Beaches in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna

Cecina is pleasant. No scenery to speak of, but lots of beach. It's about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Florence.

Thanks for the info!

Viareggio was the most popular original beach resort for Florence due to excellent train service between the two. Its development in the 1920's was rapid and it is still an excellent place to visit. Lots of Liberty style architecture, an extensive beach, boats of every sort, wonderful people watching along a store-lined 'lungomare', miles of piney wooded parks, an open market area, etc. Great place to visit, but the beaches won't remind you of home.

Versilia Region (Viareggio to Forte dei Marmi) is the closest (1.5 hours drive). Long sandy beaches with lots of beach concessions.
https://goo.gl/images/R9XUSG

If you want a quieter pretty town with some cliffs then Castiglioncello might do for you. Same driving time just south of Livorno.

We spent a day at a great beach in Tirrenia. It's about 1:40 drive from Florence.

Thanks for your input.

My husband's family lives in Lucca, and he grew up spending summers going to the beach at Viareggio. It also has the claim to fame of where the English poet Percy Shelley died. We've also been to Forte dei Marmi, which I think I may have preferred. I do remember from there you could look up at the mountains and see where marble has been carved off at Cararra -- it looks like snow, but of course it's far too hot for it to be snow.

Forte dei Marmi, if you like boutiques as well as sea. Should you also wish to catch an Italian celebrity strolling along the beach, this is your place. It is very near Viareggio. Also interesting is to visit Carrara and its wonderful cathedral as well as the marble site where from Michelangelo made his wonderful
Sculptures.

In Viareggio near the port there are many small to big companies which restore or build boats, I like to watch them sometimes. Very interesting is also the nearby Torre del Lago where Puccini created many of his masterpieces. If you like puccini, there are always many concerts going on at Torre del Lago and Viareggio.
There are free and pay beaches in Viareggio.

A little more both In Liguria there is Riomaggiore, very nice indeed.
Not too far from Florence is also San Vincenzo.

More South in Tuscany you have the Argentario region with Porto Santo Stefano and orbetello with its lacuna and although it may be a bit long with public transport, I really like it. (Public transport: see Busradar app and insert Florence- Porto Santo Stefano) On the other side you can see the Elba islands and the Gianutri and Giglio islets.
https://www.toremar.it/it/tratte/orari-tariffe.html
Also very interesting is the nearby Maremma:
The butteri or the Italian cowboys
http://uominiecavallirodeo.it/maremma-cow-boys/

Further South at the border between Tuscany and Lazio, also on the sea is Tarquinia. Also very interesting in Tarquinius are its marvelous Etruscan tombs and its Etruscan museum.

You could stay there four days as well as one month.😉

If you go to Forte dei Marmi, an upscale beach resort town, you might see also non-Italian celebrities

Fantastic article, Roberto.

Thank you!