Italy is a land egulfed in the Mediterranean Sea, with a coastline of more than five thousand miles. Rocky, wooded cliffs are indented by an infinite diversity of beaches and bays. Along the full distance of Liguria expand the two Italian Rivieras with Genoa (Genova) in the middle. To the west, nearly an extension of the French Côte d’ Azur, is the Ponente including such celebrated seaside resorts as San Remo, Alassio and Varazze. The eastern (Levante) Riviera features Nervi, Portofino, Santa Margherita, Rapallo and Sestri Levante.

Other Italian beaches fashionable with foreign visitors are Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, Castiglioncello, Porto Santo Stefano, Porto Ercole and the Island of Elba in Tuscany; Ostia – Lido of Rome (Roma), Fregene, Anzio, Nettuno in Lazio; Capri, Sorrento and the Island of Ischia, Positano, Amalfi and Maiori on the Gulf of Naples (Napoli) and Salerno; Sardinia; and from North to South along the Adriatic Coast: Grado, the Lido of Venice (Venezia), the Lido of Jesolo, Lignano Sabbiadoro and then the enchanting string of towns along the Coast of Romagna, among which Milano Maritima, Cervia, Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica stand out. On the coast of Apulia, one finds the Lido of Siponto on the Gulf of Manfredonia, the Gargano peninsula and the Tremiti Islands.

The Ligurian Sea Set in the blue

Villages contending to find enough space, placed like tiny jewels between the blue expanse of the sea and the rich greenery of the mountains looming above them. Here, the buildings clinging boldly to the hillsides are painted in the richest colours. Silent alleyways wind their way among the houses, clustered close together to make the best use of every square inch wrestled from an untamed nature.

The towns and villages on the Ligurian Sea show themselves a little at a time, proud guardians of really ancient traditions. They also offer memorable views: the splendid square in Portofino, the scene of thousands of high society meetings. The five villages of the Cinque Terre and the Via dell’amore, the path of love, that unites them, the profusion of flowers in Sanremo, and the thousands of little villages that, from the tops of the mountains, enjoy the peace and beauty of marvellous views.

The Tyrrhenian Sea Steeped in history

Long beaches of golden sand, ancient towns, sheer cliffs diving into the sea. The Tyrrhenian is an endless sequence of experiences and emotions linked by a single common denominator: the bright blue of the waters that distinguishes the edge between land and sea. A journeying through history in which all are free to stop in the place nearest to their hearts: the sunny, well frequented beach resorts of Versilia with their active night life, the wild countryside of the Maremma, the historic coasts once home to the mysterious Etruscans, the celebrated Sorrento peninsula, the romantic Amalfi Coast or the suggestive, untamed coast of Calabria. Wherever you stop, there is a certainty: a stone’s throw from the foreshore a world of art and culture lies waiting to be explored.

The Ionian Sea Sunkissed

A marvelous curve of wild, sunkissed beauty: more than any other area, the Ionian Sea offers a profoundly close contact with nature. Corners of frozen beauty where the vivid colours of the vegetation interchange with the peculiar remains left by the many ancient peoples who, seduced by the landscape, put down their roots there: from the Phoenicians to the Greeks, and from the Normans to the Arabs. A wreath of small tourist centers dominating an enchanted sea, where you can enjoy the relaxing rise and fall of the waves. Moving towards the interior, we find the primitive charm of a natural environment still partly unexplored: the extensive forests of the Pollino, the gentle slopes of the Sila and the jagged peaks of the Aspromonte, home to the last packs of wolves and the almost extinct Bonelli’s eagle.

The Adriatic Sea Family pleasures

A welcoming sea that deepens only very gradually, thus enabling everyone to feel self-assured in the water. Enormous extends of sand on which to relax. Brightly coloured ranks of beach umbrellas that encourage encounters and friendships in their welcoming shade. Sociable beaches where mothers can devote themselves to reading their favourite novel and fathers can keep themselves in shape with a variety of sports while the kids have fun with their new playmates. Enchanted castles to be built together on the sand when the day is about to give way to the evening.

The Adriatic is lined with an endless series of really wide beaches, where families with children can share the pleasures of a holiday together. A paradise of tranquillity that none the less offers some agreeable surprises: the glittering night life of the Riviera Romagnola, the evocative charm of the promontories of Conero and Gargano, and the rugged coastline of Puglia, which are among the most visited best beaches in italy.