La Sardegna, poi la Liguria, le Marche, la Sicilia, la Puglia e la Calabria, con la sua maestosa Isola Dino. Sono queste le regioni che secondo l’autorevole Forbes, rivista statunitense di economia e finanza fondata nel 1917, hanno le spiagge più spettacolari d’Italia da visitare subito. Ma nell’articolo di Catherine Sabino Praia a Mare e il suo gioiello sono menzionate non solo per la bellezza ma anche per il rapporto qualità/prezzo della vacanza. «I prezzi degli alloggi – è tradotto letteralmente dall’inglese – possono essere interessanti rispetto ad altre località balneari d’Italia».
Di seguito vi proponiamo testo e immagini originali dell’articolo made in Usa.
Cala Corsara, Spargi island in the Maddalena archipelago off the northern coast of Sardinia. Photo by Luca Picciau/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images
Italy’s riches extend to its 7600-kilometer coastline where you can find dozens of beaches with such lavish beauty it’s hard to decide which one to choose. Here are seven of these spectacular coastal havens—ranging from north to south and to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia— that offer unforgettable seascapes and often surroundings that are as memorable too.
La Spiaggetta dei Balzi Rossi is near a major archaeological site.COURTESY OF LA SPIAGGETTA DEI BALZI ROSSI
The beach is also close to the French border.COURTESY OF LA SPIAGGETTA DEI BALZI ROSSI
Aerial view of the beach.COURTESY OF LA SPIAGGETTA DEI BALZI ROSSI
Seaside at La Spiaggeta dei Balzi Rossi’s restaurant.COURTESY OF LA SPIAGGETTA DEI BALZI ROSSI
Balzi Rossi (Liguria). A blissful way to arrive at the beach in the Balzi Ross area of Grimaldi, a village in Ventimiglia near the French border, is by boat. La Spiaggetta dei Balzi Rossi, a local institution with restaurant and beach facilities and a prime spot on the water, can arrange to shuttle you ashore (if you are arriving by car, there’s also transportation to the beach). Loll away the afternoon by the sea (the restaurant rents lounge chairs and umbrellas) after a languorous lunch washed down with a chilled Ligurian white wine like Vermentino or Pigato. Among the restaurant’s offerings are insalata di pesce (seafood salad) and homemade pastas like tagliolini with lobster. But there’s more here than the gorgeous beachside setting—Grimaldi is home to one of the Mediterranean’s most significant archaeological sites, the Balzi Rossi caves. Set aside time to visit them and the pre-history museum with its ancient artifacts.
The medieval abbey of San Fruttuoso and its cove beach. Getty Images
San Fruttuoso is accessible only by boat or hiking trail. Photo by Masci Giuseppe/AGF/UIG via Getty Images
San Fruttuoso (Liguria). Despite the influx of tourists in summer, San Fruttuoso has a get-away-from-it-all feel (there are no cars or boutiques and just a handful of houses). Accessible only by boat from Camogli, Portofino and other coastal towns in Liguria, or via hiking trail on the Portofino peninsula, this enclave, with a small cove beach and a green-blue sea, is the site of a major landmark—the Abbey di San Fruttuoso, a medieval-era complex with splendid Romanesque architecture that was once the property of Genoa’s powerful Doria family. Spots on the tiny, pebbly beach are highly coveted (chairs and umbrellas can be rented), as are tables at the family-run Da Laura restaurant, where the pesto pastas are divine. In summer there are also concerts in the Abbey.
The Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle on the Adriatic near Ancona. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images
The Due Sorelle faraglioni, or sea stacks. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images
Due Sorelle (Le Marche). Le Marche is a beautiful Italian region, lesser known to many international travelers especially as a seaside destination. But it’s home to one of the country’s most gorgeous beaches—Le Due Sorelle, a white ribbon of coast on the Adriatic with two faraglioni, or sea stacks (the name Due Sorelle means two sisters), rising from the translucent aqua and cerulean waters. Accessible only by boat (ferries run from Numana and Sirolo not far from Ancona), Le Due Sorelle has no bagni (or beach clubs), so you should bring whatever you need for a day by the sea.
Dino island off the coast of Praia a Mare in Calabria. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images
The Blue Grotto on Dino Island. Shutterstock
A cave on Dino island. Shutterstock
Praia a Mare (Calabria). The dramatic setting of Praia a Mare on the Tyrrhenian Sea includes not only a lengthy black sand beach, but the cave-carved Dino Island as well. Located on Calabria’s Citrus Coast, Praia a Mare is known for its palette of blue-colored waters, which are especially luminescent in Dino Island’s grottoes. Lodging prices can be attractive compared to other seaside resorts in Italy.
The Scala dei Turchi in southern Sicily. Photo by Laura Portinaro/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images
The limestone and marl Scala dei Turchi. Shutterstock
Scala dei Turchi (Sicily). Depending on the angle and time of day this spectacular site, a dazzling white swirl of limestone and marl, can look like a cross between an Arctic icefield and a lunarscape. Located in Realmonte, not far from Agrigento, Scala dei Turchi (which means Turkish stairs) was named for the stair-like rock formation that leads to the water (the Turkish reference alludes to long-ago raids from Mediterranean invaders) in one of Italy’s most striking geological formations.
Pescoluse beach is often referred to as the Maldives of the Salento. Shutterstock.
A tranquil spot for an afternoon at the beach. Shutterstock
The beach on the Ionian Sea is known for its clear shallow waters. Shutterstock
Pescoluse (Puglia). In the deep South on the Ionian coastline lies the dreamy Pescoluse beach, often dubbed the Maldives of the Salento. (The Salento area in Puglia makes up the heel of the Italian boot.) That’s because of the transparent and shallow aqua sea, fine sand and the island-like sandbars that jut from the water at low tide. The Salento not only offers splendid beaches, there’s tasty, healthy local cooking to sample as well. After a day by the sea indulge in area specialties like vegetable and cheese-based antipasti, the orechiette pasta dishes, artisanal cheeses and crisp white Puglian wines.
Cala Corsara, Spargi island in the Maddalena archipelago in Sardinia. Photo by Luca Picciau/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images
Cala Corsara has four pristine beaches with fine sand and brilliantly colored waters. Photo by Luca Picciau/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images
Cala Corsara, Spargi island, La Maddalena archipelago (Sardinia). The Maddalena archipelago, a cluster of islands off the coast of northern Sardinia, is prime sailing territory for Europe’s elite with seas colored a kaleidoscope of deep blues, aquas and greens. Throughout the archipelago there are numerous idyllic beaches, particularly those of the Cala Corsara on the island of Spargi. Relax at one of four pristine havens offering powdery sand and gentle dunes where wildflowers like sea daffodils grow, then take a swim in those brilliantly colored waters.
