Best beach between Dolomites and Rome? Any suggestion for 3 nights

Best? You're not going to confuse the Adriatic beaches with the Cape Cod National Seashore, but you can enjoy the beach, services, and some tourist attractions around Rimini.

Never been to Cape Cod. Is the water clear there? Thank you

Monterosso al mare has a decent beach.

Viareggio has a decent beach, on the lines of Rimini with rows of private beach clubs where you pay for a spot with chairs and umbrellas. Close to Lucca.
Do you have a car? Elba has a lot of isolated beaches.

What month? Most beaches are very crowded in July and August. Much less so in June and almost deserted in September.

Near Orbetello (rocky on promontory, sandy on the "spits," in Ucellina park along mainland. Car required.

First week of June

I can get a car if I need one

Bob, the point is that the US coasts tend to have absolutely superb beaches, if crowded at times. You may not find European beaches as nice. I have a doctor who says she won't swim in the Mediteranean Sea, but we don't always go in, at home. I'd go to the Caribbean for beaches before Italy. I can't imagine spending the money to go to Europe and then sit at the beach-especially if it turns out to be pebbles or rip-current prone.

Another thread about this frequently asked question suggested Venice, just because there's so much else to do. There are one or two high-end hotels that may (?) even have private beaches. I'd rather see Venice ... again.

Yes, I get it. We live by the Florida coast. Can’t beat the white sands there. I guess we could take a beach town break around Lake Garda leaving the Dolomites. Any suggestions?

Hotel Castello on Lago di Garda sits right a nice sandy beach, in a scenic spot below the castle. They may have a 3- night minimum, but you can meet that. If you tire of the beach you can ride the cablecar up Monte Baldo right from town.

I don't agree with Tim that there are no beautiful beaches in Italy. Maybe he hasn't gone to the right places.

However, the most beautiful beaches are in the islands and in the south for example:

Sardinia
Salento in the region of Puglia
Calabria
Sicily

Sardinia actually has very little to envy to the Caribbean islands (except that the water is not as warm).

In Tuscany the best beaches are also in the islands, for example the island of Elba. Another area of Tuscany with nice beaches is in the Maremma area (Prov. of Grosseto)

On the Adriatic Sea, aside from Apulia, which is too far south, there is nothing I would call great. Near Ancona there is the Mt. Conero National Park, that has nice beaches, but, if you come from Florida, the Adriatic sea between Venice and Rimini will certainly disappoint you (or even gross you out), although it's very vibrant and full of entertainment.

But either Maremma or Mt. Conero are not along the most direct way from Dolomites to Rome (no coastal area is) and both would require a car to properly visit.

Closer to Rome, but still an island which requires a ferry, there are the Ponziane Islands. They are rocky but the sea is nice and clear, and Ponza is a nice quaint village.

I'm not too crazy about lake beaches, but here are some beaches on the Lake Garda.

We went to Porto Santo Stefano in early June once. Very much enjoyed the seaside vibe before the crowds of July and August but the beaches are really on Isola del Giglio, famous for the shipwreck back in 2012. You can ferry to the island for the day, hike to the castle, enjoy great food and views. We did it all by train and bus, FYI.

Laurel, thank you that looks like a great option!