Quiet beach town in Italy?
 

I have been searching and reading so many blogs about the Italy's beach towns. Does anyone have a favorite quiet beach town that would be relaxing and beautiful for about 3 or 4 days?
I have been recommended Giglio or Elba island?

Forti dei Marmi.


Thin

I agree with Thin, Forte dei Marmi is lovely, we were there in July and although it was fairly busy it was not as slammed as the Amalfi coast at the same time of year.

I have not been to Isola Elba but have been told that it is fantastic.

This puts me in mind of our Italian beach experience which seemed to involve an expensive "beach club" and someone we didn't know sitting way too close!

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2012/...ach+experience

Hopefully you will have far better luck!

It depends on what time of year you are going, because even a town like Forte dei Marmi will be jammed in August and summer weekends. For what it's worth, Forte dei Marmi's luxury stores and luxury attitude, and the throngs of Russian tourists are a turn off to me, plus I don't think it is all that beautiful or scenic.

For quiet beauty, pretty much all year round, I would pick Zoagli or Tellaro on the Italian Riviera. For something a little bit bigger, try Moneglia or Bogliasco. One of the advantages of Zoagli, Moneglia and Bogliasco is that they have train stations, so you can visit other places easily.

If you want an island, consider Ponza as well as Giglio. I think you would want a car on Elba.

Regarding beach clubs, almost all Italian towns have public beaches as well as private ones, although they will get crowded in summer. It is better to go to a fishing village at the seaside rather than the big sandy beaches where people rent loungers to bake in the sun. Many of the fishing villages only have pebble beaches, not sand, but if that is okay with you, they are more comfortable because they have lots of breezy cafes and shady spots right near the water, and the towns are charming. Most of the modern beach club towns near the big sandy beaches don't have a lot of charm.

I think the Russians at Forte dei Marmi are a new thing since we were there last. I have heard some complaints about them from Italian friends and I think they are not restricting themselves just to Forte dei Marmi.

As always sandralist has some good suggestions. I will say though, that I like the beach clubs if you are wanting a day at the beach to swim, tan and just veg out because you have all the comforts of the club. Restaurant, showers, washrooms, umbrella and loungers provided, it makes for a comfortable easy day at the beach.

I like the beach at Sperlonga, about 2 hours of FCO.

raincitygirl,

This article about Russians in Forte dei Marmi is from 5 years ago, by which time it was already having a transformative impact

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...marmi-tourists

Regarding beach clubs, they exist in many of the fishing villages too, with restaurantss, showers, umbrellas, loungers, etc. They just aren't as vast as the ones in places like Forte dei Marmi or Viareggio, with hundreds and hundreds of loungers lined up on the beach like parking spaces at a mall. That means if you go in August you might find most of the places are reserved for annual clients -- but if you are going in other months, you don't need to walk across a Sahara of sand in the hammering sun to get to the water or the amenities.

A nice, quite pretty town on the Riviera with two sandy beaches is Sestri Levante. It has great train connections for sightseeing the famous tourist towns, and a wonderful promenade lined with restaurants, and a mix of beach clubs and public swimming coves. It is very popular with Italian families in August, and on nice weekends in summer with young people, but despite being larger than a village, it is otherwise rather quiet, and has bookstores, cafes, and a mix of hotels. It still has a working fishing fleet, so the food is lovely.

http://www.theitalianriviera.eu/sestri_levante.asp

Thanks Sandra, that was an interesting article; we were last there in 2008. I have a Croatian friend who is a massage therapist at a nice hotel in Dubrovnik, the Russians have discovered it as well and she has some funny stories.

I have bookmarked your other link as Liguria is top of my list for my next trip to Italy. That village looks lovely, could be just what the OP is looking for.

Thank you so much! I appreciate all of your feedback!

Why would the Russians go to Italy this summer?

The ruble is in the toilet.

Don't you people ever pick up a newspaper?

Keep posting those ancient articles.

Thin

I don't think the Russians the locals in Forte Dei Marmi are miffed about have to worry too terribly much about the rouble.