Best coastal town to visit from Bologna? Help with itinerary where to fly in/out of.

Could you clarify the location of Petritoli? I only see one in Le Marche, not near Florence.
By train from Bologna, Senigallia might be an option--check train times.

Petritoli is near Ancona. We will go from there to Bologna. My thought was traveling somewhere costal from Bologna since that will be our last "jumping off" point.

Thanks -- when you mentioned going there from Florence it threw me a bit. So I have the transport logistics right--you will ride with family members from Florence to Petritoli, and after that? Is it already booked for you to be in Bologna next? Are they going to drop you at a train station? There is a train line that runs along the coast in Marche, and there are a few coastal areas of Marche that are very nice, so it would work out great if you could do that coastal bit before Bologna--finishing there to fly out. Are Bologna or even Ancona flight options for you?
In addition to Senigallia, Fano is a cute coastal town with nice rocky beaches (Senigallia is sand). Sirolo, near Ancona, has a gorgeous coast and pebble beach. You could get to Ancona by bus from there.
Last, I have not been there but considered San Benedetto del Tronto, which is near Petritoli and could be an option as well.

Heather - Rimini and Ravenna Italy come to mind as great coastal towns near Bologna.

Ravenna used to be on the coast. Does that count? It's a beautiful town with seven magnificent medieval-mosaic sites.

Check departure times for your flights out of Venice. It works out fine for some people, but many others find they have a super-early flight time that requires them to get up at an ungodly hour and pay for very expensive private transportation to the airport.

I agree with Valadalphia — I think Senigallia would be a good choice. It has miles of sandy beach, good restaurants including two with Michelin stars, and a couple of good day trip options by bus or train —- the walled city of Coronado or the Caverns of Frassasi.

Ravenna is wonderful, spend a day there.

Rimini was not much to see. It has a beach, but when we visited Rimini the beach and ocean were littered with refuse and the odor of sewage was in the air most of the time.

We enjoyed the seaside town of Cesenatico --- it was winter and we are not beach people, but it looks like there are beaches. Good food and a boat museum that has its boats floating in a long canal that goes through the town. Looks like a little more than 2 hours from Petritoli and an hour and a half from Bologna.

"What coastal city would you recommend? We would like the opportunity to swim and experience the coast. "
The Adriatic coast has a lot of towns such as Rimini and Cesenatico as mentioned above but the sea is not very enticing, people go for the beach life, the restaurants, shops and night life, especially the further north you go towards Ravenna the less likely you are to want to go in the water.
Going south the situation improves. Last year I was near Martinsicuro near San Benedetto del Tronto and the Sea was really nice. Grottammare apparently also has a nice historical centre.
Otherwise look at places like Levanto or Lerici (short bus ride from La Spezia) in Liguria, nice sea and beach and very pretty villages but expect quite a few people even in June, avoid the weekend if you can...

Cesenatico and Cervia are nice.

The beaches along the coast north of Ancona are more or less comparable in beauty (or lack thereof).

Although the area is famous for being crowded in summer, however that won’t be the case in June, when it’s still too early in the season. July through August would be crowded, although not as much as it used to be decades ago. I was in Rimini and Cesenatico last July (after almost 40 years I had not gone) and it was kind of empty compared to when I used to go there as a kid. I guess people nowadays prefer to go to better beach destinations, also thanks to the a availability of cheaper low cost flights.

There are several entertainment activities at those beach locations, for adults and kids alike (theme parks, discotheques, restaurants, bars, cafes, etc.), but if you are looking for beautiful South Pacific Island style beaches and pristine crystal waters, you are in for a rude awakening.

Thank you all for the responses! We have decided to spend extra time in Venice.