The Mediterranean hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Italy’s beach resorts attract more and more tourists year after year, for it is said the Italian beaches are like treasures to discover and behold. The beach resorts were home to many tourists during the summer season, today many now claim this their year round home. The wonders of sea air provide some of the healthiest fresh air, known for their regenerative properties; the sea air is a relief and a healthy escape from city life.
Italy is a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. Its 7,600 km of coastline have some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the west the Sicilian Sea, and the Ionian Sea in the south and the Adriatic Sea in the east.
After exploring the cities, touring the lakes and walking in the mountains, the beaches are the perfect place to relax, unwind and reflect. Most of the year the beaches are sunny, and with 7,600 miles of shoreline bordering Italy and its islands, you can easily find waters where the temperatures are ideal for swimming. Miles upon miles of golden, sun drenched sand, in some places up to 1 km deep. The sea welcomes the sun seeker in comfort and style. An array of colours, which one can quickly identify by the rows of neatly laid out sun umbrellas and deck chairs, which seem to almost dot the entire seashore.
Top rated beaches
Planning to spend some time on an Italian beach this summer? As always, the national environmental league (Lega Ambiente) has rated every single one of them, using an astonishingly thorough combination of factors – chemical purity of the water, ongoing cleanliness of the shoreline, absence of industrial and chemical wastes, level of local emergency awareness, equilibrium between bathing facilities and environmental protection, presence of adequate containers for all our daily garbage, quality and quantity of services available – that make it all too obvious how seriously the Italians take their seaside vacations. Other annotated factors are nearby historical sites, handicapped accessibility and snorkeling and scuba level. The very best beaches get a “five sails” rating, and for 2005 they are:
Castiglion della Pescaia (Tuscany)
Cinque Terre – especially Riomosso, Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza (Liguria)
Arbus and Bosa (Sardinia)
Giglio Island (Tuscany)
Otranto (Apulia)
Portovenere (Liguria)
Noto (Sicily)
Tropea (Calabria)
Pollica, Acciaroli and Pioppi (Campania)
Italian beaches and marinas awarded with the BLUE FLAG in 2005
Region
Municipality
Abruzzo
Alba Adriatica, Fossacesia, Giulianova, Martinsicuro, Pescara, Rocca San Giovanni, Roseto degli Abruzzi, San Salvo, San Vito Chietino, Scanno, Tortoreto, Vasto
Apulia
Bisceglie, Brindisi, Castrignano del Capo, Ginosa, Peschici, Vieste
Basilicata
Policoro
Calabria
Catanzaro, Cirò Marina, Marina di Gioiosa Jonica, Roccella Ionica, Scilla
Albisola Superiore, Albissola Marina, Andora (SV), Bergeggi, Bordighera, Camporosso, Celle Ligure, Chiavari (GE), Imperia (IM), La Spezia (SP), Lavagna, Lerici, Moneglia, Porto Venere (SP), Rapallo (GE), S. Stefano A Mare (IM), Savona, Taggia
Lombardy
Sirmione (Lake Garda)
Marches
Civitanova Marche, Cupra Marittima, Gabicce Mare, Grottammare, Numana (AN), Pesaro, Porto Recanati, Porto San Giorgio (AP) San Benedetto del Tronto, Senigallia, Sirolo
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