Beaches in Italy

What time of year?

Italy has a long coastline and lots of lakes. Beautiful beaches are very crowded during the summer but have virtually no amenities the rest of the year. Also, do you prefer pebbles or sand? Do you want something near your first week's location, or are you able to go further out? Is a lakeside beach okay, or do you want the Med?

We are doing Florence, Venice and Rome earlier in the trip and would like it to be somewhat accessible from there without too much extra travel. We were thinking May or June. I had not considered a lake before, but could be an option. Would prefer the sea however not sure if it will be the relaxing trip we are looking for due to the crowds.

I don't know what your expectations are for the he beaches but for the most part they are gravel. Not the fine sand of Florida, CA or the Crib. And they tend to be small and crowded.

Maybe Viareggio, but for a whole week? Also good day trips to Pisa, Lucca, etc.

emily,

The only beaches that come to mind at the moment are those in Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, although I'm not sure how warm the water will be at that time of year (late June may be OK?). That's somewhat on the way between Florence and Rome, so if your return flight is from Rome you should be able to fit that in.

The beaches on the Adriatic side are another option, but again I'm not sure what they'll be like at that time of year.

Beaches are not crowded at all the first half of June or, even more so, in May. If it's a hot weekend, you might see a surge of day trippers on Saturday and especially Sunday in early June. However since schools in Italy stay open until mid June, people don't go on their month long beach vacation until July and especially August, also because July and August is the time when cities in the interior are miserably hot and people try to escape that. May is not always beach weather, except for the south. But even in Sicily beaches were deserted when I went in late May a few years ago and beach towns were ghost towns still. The only time I saw several people on the beach was on a hot May Sunday in Mondello, which is a beach town 10 minutes from Palermo.
The Cinque Terre are crowded all the time nowadays, because they have become a must go place for all foreigners going to Italy. I used to go there every year when I was young, but I last time I went about 5 years ago it was crowded even in early May. The beach there is only in Monterosso, and it's small, so it gets crowded very quickly.
In your shoes I would go to the Amalfi Coast. Beaches there are pebbly/rocky, but the sea is clean and there are many other things to do in that area if you get tired of sitting at the beach. It's also relatively easier to reach without a car. If you prefer sand, I would opt for Viareggio. Very easy to reach by train. From there, if you get bored at the beach, you can visit Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre, Apuan Alps (Carrara marble quarries), the Aulla-Lucca scenic railroad, and many other places. Viareggio has more life even in June, as it is a popular beach resort. There is also a huge free sand beach with a large pine forest on the south end of town.
The best beaches in Italy are in the island of Sardinia. But you need to fly there and rent a car. It's a huge island, but a week would be a good length of time to get a taste of it.

Although further away, Puglia has some nice beaches. They tend to be sandy, less rocky and nicer (at least in my opinion) that the beach in Viareggio. Beaches between the towns of Peschici and Vieste on the Gargano peninsula are beautiful. If you choose to go even further south, we found the beaches in Santa Maria de Leuca to be fabulous. This town in on the bottom of the heel of the boot of Italy and the color of the water looks like pictures of beaches in Greece..

I know of an Agriturismo in Peschici that serves the most fabulous dinners. Nothing is more relaxing that five or six nights there with days at the beach and late afternoons at their pool. My husband and I have been there the past two Septembers and I have sent many of my Italian relatives there over the past two years for vacation. Everyone agrees that it worth the trip.

The Adriatic Sea on the East side of Italy is known for its nice big sandy beaches. I spend a lot of time in Le Marche, usually home base at Hotel Gabbiano at Porto San Giorgio. Has an elevator, nice rooms, and great mattresses. They speak English. One block from the beach. The hotel serves breakfast but I always walk the block to a caffe' bar/ristorante on the beach so I can have my caffe' while I watch the yellow sun light up the Sea as it skims the water from the horizon to the edge of the water in front of me. Mmm.

May/June the area is hopping thru September, maybe October, as some places start closing for the "winter." Grottammare is another nice beach, San Benedetto del Tronto, another great beach. There are more small coastal towns nearby with gorgeous beaches. Beaches are clean and beautiful. Should reserve hotel soon as possible because Adriatic is popular.

More nice big sandy beaches are at the Italian Riviera back on the West side of Italy, on the Northern coastline, the Versilia Coast, of Tuscany at the Ligurian Sea. I spent time at Pietrasanta on day trips from Firenze, it has a humongous beach, clean, all sand. Viareggio is there and a series of more popular coastal towns with sandy beaches.

Both areas are relaxing with beautiful sandy beaches. The Versilia Coast on the West side is more like city. The Adriatic on the East side is more like country. This is my experience. Both coasts have nice big clean sandy beaches. I think you'd like both coasts.

I disagree with Kent 100%.
Beaches are among Italy's strengths and many rival those of Hawaii, which I know well since I spend all my New Years' holidays there.
Below are some Italian beaches.
All you have to do is Google: SPIAGGE PIU BELLE ITALIA and see the images for yourself.
Most are unknown to North Americans as they tend to travel to Italy to see historical sights and beaches are visited only as an afterthought like at the Cinque Terre.

http://image.nanopress.it/viaggi/fotogallery/628X0/59007/san-teodoro-in-sardegna.jpg
http://www.ilsostenibile.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PescoluseSalento1.jpg
https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAitMjxRT0okufd&w=470&h=246&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.viagginews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F07%2FSpiaggia_Isola_dei_Conigli_wiki.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1
http://www.greenme.it/images/stories/viaggiare/puglia/sanguinara_vieste.jpg
http://www.lecasetteafavignana.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/calarossa-favignana-spiaggia-piu-bella-ditalia.jpg
http://italia.trovaspiagge.it/images/photo_beach/Sardegna/is-arutas-3.jpg
http://www.risparmio-energetico.com/IMG/arton419.jpg
http://fascinointellettuali.larionews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/San-Vito-lo-Capo.jpg
http://www.daringtodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/cala-violina1.png
http://www.partodaqui.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Sirolo1.jpeg

Don't agree with Sandra. I lived and worked in Portonovo on the Adriatic. While beautiful and relaxing and not over run with tourists, the beach there, like many others along the Adriatic, was pretty much made up from rocks. When I was there, if you wanted to lay out in the sun, you laid on chaise lounge chairs at the hotel. If you wanted to go in the water, you needed to wear something on your feet or risk getting your feet cut up by the many rocks in the water (water was clear and warm). I will also say that in some areas, the water may seem pretty calm (not the kind of wave action you see along the coast in the U.S.) but you have to watch for some pretty strong rip currents underneath if you like to go swimming. Italian beaches are not loaded up with lifeguards every x number of yards like you have at U.S. beaches. There are a few beaches that are sand beaches, but as others mention, it is not like the fine sand you might be thinking of when you seek a beach vacation and the ones that do have sand in Italy tend to be very popular with tourists and get crowded (e.g., Rimini). If rocky beaches are not your thing, you might consider renting a place in the countryside that has a pool. That said, I really loved being in Portonovo and it can be quite nice just spending time hanging on a chaise lounge getting some sun and having a drink while you look at the scenery around you - sand or no sand.

Portonovo is a part of the Mount Conero Natural Park Reserve at Ancona in Le Marche and yes it's still rocky there. But going South from there, the beaches are long, flat, and sandy along the Adriatic coast.

I ride the seaside Trenitalia from Ancona to San Benedetto del Tronto along an unbroken sandy coast. My Mom grew up one mile from the Adriatic at Porto D' Asco (Ascoli, but Mom always said Asco) which has a big beautiful sandy beach. Her parents lived at Monteprandone, a hill town slightly inland. Her parents married at Grottammare, still a beautiful romantic beach town with a lot of sandy coast.

I write only about places I have experienced. I have a long history with Le Marche on the Adriatico. My Grandmother's family still lives at Porto San Giorgio, and my Grandfather's still at San Benedetto del Tronto, which is on the other side of the street from Porto D' Asco where they lived married.

I can say that the beach at Pietrasanta at the Italian Riviera on the Versilia Coast in Tuscany is also quite fantastic, huge with thick sand, at the Ligurian Sea. You can check this out as the Northern coast of Tuscany is an easy day trip from Florence. I may lodge in Firenze for a month and day trip out from there.

Italy has the beaches for your enjoyment. May/June just starts the playtime at Italy's beaches. I was having caffe' at the Adriatic in November! Some places stay open all "winter." It was still sunny and bright, parka weather. The owner always wants me to choose my own table outside. I always go to the water's edge so I can see the moment the sun from the horizon arrives at the beach.

Italy never gives up, and you should go to the beach to see the other side of Italy.

I enjoyed the beach at Levanto in early October. It is sandy and not too big. At that time of year, families arrived after school left out. Levanto is just north of the Cinque Terre. I believe it is on the train line to CT.

We found a nice beach, with sand, no crowds in the water but a million chaise lounges which you could rent for a day, just south of Venice. Glorious water, an excellent fruit stand and a nice public, sandy lane for access to the beach. We had a car and drove toward Chioggia after leaving Fusina parking, grand farmland and a very Italian beach.

We also saw a sandy beach in Bogliasco (on a different trip) and watched surfers and the sun set on the Mediterranian :-) at a nice seaside restaurant.

The beach at Monterosso al Mare was also sandy and glorious. Tons of chaise lounges with beach umbrellas there also. And few people in the water. There is also a public beach where you can just sit without a table or waiters. But drinks served on the beach could be fun.

So three sides of Italy with sandy beaches and I was not really looking! I could not spend a week at a beach but it is very possible.

We had a great time in Senigallia, in Le Marche, on the Adriatic coast. Miles of flat, sandy beach. Bars where you can sit on the sand. A couple of Michelin-starred restaurants. Picturesque little town. A couple of hours by train from Venice. Some interesting day trips nearby. We loved it.