Beach vacation
Italy is not only Venice, Rome with the Vatican, art in Florence and Milan. Thousands other little towns have beautiful landscapes with many museums and monuments and this is a great place for a beach vacation. Italy has a long coastline of more than 5000 miles scattered with many renowned beaches and fashionable hotels and campings, and this is enough to make of Italy one of the excellent goals to enjoy your beach holiday in Europe.
In fact, it is hard to decide on which of the Italian beaches to have a vacation, as each one has some particular feature. First must be known that the Mediterranean sea in Italy is known in the eastern part as the Adriatic sea and the western part as Tyrrhenian Sea. The Italian peninsula is as yet surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea in the west, the Sicilian Sea and the Ionian Sea in the south.
Italian Riviera
In your beach vacation you can find outstanding soft sand beaches in Liguria on the Italian Riviera; The Italian Riviera (Italian Riviera ligure) is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. It extends from the border with France and the French Riviera (or Côte d’Azur) near Ventimiglia (a former customs post) to Capo Corvo (also known as Punta Bianca) which marks the eastern end of the Gulf of La Spezia and is close to the border with Tuscany. The Italian Riviera thus includes nearly all of the coastline of Liguria.
The Riviera is centered on the port of Genoa, which divides it into two main sections: the Riviera di Ponente, extending westwards from Genoa to the French border; and the Riviera di Levante between Genoa and Capo Corva.
Palm trees and expensive boutiques line the narrow streets leading to the pebbled shores of the Italian beach resort of San Remo. Here you can also try your luck at the luxuriant casinos and racetracks, the gambling mecca for western Italy.
It is famous for its particularly mild climate which, together with the charm of its old fishing ports and the beauty of its landscape, has made it a popular destination for travelers and tourists since the time of Byron and Shelley. The blue waters, the attractive coastline and beaches, and the exceptionally mild climate have long been the Italian Riviera’s biggest attractions. Sheltered from the north by the Maritime Alps, the strip of land by the sea has a microclimate of its own; with sunshine and comfortable temperatures the whole year round.
Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast, or Costiera Amalfitana in Italian, is a stretch of coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy (Province of Salerno), extending from Positano in the west to Vietri sul Mare in the east. The world famous Amalfi coast has many of the best beaches in Italy. The sleepy villages along the coast lie on wicked curves, and its villas have acted as getaways for celebrities both new and old. The towns on the Amalfi Coast are Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Scala, Atrani, Amalfi, Conca dei Marini, Praiano and Positano. It is, maybe, the part of the coast in the whole of Campania region where the towns perfectly harmonize with the beauty of the landscape.
Renowned for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, picturesque towns and diversity, the Amalfi Coast is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The area is featured in Positano (1953) by American writer John Steinbeck.
The beaches in Italy are known for their scenic charm and cleanliness, offering excellent conditions for a wide range of recreation, including varieties of beach and water sports. On your beach holidays in Italy, you can find a large number of adventure beaches, as well as designated family beaches, to suit every taste and requirement. If you’re looking for a beach holiday with a difference, then head towards beautiful Italian beaches this summer.
The lemon trees and fragrant flowers of the Isle of Capri provide a picturesque backdrop for its sprawling beaches. The statuesque arcs of the Tyrrhenian Sea guarantee that the resorts along its coastline are among the best beaches in Italy – the sights of the translucent blue and green grottoes more than make up for the lack of sand found here.
Adriatic coast Italy
The entire Italian Adriatic coast has great holiday places for your beach vacation. Italy has many resorts along this coast. The white sands of the Venetian beach of Lido make it one of the most tempting beaches of Italy, even if the water lapping at your feet is not fit for swimming. Luxury hotels offer endless privacy in one of the most romantic cities in the world, and waterfront huts are available for rental if your wallet feels too full. Jesolo is one of the wonderful places for great holidays located on the Adriatic Sea near Venice. In fact Jesolo is the best European vacation spot with the roots of Roman times. On your visit to Italy, you must not miss the opportunity to spend an unforgettable holiday at this famous summer resort. You can find shores, greenery, nightclubs, discos and modern accommodations in Jesolo.
The Adriatic Coast of Emilia-Romagna with Rimini as the largest city and most famous due to Federico Fellini, who chose ‘the Riviera’ as stage for one of his more important movies: ‘Amarcord’.
Riccione, renamed the “Green Pearl” of the Adriatic for its exclusive atmosphere, is probably the most charming resort of the Riviera. Synonymous with all that is smart and elegance, with its trendy fashion shops, is frequented by artists and VIPs .
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is another fine Italian beach vacation region, where a small but hospitable strip of sand lays unassuming in the midst of the five fishing towns. Popular with American and European honeymooners alike, this quiet spot on the banks of the Italian Riviera is just steps away from scenic hikes and exquisite seafood dishes constructed around the fishermen’s daily catch.
Italian beaches and marinas awarded with the BLUE FLAG last year.
This award is given to the beaches that offer cleanliness and safe bathing areas.
Abruzzo Scanno (L’Aquila); Martinsicuro, Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto, Giulianova-lungomare nord e lido Zara, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Pineto (Teramo); San Vito Chietino, Rocca San Giovanni, Fossacesia, Vasto-marina e punta Penna, San Salvo (Chieti)
Apulia Peschici (Foggia); Ostuni, Carovigno (Brindisi); Ginosa (Taranto)
Basilicata Maratea (Potenza)
Calabria Ciro’ Marina (Crotone); Roccella Jonica (Reggio Calabria)
Campania Positano, Agropoli, Castellabate, Montecorice-Agnone, Acciaroli e Pioppi di Pollica, Ascea, Pisciotta, Spiagge di Palinuro e di Centola, Sapri (Salerno)
Emilia-Romagna Comacchio (Ferrara); Lidi Ravennati, Cervia (Ravenna); Cesenatico (Forli’-Cesena); Bellaria Igea Marina, Rimini, Riccione, Misano Adriatico, Cattolica (Rimini)
Friuli-Venezia Giulia Grado (Gorizia); Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine)
Latium Anzio (Roma); Sabaudia, Sperlonga, Gaeta (Latina)
Liguria Camporosso, Bordighera (Imperia); Spotorno, Bergeggi, Spiagge Fornaci e Natarella di Savona, Albisola Superiore, Albissola Marina, Celle Ligure, Varazze (Savona); Chiavari, Lavagna, Moneglia (Genova); Lerici (La Spezia)
Lombardy (lakes) Sirmione Viale Gennari e Lido delle Bionde (Brescia) sul lago di Garda
Marches Gabicce Mare, Pesaro-Lido di Ponente e di Levante, Fano centro-Torrette e Marotta (Pesaro-Urbino); Senigallia, Sirolo, Numana Alta e Bassa (Ancona); Porto Recanati-Scossicci, Civitanova Marche (Macerata); Porto San Giorgio, Grottammare-lungomare nord e sud, Cupra Marittima, San Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno)
Molise Termoli, Campomarino (Campobasso)
Piedmont (lakes) Cannero Riviera, Cannobio-Lido e Camping internazionale/Nosetto (Verbania)
Sardinia Santa Teresa di Gallura-Rena Bianca (Olbia-Tempio)
Sicily Pozzallo (Ragusa); Menfi (Agrigento); Fiumefreddo di Sicilia (Catania)
Tuscany Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Viareggio (Lucca); Pisa; Livorno-Antignano e Quercianella, Castiglioncello e Vada di Rosignano Marittimo, Cecina-Gorette e Marina di Cecina, Bibbona, Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo (Livorno); Follonica, Castiglione della Pescaia, Marina e Principina di Grosseto, Monte Argentario (Grosseto)
Veneto San Michele al Tagliamento-Bibione, Eraclea, Jesolo, Cavallino Treporti (Venezia)