Beach Question for Italy Travel Veterans
 

On our recent family trip to Italy, our host at Casale del Cotone near San Gimignano suggested a route for a day drive to Rome other than the one we ended up taking. The route we took was San Gimignano - Siena - (detour to Lake Trasimeno) - Orvieto - Rome (via GRA) - da Vinci Fiumicino to turn in our rental car at the airport.

Our host suggested this route: San Gimignano to Siena, and then take the S 223 to Grosseto and then the S1/A12 along the coast to the Rome aiport, avoiding both Rome and having to drive around the GRA entirely. He also said there were nice beaches along the way if we wanted to stop for a dip in the ocean. This was sorely tempting, because I'd read while we were there that an Italian rating system had just awarded "five flag" and "four flag" ratings for high water, beach, and sand quality at the following Tuscan beaches that I had never heard of before: Scarlino, Castiglione della Pescaia, Marina di Grosseto, Ortobello, and Capalbio.

My question: What did we miss by not taking this route? Are the beaches as good as these recent ratings suggest and would they therefore warrant inclusion on a future Italy itinerary? If not, what is your favorite beach for swimming in Italy? Something in Campania or Calabria?

My favorite beach in Italy is in Calabria, in Tropea. Absolutely stunning. I will be posting new pics soon from a recent trip.

Last summer I was in Sardinia, the beaches there are unbelievable. There is every conceivable kind, from rocky to sandy and everywhere in-between.

the flag system , i believe,here in europe is based on purity of water, purity of sand, services offered at the beach and general upkeep of area.

it does not necessarily represent the most SCENIC beaches, although to have fewer bacteria in water and sand is very important to everyone and they strive to get those flags.

I agree that the beaches near Tropea are hard to beat, but I also like the beaches in the Sperlonga/Gaeta area about 2 hours south of FCO. The beaches in that south Tuscany area are OK but not worth a special trip. However, I do like that route to FCO if you start in south Tuscany. We stayed in Porto San Stefano the last nite before a noon departure in 2003.

AP6380 and bobthenavigator - How crowded is Tropea in your experience?

Depends when !
August is bad anywhere on a beach.

I've only been there 2x on day trips, last year in August was the first one. By the time I had hit Tropea I had already been in Sardinia & Maratea, so the crowds in Tropea didn't really compare. It was still very enjoyable. I was just there again at the end of June, and of course it was less crowded.