VENICE / TUSCANY - Free beaches?

Just Google free public beaches in Venice Lido/near Pisa, or any other coastal location you may visit. They exist.

Look at both Cecina and at Donoratico. These are still in Tuscany, although about 35 miles/56 km south of Lucca.

We stayed in the area, in Castagneto Carducci, in late Sept/early Oct both in 2021 and 2022. The beaches are basically empty at that time of year, so you’ll have them practically to yourself.

Hello Cherryplanter, and welcome to the forum!

Coming from California I kind of feel the same way but Italians do things the Italian way.

The closest beach to both Pisa and Lucca is Viareggio which easily reachable by train (15 or 20 minutes). The main beach section of Viareggio is the usual collection of umbrellas and chairs but immediately either side of that are free beaches - Spiaggia Libera. The one closest to the train station on the north end just before Porto Viareggio is unfortunately in front of the port is not terribly attractive as a background. The free beach to the south fronts the start of a long nature preserve by the beach so the shoreline continues uninterrupted for some ways south. I think there's even a nudist beach if you head down far enough.

It looks like you could take the train to Viareggio and the 35 bus for 12 minutes to the southern end of the beach but it would be easier driving. The address is Viale Europa, 59, 55049 Viareggio LU, Italy for that beach access.

There are free beaches in Venice but nearly all beaches are out on the Lido so it will be the same deal - take the vaporetto out to Lido and then travel to the ends of the paid beaches to get to the free ones. I've never been to the beach in Venice but check out Murazzi Spiaggia libera as one possibility. All the best beaches are right in that area.

A quick tip when looking for free beaches in Italy is just use Google maps satellite view and look for where the organized umbrellas and chairs patterns suddenly break into chaos - that the free beach.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

There are free beaches everywhere on the Tuscan coast, and in any case at least the first 5 meters from the water must stay free, fully accessible by everybody, and unencumbered (including no chairs and no umbrella by anybody) even if there is a beach club concession. What you pay is the rental for the space with the umbrella and chairs at the beach club concession. It has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with capitalism. If someone provides you with some conveniences (rental of chairs and beach umbrella, and use of the facility, including changing rooms or swimming pool in some cases) you have to pay for the service or product they provide. Nobody is obliged to rent a spot at a beach club concession. Italy is not a socialist country (and in spite of the Pope nearby, Italians are not very religious either).

In Dante’s Inferno, wasn’t there a circle in hell with patches of expensive beach chairs, occupied and attended by beer-gutted demons in Speedos 3x too small?

I can understand someone not wanting to pay for a place to set one’s beach towel being as devout to their beliefs as anybody.

I still don’t get perching or lying on stones. Sand, yes, but a rocky beach? Must be some other faith.

Thank you, one and all, for helping me go easy on the capitalism. Thank you for letting me do it the Scandinavian way.

Just Google free public beaches

You'll get more Google Maps hits if you search for "spiaggia libera" in Italian