LizTD

We will be in Bolgna, Italy between July 12 and 16 after a couple of days enjoying Rome. Afterwards, we would like some beach time - 2 or 3 days - before returning to Rome for more of that great city. We are 2 adults & an 11 year old daughter. Seaside requirements are good food (okay - a given in Italy) and being on the beach - preferably a hotel right on it, and not much else (our usual beach vacation in the U.S. is Rehoboth Beach Delaware which is good food and lazy days, period). We fly home (to the U.S.) on 7/21 from Rome, so additional time in Rome is a must. I guess the only other info that I should share is that we are inclined to trains and busses rather than renting a car, unless everyone thinks I should not judge driving in the less urban parts of italy by how it is done in Sicily and elsewhere (please, no admonitions - I accept that I am now and old cautious lady!) Thanks.

Zerlina

Perhaps Senigallia on the Adriatic? Not as overrun as Rimini, reasonably easy to get to from Bologna and to get from to Rome by train.

LizTD

Thank you for the nice suggestion, Zerlina. Rimini seems great if you are young and/or childless. Senigallia appears to be more peaceful (like the family beach we enjoy in Delaware). If any Fodorites have been to Senigallia and can recommend hotels I love to hear from you.

franco

The problem with Italian beaches is that they're usually completely ruined by terrible contemporary (but not modern!) non-architecture, and that good food is NOT a given there (gastronomy being spoiled by tourism). I don't know Senigallia, and trust it's a nice place (or Zerlina wouldn't recommend it), but I just have to add the one and only Italian beach that I can - from my personal experience - wholeheartedly recommend to people looking for lazy days with good food in a nice setting: the island of Ponza. It's of course not that handy to Bologna and Rome, so you'd probably need 3 days to justify the effort, but it's really a nice place - just the right mixture of relaxed and elegant. (No beach hotels, though, which makes the place even better, of course. The beach can only be reached by small boats that depart every few minutes from the harbour of Ponza village.)

humptynumpty

Some lovely beaches on the Tuscan coast on the way down to Rome. Marina Alberese is in a natural park and is quite rustic.

http://image32.webshots.com/33/9/94/...8vzXitO_fs.jpg

For a laid back resort try

http://www.sienalibri.it/img_news/ca...escaia_1_1.jpg

which has a sleepy feel.

zeppole

Given the fact that you want to travel by train (and in July, I think it is best not to try to reach the coasts with a car), I think you might as well head over to the Mediterranean from Bologna. The trains from Bologna to the Adriatic coast can be pokey, and then you haven't a particularly easy time getting from there to Rome.

Fast trains will get you to the meditrranean, either to the area of le Cinque Terre/Portovenere in under 4 hours. Or, since you are headed to Rome, an even shorter trip would get you to the Tuscan beaches north and south of Livorno. There are all sorts of towns to choose from.

http://www.waytuscany.net/rooten/spiagge.html

Also consider that it might be easiest (and most fascinating and beautiful) to take a fast train to Rome and then switch to a commuter train for Sperlonga:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/sperlonga.html

Zerlina

Bologna-Senigallia is about 2.5 hours, with no changes or one change, Senigallia-Rome between 3 and 4, with one change to an ES train at Falconara Marittima.

Bologna-Monterosso (Cinque Terre) is about 4 hours, with at least two changes, Monterosso-Rome between 4 and 5 hours.

Bologna-Sperlonga is about 4 hours, to the train station at Fondi, from which there is a local bus to Sperlonga.

The Adriatic Sea, east of Italy, is as much part of the Mediterranean as the Tyrrhenian Sea, west of it.

LizTD

Thank you everyone. I am intrigued by the Adriatic and happy to see that the trains are a reasonable option, Zerlina. Will investigate further.
Humptynumpty - the link to Marina Alberese did not connect. I would love to know which resort you are referring to. I tried to follow the information from your link but several places were identified.

Zerlina

Here's an article about Marina Alberese:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/be...-Grosseto.html

Castiglione della Pescaia has a historic center, but it's not on a train route.

humptynumpty

Liz I would hire a car.

I have hired cars on around 30 visits to Italy.

I would nit drive a Sicily again, ever. Just nut cases.

However, Bologna to Rome via the Tuscan coast offers a lovely, lovely drive passing through some relaxing little, laid back places. Monte Argentario is a throw back to the 1950s, a stylish seaside getaway for Romans.

Alberese is beautiful but is very isolated and does not have hotlels on the beach.

One option would be to get the 1 hour ferry to Elba which is absolutely beautiful, we stayed here (Biodola) which totally and utterly meets your terms of reference....

http://www.elbalink.it/.pub/img/html...ia-biodola.jpg

hotels on the beach and beach bars with good food.

LizTD

Biodola in Elba is booked already (and did seem perfect). Elba looks very nice but I am somewhat concerned about spending a lot of time in transit between transport to a ferry point, the ferry and then transit to a hotel on Elba. Although I have not ruled it out, I noticed, in a post elsewhere on this forum, some mention of Sestri Levanti. Any input on that town (and can anyone advise if this little town has any beaches)?

Hiring a driver sounds like a brilliant idea, humptynumpty. Do you have a reliable service you can recommend?

MicheleCR

LizTD,

Our family is planning a similar vacation but we will be driving. At which beach did you end up? Was it what you expected?