Ischia vs Sardinia for last leg of honeymoon?

How much time do you have? Sardinia is high on my list as a beach/sea lover, but I'd really want ample time there so I could rent a car and drive all over the island. Plus, you lose some time in transit. Do you know where you are flying in and out yet? I don't see much reason to spend time getting to Ischia either, as there are some spectacular coastal areas in Tuscany (as well as hot springs, if that is something you were after also)! Have you determined the Tuscan part of the itinerary yet?
Here area few places you might want to check out:

Elba (have not been yet)--the mainland coast near here was also nice. We stayed in Massa Marittima but ventured near Populonia/Baratti for a day trip. Ferries depart form Piombino.

the Maremma coast--Ucellina park would be right up your alley as a hiker. The beaches were my absolute favorite (having been to Liguria, Campania, Marche and Puglia coasts)--I prefer natural beaches you have to work to get to. There are some very upscale places in this region--such as Castiglione della Pescaia and on the rocky Monte Argentario peninsula (referring to Il Pelicano), but there are also very low key places, agriturismo, etc. We stayed in Orbetello so we could access the promontory and the mainland. The beach at Feniglia was lovely. You can take ferries to Giglio island from Porto Santo Stefano--that is another place you might consider.
Further north, we stayed in Vetulonia and went to a wonderful beach called Cala Violina.

You might also look at the Lerici-Tellaro area in southern Liguria since it might fit well into your itinerary.

Since you'll be in Tuscany, my first thought was Elba, which is right off the Tuscan coast. But I have never been, and I do not know if it is suitable for chill beach time!

I missed your question about Tuscany. Same question, how much time do you have? Are you going to rent a car? What is the kind of experience you are looking for--city? village? agriturismo? Is it important to you to see Florence?
Early June is the perfect time for the coast, btw, as you are just getting warm sea temps but the "season" has not really begin in earnest, so beach towns are wonderfully pleasant and not jammed with people.

Sardinia is definitely the top for beaches in my opinion. However you will need to fly there and in June, from Tuscany, you can do so only from Pisa, since the flights from Florence start only at the beginning of July. Sardinia is also large (about 2.5 times the size of the Big Island of Hawaii) therefore if you have less than a week to devote to it, then maybe it's not worth the time and cost. Additionally, you will definitely need a rental car. If you are still interested in Sardinia, use the search box above. I've posted many comments on Sardinia in the past.

If you are in Tuscany, and have only a few days to devote to the beach time, the best Tuscan beaches are in Maremma (Southern Tuscan Coast), but especially the islands (Elba, Giglio). You can reach Elba via ferry from Piombino, while Giglio is reachable from Porto Santo Stefano (via ferry). In the mainland the best beaches are near Mt. Argentario. For all the above locations I recommend a car.

Ischia is nice and easily reachable from the port of Naples.

Hey everyone, thank you soooo much for already responding, this community is incredible!

We are in really early stages of planning so most we don't have too much nailed down, and I figured starting with location may make the most sense. However,
- We are planning to do a full two weeks though, so we will have four or five nights for this leg of the trip. And will also do four or five nights in the Dolomites and four or five nights in Tuscany.
- We will fly into Milan to get to the Dolomites, and then just fly out of wherever is most convenient so long as it’s not price prohibitive, but we live in NYC so I don’t think we’ll be constricted. Seems like maybe Rome or Naples could be likely options.
- We are totally up to rent a car. I think we’re expecting to need to do so in Tuscany, and potentially in the Dolomites, but unclear about the beach leg.
- In Tuscany we are mostly focused on an agriturismo or village experience — want to eat good food, check out wine and vineyards, maybe do a cooking class, and have a laid back experience. We would perhaps do one day trip to Florence.

"A full two weeks" for all of this is not terribly long (does that include flying there/back from the US?) -- especially when you consider each time you switch from one region to another, you're burning a full day (the places you have chosen are far apart, and moving between any pair of them will consume a full day). Starting with 14 days (assuming your "two weeks" does NOT include your arrival or departure days), you're then down to 11 days. Also, you are speaking about regions (Tuscany, the Dolomites, Sardinia), not specific places -- I assume you realize you can't really "do Tuscany" in 3-4 days, so calibrate your expectations. Yes it's possible to do three far-apart places in Italy in the time you have, but you'll have just 3-ish days in each, so...first, be honest with yourself about how many full, usable days you really have, and then choose carefully.

Yep as I mentioned we are flexible so the fourteen days doesn't include travel to and from Italy and we are prepared to extend the trip if it ends up being necessary. We are planning for at least four nights in each location. And yes, we are not trying to "do" all of Tuscany. We just intend to go to some part of it to experience that region of Italy. We are very early in the planning stages so we haven't gotten any further than that.

Giglio Island off Tuscan coast might be easiest. It is a laidback island with some beaches and nice hikes. Would be a relatively short drive to to reach the ferry to there from a Tuscan agriturismo. Have you looked at agriturismos around Pienza or Montepulciano? Also suggest stopping by the Saturnia natural hot springs, a favorite spot of ours.

So fortunate to be able to honeymoon in Italy! Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials too.

I think you would be wise to settle on at least 21 days in Italy with what you would like to see/do. (And, why not? It’s your honeymoon!) Sounds like you may have the ability to choose that time frame. Then, you can easily have your 4-5 nights in the Dolomites, maybe a full 7 in Tuscany with the remaining on Sardinia as it sounds like more time there is ideal. You can mix up your beach time with exploring the island.

Roberto mentions only flights from Pisa to Sardinia in June, but once you’ve spent your time in Tuscany, it isn’t terribly difficult to get to Pisa. Then from Pisa to Milan for flight back-or Florence or Pisa for that matter.

Enjoy the planning. There will be so many worthy responses to you on this forum that it will make the planning easier and it will fall into place.

If you only have 4 or even 5 nights in Tuscany and you prefer to stay in a agriturismo, the areas most popular are in the province of Siena. Someone above suggested the Val D’Orcia (Montepulciano, Pianza), which is probably the most popular destination in rural Tuscany among US travelers. Actually any place in the province of Siena, whether is the Val D’Orcia (Orcia Valley), the Chianti Hills, or the Alta Val D’Elsa (Upper Elsa Valley), like San Gimignano, Colle Val D’Elsa, Monteriggioni, is good. They are all great locations. If you plan to visit Florence from that location, Chianti Hills or Alta Val D’Elsa are closer to Florence than Val D’Orcia. The closer you are to Siena (and its freeways) the more central you are from everything and therefore able to easily visit it all. However the coast is not within easy reach from Siena Province. The highway to Grosseto helps but it is partially a two lane highway still, so from whichever location you choose in the Province of Siena, it will take you at least a couple of hours to reach the Maremma Coast. If you want to go to an island, like Giglio, that’s another 45-50 min on a ferry. So you get the gist. From the province of Siena, a day trip to the beaches is a very long day to get there and back. Terme di Saturnia area is closer to the coast, but that part of Maremma is not well connected to the rest. Roads are two lanes and very curvy so it takes forever to get anyplace. You still need over one hour to get to the coast, in spite of being so close as the crow flies. If you want to stay in the Province of Siena and also do some beaches, you need to add two or three nights to stay on the coast.