Amalfi coastline – Timeless Italy Travels

Italy is surrounded by water with countless coves, beaches and inlets to charm any swimmer or sunbather. Take a day out from your busy travel itinerary and experience Italian beach life. Sun, surf, beauty and gentle breezes will refresh and relax you. Splash in the Mediterranean, then come up for a soothing sole massage. Stay and watch the sunset dip behind the horizon as you sip a cool and refreshing drink. This is one of my best memories.

To begin, it helps to know what to expect at an Italian beach. Most of the beaches require a small fee to lounge on, called stabilimenti. Included in the price is a reassurance of a clean beach, an outdoor shower for rinsing off, toilets and a dressing room where you can leave your things, a good swimming area, a bar and often a restaurant. You can rent a lounge chair and umbrella for a small added fee which is worth it. Keep in mind that stabilimenti usually close before sunset.

Free beaches do exist, however. They are usually found at the end of the private beach areas. Generally, I have found them very acceptable but not as well-kept as the pay area and restrooms can be difficult to find.

Blue Flag beaches mean that they have been certified for high environmental and quality standards. Liguria boasts 20 of the cleanest beaches in Italy.

Following are six areas in Italy that have some of the coolest beaches. Depending on where you are, you can pick and choose which beaches you want to visit.

Liguria

Italian Riviera

Cinque Terre, the 5 small villages on the coastline of Liguria, have some great beaches and hiking. Vernazza is my favorite, with a small beach that is great for sunbathing, snorkeling and watching the little fishing boats come and go. Monterosso al Mare is another of the villages very popular for sunbathers and swimmers.

Sicily

Rabbit Beach in Sicily is phenomenally popular with tourists and locals alike. It claims to be Italy’s number one beach for its obvious beauty; white beach, clear waters and natural environment.

Tuscany

Tuscany has white sandy beaches and whimsical seaside villages. Castiglione della Pescaia is a great affordable sea town with lots of water sports including wind surfing and sailing. For the largest beach town with a lively promenade nightlife, Viareggio offers the most.

Amalfi Coastline

Positano has always been a popular beach hang-out, beginning with the ancient Greeks and continuing with the Roman nobility (If they thought it was the best, than it must be). The busiest stretch of beach is between Amalfi and Positano. Rugged from erosion, the cliffs above you offer beautiful wildflowers and gorgeous views.

There are two public beaches in Positano: the secluded Fornillo beach and the mainstream Spiaggia Grande.

Puglia

To the heel of the boot….

Porto Selvaggio, in Nardo, Salento is a wild cove of sea, rocks and salty ocean breezes that can be reached only on foot. Part of a nature reserve, it is sheltered by high cliffs and ancient watchtowers. The water is deep but crystalline and very clean. An added bonus….it is very close to prehistoric sites dating back 40,000 years ago. Worth a look-see in my book.

Venice

The Lido beach in Venice is convenient, has clean water and soft sand. Several vaporetto lines run from Venice to Lido for 7 euros.

Make a memory…..and head to the beach!

This pathway above the Mediterranean on the Amalfi coast indulged me with the most unforgettable exotic scenery imaginable. I’ve heard it said that the Amalfi coastline is one of the most beautiful in the world. Well, I haven’t seen them all, but I can’t imagine anything more intoxicating than this.

With just two days to spend in Amalfi, I was well on my way to a much-needed rest. I found a cushy chair in the mid-morning sunshine with an ocean view and settled back, inhaling the coffee and croissant smells from the nearby bistro bar. Birds chirped everywhere in their sing-song melody, the ocean breeze carrying it like tinkling chimes. Warm sunshine soothed away my Naples tension. I was ready for a tranquil retreat.

A busy harbor of ferry boats brought people daily to different locations along the coastline. When I first stepped off the boat into the warm Mediterranean sunshine, it felt wonderful. Judging by the looks of delight on other faces, I don’t think I enjoyed it alone.

What a View.... — **What a View….imagine climbing up to your villa!**

No, I did not climb up through these villas. It was enough to gaze upon them from a cafe while sipping a cappuccino. I spent a few hours just pondering which villa I would choose to live in. It was a tough choice!

Lightposts twinkle at night, joining with the starlike lights from the tumbling hillside Villas — **Sunwashed by day, lightposts twinkle at night, joining with the starry lights from the tumbling hillside Villas**

If I could, I would visit every one of these places. Later in the day, as I walked up away from the water, I found winding alleyways full of tiny shops selling anything from homemade jewelry, artwork, paintings, leather work, and ceramics with yellow lemon themes. Small dining restaurants with terraces offering spacious views spotted the shopping districts. Elegant green shade trees canopied some of the walkways, offering a cool respite from the afternoon heat.

**Walkway leading up to the shops and restaurants–I was looking back toward the ocean when I took this shot**

Bright orange unbrellas shade lounging sunbathers — **Bright orange umbrellas shade lounging sunbathers**

Although not a sunbather by nature, I did soak up some morning sun. Afterward, I found a shady spot and watched the little white boats bob around the harbor.

Looking northward towards Naples. My ferry will take me back around that rocky bend tomorrow. — **Looking northward towards Naples–My ferry would take me back around that rocky bend tomorrow.**

I discovered that the tower on the right was one of several built by the townsfolk centuries ago as lookouts for pirates who once roamed the coastline.