Best beaches in Italy

The only beach in the CT is in Monterosso and it is nice, but more pebbles than sand. The water is likely to be cold at that time of year, but probably no colder than the Pacific. It's 2 1/2 hours from Florence with one train change which is pretty easy. Vernazza and old Monterosso, which were damaged by a monsoon in October, have just about recovered and Vernazza has a cool harbor. Try the baked anchovies, they're to die for. The CT is well worth the visit, as is hiking the trails. The best place right now to find a hotel room, if at all, will be in Monterosso. Lots of folks visiting the CT at Rick's urging to help their economy. It's a little over three hours by train from Florence to Santa Margherita and then about 15 minutes to Portofino. Not sure about accommodations there but I can tell you that in August it will be crowded. Enjoy. PS Be sure to throw your coins in the Trevi. Once you visit Italy you will definitely go back.

Gee Ct beaches are quite small and Portofino even smaller and all cobbled.. none have fine beach sand like HB and S. Ca.
You may be a little disappointed in gen. Santa Margarita Ligure has a wider beach area w/ a lovely promenade if that is what you like. And is a very nice seaside town to visit and easily assessible by train.

Michelle, Of the two locations you mentioned, the nicest sandy beaches are in Monterosso (C.T.). There are two sections of beach, in the "old town" and "new town". Some are "pay-per-use" with lounge chairs and umbrellas (cost is reasonable) and some are free. Recent reports indicate a few Jellyfish in the area, but I don't know if they're a problem all the time. The harbour in Vernazza is still being rebuilt after the floods, but it may be back in operation by August? Corniglia has a small area for swimmers, as does Manarola. Riomaggiore has a very small harbor area where swimming should be possible. For travel in the C.T. in August, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a room booked SOON! Portofino is not a good location for swimming. There's a small enclosed harbour with lots of boats, but I didn't see anyone swimming when I was there last September. There may be a few swimming areas away from the main harbour, but I didn't see any. As the previous reply indicated, Santa Margherita Ligure would be probably be a better spot. You might also consider Levanto, which is a few minutes north of Monterosso. Happy travels!

Michelle, if you are in Rome you can get to Naples via train in 1 hour and 10 minutes. It is not far to the port and there are ferries to the Islands of Capri and Ischia. Ischia is less traveled and has not only beaches but hot springs spas and thermal beaches!

The Versilia coast, which is south of Cinque Terre and thus closer to Florence, has broad golden sandy beachs backed by mountains. Here is a photo of the beach at Marina di Pietrasanta, with information about the town of Pietrasanta (near Carrera) and other resort towns along this coast: http://skvots.net/marina-di-pietrasanta-beaches-riviera-versilia.html The town of Pietrasanta, which is a few km back from the beach, is a well-known artist's colony, with sculpture studios and workshops. The southernmost town on this stretch of beaches is Viareggio, but I'd head north to Pietrasanta or Forte dei Marmi.

The beaches on the Adriatic side are close enough for you to get to, and they are very proud of their beautiful fine sand. I have family there and visited many times.
Rimini, Riccioni, Cattolica, all have hotels on the sea. It's touristy, for the Italians, primarily, but the Adriatic is much warmer than the Med, and the sand much nicer.

If you are looking for long stretches of sandy beach, the Adriatic Coast will be more to your liking (Rimini comes to mind).

Michelle, Last month we stayed two nights in Lerici, just south of La Spezia. There are several hotels right on the beach. We were very happy with ours - Hotel Florida. Both nights we took the 15 minute stroll into town and ate at great restaurants. A beautiful setting everywhere you looked. Not sure how you're traveling, but there is no train service to Lerici, so you may have to take the train to La Spezia and a short bus ride there. It's worth it.

I'm just not certain where they are with the re-construction in Vernazza, but I'm sure if you like Rick Steves on facebook,send a message, someone in the office can tell you... However, in 2006, I found the beach in Vernazza to be the best: it's small, but sandy. (Vernazza built this beach many years ago and maintain it with fine sand, that's how it got a sandy beach.) Because most go to Montoroso, it's not crowded at all. Also, Levento has sandy beach too, but not certain how crowded it can get. Montoroso beach is small pebbles, but great people watching.

We just returned from Italy two days ago and also fit in a beach stay between Florence and Rome. Some quiet time in a beach town offers a nice retreat from the busy cities. We stayed in Monterosso in the Cinque Terre for two nights and all 7 of us on the trip found those to be our favorite days. As others have mentioned, the beach is not sandy, but is beautiful. While the water was chilly, we all went swimming. My recommendation to you is that wherever you go, spend more that one night.