Calling all advice givers- two week trip - Classic and beach

Just know that beaches in most of Europe can’t compare to those in the U.S. Your requirement for beach access will be very limiting in Europe.
But here are two areas with beaches in Italy:
Liguria:
Monterosso in the Cinque Terre has a beach. If you stay at Hotel Porto Roca they have a private beach which would be a good idea so you wouldn’t have to deal with crowds or parking issues.
Santa Margherita Ligure is a beautiful town in Liguria as is nearby Camogli. They are on the sea
Bologna is a wonderful base but not for beach access.
Puglia:
You will find nice beaches on its long Adriatic Sea coast. We stayed on the water in Polignano a Mare and highly recommend it as well as Monopoli and Trani.
All the above would be in place of Sardinia since you only have two weeks.
Make sure you stay in Rome on your next trip to Italy! We have never in four visits to Rome had problems with crowds except when we went over New Years. We love Rome!

First fly into Venice. It's a great place to get over jet lag and acclimate to a new world. Also, It needs at least three full days (four nights) to do it justice.

I don't think I would bother to fly to Sardinia for four days. What about Venice 5 nights, Bologna or smaller city nearby--Modena, Ferrara, Parma--4 nights, rent car from there and head to Senigallia 3/4 nights? Senigallia is lovely beach town and June should still be pre-season so it won't be mobbed. You can day trip from there to other beautiful towns inland (Urbino, Corinaldo, etc.) or on the coast (Sirolo, Numana, etc.) in Le Marche. You would probably need to head back to Bologna and return home from BLQ, so maybe one night there. This would give you a relatively off-the-beaten-track-for-Americans and fabulous taste of Italy.

I would suggest staying 4-5 days in Venice. I find it a magical place plus there is a great beach in Lido, a quick vaparetto ride from the city center. From there I would suggest Florence. I know you said you weren't set on Florence but it is an easily walkable city with great history and art. Day trips from Florence to Lucca, Sienna, Pisa are easy.

I have not been back to the CT since the early 2000's but it was awe-inspiring when I did go. For a real beach, you would want to stay in Monterosso. Santa Margherita Lugure was also very nice and an easy train ride to Milan for a flight out.

Hello beckynbug, and welcome to the forum!

Generally people here count by nights rather than by days because it is clearer and also let's you track where you're sleeping every night so you can make reservations. Keep in mind that 2 nights is only one full day and some portion of the other two days. Don't underestimate how much time the logistics of packing up, checking out and traveling with you luggage will take out of your 'part day'.

Given that some of your first day will probably be lost to jet lag, getting oriented and also maybe things like getting cash and SIM cards I would always advise adding an extra to your first town if you have any doubt. Venice is amazing and if you fly in there I would advocate for at least 3 nights in Venice.

If you like historical things it's hard to go wrong in Florence. History, art, politics all rolled up into one small - for tourist purposes - city. One of the great things about Florence is that is walkable and approachable in way that Rome is not. Florence will take up as many days as you can through at it so decide what your "must sees" are - David, etc and reserve your tickets before you go.

Siena is the classic day trip from Florence and will be touristy and not "off the beaten track" but that's because it's a great hill town. If you want to sample Italy I'd advocate at least one trip into the Tuscan countryside. Arezzo is much smaller and less touristy than Siena but will also given a taste of the countryside. Lucca is a great city to visit and while it is Tuscan it is not a hilltown so it has the ancient city behind the walls appeal but not the rolling hilly Tuscan countryside from the postcards.

I would advise against flying anywhere with the time you have because you will lose essentially almost an entire day to plane transit - probably both ways. If you want beaches there are beaches from Venice downwards on the Adriatic - Rimini being the most famous but essentially everything from Ravenna southward is a long string of beaches with different names.

On the west coast you could stay either north or south of CT if you want a real beach. Levanto will provide both train and ferry access to CT and has a beach but whether it meets your idea of a beach resort area I don't know. The places get fancier as you head up the coast towards Porto Fino. Staying here would allow you to explore the various towns on the coast there as well as CT depending on what you want to explore.

South of La Spezia San Terezno has beaches and a series of beaches stretch from there almost to Lerici. That south side of the bay will still be touristy - all beaches in June in Italy will be - but they are much more Italian people staying at the beach for part of the summer versus American day trippers. Staying there would probably require a bus to either the ferry or the train station in La Spezia to get to CT. There is a ferry from Lerici to Porto Venere but I don't think it is timed well to coincide with the CT ferry although it does stop in Porto Venere as well.

I would fly into Venice and the out of either Pisa or Milan depending on what works for you. Pisa is closer and much smaller airport with good connections in Europe but you may need to head to Milan is you are heading beyond London for your first leg.

Hope that helps, have a great trip!
=Tod

I find it interesting that you don't want to go to Rome on this trip because you think it will be extremely busy, yet you're heading to Venice straightaway.

We can better help you if we have more particulars. You say you're going the middle of June, but you don't say how exactly how long your trip will be. I'm guessing two weeks. I'm not sure what you are expecting Italian beaches to be like. As has been mentioned they aren't like US beaches in places like California or Florida. You are going to some trouble and expense to go to Italy, but you are budgeting most of the time at the beach. Of all the things I'd go to Italy to do, going to the beach would be at the bottom of the list.

You also haven't mentioned how you plan to get from one place to the other. It will be hard to get off the popular tourist track if you are using public transportation. Also remember moving from one place to the other is a major time suck.

Finally, I suggest you sit down with Google Maps and use the direction feature to see how long it takes to get from one place to another. I get the feeling you think Italy is smaller than it actually is. I hope you have a wonderful trip, but I feel you and your family need to sit down and have a deep dive into research and also firm up your expectations. You'll have to make some hard choices.

You have already been told this, but it bears repeating. Many European beaches are not what you are expecting. They are small and rocky, especially those of the Cinque Terre. You also mention wanting to be “off the popular tourist track.” The CT will be, if anything, even more crowded than the Amalfi Coast. Hideously packed with people. There are some beach towns along the coast of Tuscany, which you might investigate, that are also reasonably close to other interesting spots. You would probably need a rental car for that part of your trip.
Have you checked out flight connections between Sardinia and the U.S.? I have no experience with that, but my guess is that it might be very time- consuming and/or expensive.

my two cents....I agree on skipping Rome. Yes tons of history there but not easy to get around as I don't consider it a "walkable" city. I have stayed in small walkable neighborhoods like Trestavere but overall it can be overwhelming city for a first visit. I suggest perhaps starting in Genoa for multiple reasons (and it is a small manageable airport). You can day trip to Turin for a big city vibe and it seems to not be on the radar of North American visitors. Month of June can be very plesant but can also warm up quite a bit so being by the sea is a plus. From Genoa, continue down the coast to experience small towns along the way. Comogli is a lovely fishing village tp explore as well as a quick hop to CT to visit...can be crowded but you can get the feel of it by just visiting a couple of the towns along the way. Work your way down to Viareggio for the beautiful SAND beach for a day of relaxation by the sea...really lovely beach town. Also perhaps then a short stay in Lucca for a night or two then over to Florence (small walkable city) for the absolute history of it all and fly out of there. I think you can work out a nice mix of city and village visits and have a fabulous trip no matter what you decide. Enjoy every moment!!