. and when you're done, you leave it on the rack. steves: boy, it's intense in the city. tommaso: yes, it is. well, if you want to leave the tourists, let's cross the river, and let's go to where the real florentines live and work. -steves: what's that? -tommaso: the oltrarno area. steves: there's much more to this town than tourism, as you'll quickly find in the characteristic back lanes

of the oltrarno district. artisans busy at work offer a rare opportunity to see traditional craftsmanship in action. you're welcome to just drop in to little shops, but, remember, it's polite to greet the proprietor. your key phrase is, "can i take a look?" -posso guardare? -man: certo. steves: grazie. here in this great city of art, there's no shortage of treasures in need of a little tlc. this is beautiful. how old is this panting? woman: this is a 17th-century painting. steves: from florence? woman: we don't know. -maybe the area is genova. -steves: genova. each shop addresses a need with passion and expertise. fine instruments deserve the finest care. grand palaces sparkle with gold leaf, thanks to the delicate and exacting skills of craftspeople like this. a satisfying way to wrap up an oltrarno experience

is to enjoy a florentine steakhouse, which any italian meat lover knows means chianina beef. the quality is proudly on display. steaks are sold by weight and generally shared. the standard serving is about a kilo for two, meaning about a pound per person. so, both of those for four people? woman: yes. steves: the preparation is simple and well established. good luck if you want it well done. man: i am hungry, yeah. oh, look at this. ah! steves: oh, beautiful. [ laughs ] man: wow. steves: chianina beef. -woman: white beans. -steves: okay. perfect. man: and that one. steves: so, the meat is called chianina. tommaso: that's its name, because it comes from the chianti. steves: oh, from chianti. okay. and tell me about this concept of the good marriage of the food, you know? tommaso: well, when you have the chianina meat, you want to have some chianti wine, and they go together well. they marry together. we say, "si sposano bene."

steves: si sposano bene. a good marriage. in other words, the wine is from tuscany, -and the meat is from tuscany. -tommaso: exactly. you don't want to have a wine from somewhere else. that's it.