We are planning a 10 day trip to Italy in August with our 2 kids (6 and 3). Due to other obligations, August is the only time that we can go. We will be flying into Rome and staying with family for 5 days and are looking for something to do the other 5 days. We are interested in a beach or lake that will be kid friendly and also needs to feel like Italy. We don't want an area where we would have to climb a lot of stairs or worry about our kids falling off of cliffs
Also nice calm water.
We don't mind flying into another area and flying back to the US from there.
We are just beginning our planning, so any ideas are appreciated. TIA.

I can honestly tell you that beaches in August in Italy are impossible. Europe is on vacation in August and they all go to the beaches. August 31st there was bumper to bumper traffic from Salerno to Rome with everyone going back. Our family is in Ischia (all beaches) and we never....ever...go to visit them in August. Which makes the rest of Italy (away from the beaches) great to visit because the hotel prices are cheaper and the crowds are much lighter.

Have you considered an agritourisimo somewhere in Tuscany with a pool? My brother has done this twice with his young children and we had a family reunion at one- all with pools. You wouldn't have the crowds, nor the worry about cliffs or stairs or...other things to do. Some of the cooking is even done for you! You could take day trips that fit your family's interests, depending on where you base. I used the InItaly.com website a lot when planning our reunion- excellent reviews, excellent service! I would think your kids would love the train ride to wherever you decide, even if you end up needing a car to the final destination (likely).

Can you get further south? The beaches of Calabria are, IMO, the most beautiful beaches in Italy and the area isn't overly touristy yet. The beaches have soft white sand and shallow water, perfect for little children.
We ourselves stayed in Tropea in June of last year. A very nice, very Italian, little town. We usually drove to the beaches of Capo Vaticano or Santa Maria di Ricadi, which are just a little south of Tropea. A car is essential, though, in this part of Italy.
I have put up some photos on my Virtual Tourist page: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/8a5ec/#TL

I second Tropea. Fly into Lamezia Terme & rent a car. I would love to spend 5 days there, I usually go as a day trip. It is one of my favorite beaches in Italy. The huge island of Sardinia is packed with gorgeous beaches also.

What about one of the lesser known lakes in central Italy?

http://www.italiantourism.com/lakes0.html

The best beach from Rome is at Sperlonga/Gaeta, about 2 hours south. But, August will be wall to wall with Italians.

You might try Rimini. It's a family oriented seaside resort with lots of hotels. Close to San Marino too. Although I agree with the others, all of Europe is on vacation in August. Every beach will be crowded.

Rimini: either you love it or hate it.

I went to Bellaria (a close town) with my kids a couple of years ago. I liked our hotel because of the food, location and swimming pool but I hated the beach. There are no waves because of the wave barrier and miles of deck chairs on the beach. You almost needed a map to find your chair.

I personally wouldn't go back.

Thank you everyone for the information.

SGlass-thank you for the website...some of those places look amazing. I found something interesting about 30 minutes from Venice, so we may consider that.

I will check out the other websites tonight. Are Calabria & the lakes less crowded than other beaches at this time?

thanks.

TTT.

Just looking for more opinions....thanks.

Actually, we were in Sperlonga (which I agree is a great beach) and Gaeta (not quite as nice but still good) in early August and it wasn't wall-to-wall Italians. It was crowded, though