Discover
Italy's cleanest beaches and make a splash with ItaliaPlease.
After
a few years at sea Italian waters are back on the
crest of the wave. The official thumbs up comes from
Goletta Verde, after examining the seas in
and around Italy. Friuli, Molise, Apulia and Sardinia
have the cleanest seas while Liguria boasts the highest
number of desirable resorts. A word of warning, though,
the criteria used in judging the various resorts and
beaches were not always the same.
The Blue Flags awarded by the Foundation for
Environmental Education in Europe monitor water and
coast quality, quality of infrastructures and safety
measures as well as environmental education. The Guida
Blu published by Legambiente has chosen
205 council areas on the coast, giving each one from
1 to 5 'sails' according its performance in a total
of 128 criteria which include quality of infrastructures,
local food and wine and distance from places of cultural
or natural interest.
Which leads us to the fundamental question: where
should we go for a clean sea and high quality facilities?
A good place to start is the Legambiente's Guida
blu, where you can search by region. 12 places
in all were awarded the much-sought-after 5 sails.
Three are in the province of La Spezia (Liguria) -
Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso; two are in Sardinia
- Villasimius and Orosei; two in Apulia - Otranto
and the Tremiti Islands; two in Campania - Pollica
and Camerota; then one each in the Marches -Sirolo;
Sicily - Ustica and Tuscany - Castiglion della Pescaia.
The FEEE
has awarded 11 Blue
Flags to Liguria, and its selection doesn't
always match the one made by Legambiente. The chosen
resorts are Camporosso, Bordighera, Laigueglia, Noli,
Bergeggi, Celle Ligure, Varazze, Chiavari, Lavagna,
Moneglia and Lerici. You can get a full list of all
Italy's Blue Flags here.
Our advice before you leave is to browse through our
links and evaluate the data according to your own
needs. And remember, wherever you go, have fun!
Vernazza
One of Legambiente's five sails goes to the Cinque Terre in Liguria,
where Vernazza has the only natural port. Villasimius
Drive 50 km from Cagliari to get to Polynesia. Just ask the scuba
divers - seeing is believing. Maratea
Never been to Basilicata? Don't worry, you can make up for your
past errors by going to Maratea this summer. Capo
Spulico
It's not easy to get to this corner of paradise between Calabria
and Lucania. But it is worth making the effort to go there! Feast
your eyes on this photo to whet your appetite. Castiglion
della Pescaia
Castiglion della Pescaia was awarded both a Blue Flag and 5 sails.
To make a brilliant holiday perfect stay in a typical Tuscan farmhouse. Sirolo
Arguably the prettiest town in the Marches, Sirolo also comes
up trumps with Legambiente. Go there and rub shoulders with the
VIPs.
THE SURVIVOR'S 
After
a few years at sea Italian waters are back on the
crest of the wave. The official thumbs up comes from
Goletta Verde, after examining the seas in
and around Italy. Friuli, Molise, Apulia and Sardinia
have the cleanest seas while Liguria boasts the highest
number of desirable resorts. A word of warning, though,
the criteria used in judging the various resorts and
beaches were not always the same. 