Arrive in Rome end of August - spend a few days there - train to Florence. Will not have a car and seek to perhaps take a train to a beach town for children (sand vs rock). ?? Hope to rent an airbnb and be able to walk to beach. Would like a small town also to shop so we can cook with local ingredients. Would love some restaurants if we go out at lunch or early dinner. Is it reasonabale to do this via bus/train or are we being too optimistic? Kids are 3 and 2 years old. Cinque Terre seems too steep and too many steps and rocks as well as tourists. Any suggestions (even outside this proposed itinerary) are appreciated as we are not set on anything. Trying to be reasonable with kids but still enjoy our time. We have 3 weeks. First time in Italy and really going because 2 of us have celiac and heard amazing restaurants and variety of gluten free options. Thanks.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7229 posts
Santa Margherita Ligure is a lovely town with a sandy beach. Accessible by train
There are other towns along the xLigurian coast that might suit you as well but this is the WEST coast of Italy not east
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17562 posts
The Adriatic coast has lots of white sand beaches, many of them covered with sun lounges and umbrellas—— “beach, Italian style”. Three I have seen mentioned in travel articles or by someone here are Termoli, Marina di Vasto, and San Benedetto del Tronto. All 3 are served by train, but they all seem too far south for your purposes (visiting on your say from Rome to Florence).
Rimini would be perfectly located and easy to reach, but it is a busy resort town. Maybe somewhere along that 9-km beach is a quieter section more suitable for small children than party-goers.
If you take a look on Satellite View on Google or Apple Maps you can see all the white sand along the Adriatic coast. Maybe you can spot a likely candidate and look up the town on the web to learn more. That is how I found Termoli, but I think it is too far south for you.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
I would recommend Senigallia, on the Adriatic (east) coast of Italy. It's a charming little town that has miles of wide, sandy beach -- perfect for children, because the water is shallow for quite a distance out from the shore. And no rocks.
You can reach Senigallia by train, and the station is very near the beach area, where there are lots of hotels. Some hotels have fenced-in play areas for children on the beach. There are also many restaurants along the beach. You can sit at a table with your toes in the sand, enjoying an apertif, while the children play nearby.
Senigallia is noted for its restaurants -- it even has two (expensive) Michelin-starred restaurants which, with small children, may not be suitable. But there are lots of others as well. I think this would be a great town for you.
Posted by
5097 posts
On east coast, Senigallia, without a doubt.
Assuming you meant west coast, there are a number of great sandy beaches, but much easier with a car. San Vincenzo might be a possibility by train. I love the Orbetello area, which is surrounded by natural sandy beaches, but it can be very buggy.
How about Elba?
North of Florence, but Sestri Levant gets a lot of mentions for families.
Thanks Nelly--I corrected my typo!
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1089 posts
@valadelphia - I think you may have your east and west mixed up ;) Senigallia is definitely on the east (Adriatic) coast and Orbetello, Elba etc. are on the west (Tyrrhenian) coast.
Yes, the Adriatic coast has lots of sandy beaches. A day pass to a beach club is not a bad idea, as they often have playgrounds and splash pools along with an umbrella and chaise longues.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16133 posts
What is your overall itinerary? The title of your post talks about East Coast. The East Coast to Italians would be the Atlantic Coast of the US. Italians define their coasts by the seas they are on (Adriatic Coast, Ionian Coast, Tyrrhenian Coast, Ligurian Coast). The Adriatic coast would be on the Eastern side of the Italian peninsula but then the body of your post mentioned only Rome then Florence, Cinque Terre, which are more on the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian coasts, therefore on the west side of the peninsula.
Near Florence the sandy beaches are in Versilia, the area of Tuscany that goes from Viareggio all the way to Marina di Carrara. All those towns have sandy beaches, but Viareggio has the train station that is closest to the beach. South of Livorno, but still reasonably close to Florence, you can look into Castiglioncello, which is a bit rocky near the station, but at the next train station south of it (Rosignano) you can find sand at the Spiagge Bianche (White Beaches). There are more to the south, but then we are getting too far.
The Adriatic coast ("East Coast") would be too long to reach from both Florence or Rome. So unless you are going that way for other reasons as part of your itinerary I wouldn't bother.
Posted by
Upstate NY
40 posts
San Terenzo might suit you. There’s a small, sandy beach, cute restaurants and excellent bakeries, walkable and beautiful. You can reach it by train/bus without too much aggravation and I find it a lovely part of Liguria.