The number of clean and sustainable beaches in Italy, as awarded by the Blue Flag eco-label, has increased this year to 368, up from 342 in 2017. Overall, Italy has 10% of all Blue Flag beaches in the world.
The label is given by the international Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which uses 32 criteria, including water quality, sewage treatment plants, waste management, environmental impact, access, services and ‘livability’ during the high season, to determine which beaches are worthy of inclusion in the list.
For 2018, Liguria (the Cinque Terre region) leads with 27 seaside locations, followed by Tuscany and Campania (where the Amalfi Coast is), which has surpassed the Marche region.
Liguria has kept the top spot; Savona is the province where there are more Blue Flag beaches, such as Ceriale, Albissola Marina and Varazze; in the province of Imperia, Bordighera and Taggia; in La Spezia, Levanto and Lerici.
In Tuscany, places like Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Cecina, Follonica and Monte Argentario have all confirmed their Blue Flag beach status. Overall, Tuscany boasts 19 locations.
Campania now has 18 beaches, including Sorrento, Anacapri, Positano, San Mauro Cilento, and Pollica-Acciaroli.
The number of Blue Flags for lakes has also increased, with 16 locations, 10 of which are in the mountainous northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige.
The Blue Flag “guides coastal towns in choosing strategies for sustainable management of their territory, which results in benefits for the environment and the quality of life,” said Italy’s FEE president Claudio Mazza.
With almost 8,000 kilometers of coastline, Italy is a great beach destination that calls to be discovered beyond world-famous Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre or glitzy resorts like Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda and Tuscany’s Versilia.
In Lazio for example, the region where Rome is located, there are eight towns with Blue Flag beaches, and some can be reached on day trips from the capital: Latina, Sabaudia, S. Felice Circeo, Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta, Ventotene and Trevignano (on Lake Bracciano).
We love beaches so much we’ve begun a series dedicated just to them, where we travel to (almost) every region and pick our favorites.
