On the water
The coast and the lakes, minus the names everyone already has
Italy has around seven and a half thousand kilometres of coastline and a set of lakes that were tourist destinations before tourism had a name, and a startling amount of the traffic goes to perhaps twenty places. These lists are the rest of it. Some of them are famous and small at the same time, which is its own kind of odd, and some of them are neither.
Pick a shelf
Everything in this room
The best hidden coastal towns that eat well in PugliaPuglia's coast runs from the limestone cliffs of the Gargano to the low dunes of the Salento, and the towns along it eat well: raw prawns, sea urchins in spring, orecchiette with turnip tops, almond biscuits from the bakery next to the church. These are the smaller seaside towns where a dining guide has named a table worth sitting down at.
The best coastal towns in the province of ImperiaThe Riviera dei Fiori coast west of Genoa, where Imperia's towns stack up in ochre and grey stone above olive groves and pebble beaches. Cervo, Cipressa, Diano, Dolceacqua, Sanremo and Taggia, all within reach of the water.
Alternatives to Positano: every coastal town in Campania and Calabria that is not on the postcardThe complete list of small coastal towns in Campania and Calabria as an alternative to Positano and Amalfi. Cilento, the Sorrento back roads, the Calabrian Tyrrhenian.
Alternatives to the Cinque Terre: the rest of the Ligurian coast, town by townEvery coastal town in Liguria outside the five, from the French border to the Gulf of La Spezia. The same painted houses and terraced vines, without the timed entry.
Alternatives to Bellagio: every lake town in Italy that is not on the Como ferry timetableAll the lake towns in our catalogue as an alternative to Bellagio and Varenna: Orta, Iseo, Trasimeno, Bolsena, Maggiore and the quiet ends of Como and Garda.
Alternatives to Taormina: every coastal town in Sicily, in one listThe complete list of Sicilian coastal towns in our catalogue as an alternative to Taormina and Cefalù. The Zingaro shore, the Aeolian faces, the south coast nobody sells.
Alternatives to Capri: every island town in Italy, in one listThe complete list of island towns in our catalogue as an alternative to Capri: the Aeolians, Ponza, Ischia's villages, Procida, the Egadi, La Maddalena, Elba's harbours.
The best small beach towns in Italy that nobody sells you, all of themEvery coastal town in our catalogue under twenty thousand people, on all four seas, ordered by outside recognition. Blue Flags, fishing harbours, the beaches Italians go to.
Every lake town in our catalogue, from Maggiore to BolsenaThe complete list of Italian lake towns in our catalogue: Como, Garda, Maggiore, Orta, Iseo, Trasimeno, Bolsena, Bracciano and the small ones, ordered by outside recognition.
The best hidden beach towns you can reach by train in the province of CosenzaOn the Ionian and Tyrrhenian edges of the province of Cosenza, small Calabrian beach towns with clean bathing water sit within walking distance of their own railway stations, backed by Norman castles, citrus groves and long shingle shores.
The best beach towns worth staying overnight in PugliaPuglia's coast runs from limestone cliffs above the Adriatic to the shallow, pale-sand bays of the Ionian, and the towns along it hold clean bathing water awards alongside hotels a travel guide has vouched for. These are the places to sleep rather than day-trip, with the sea a short walk from breakfast.
The 8 best hidden beach towns with a food festival in LiguriaAlong the Ligurian coast, clean bathing water and a summer calendar of one-ingredient food festivals meet in the same small towns: anchovies fried on the quay, focaccia col formaggio pulled hot from the oven, basil pounded in marble mortars. These are the smaller beach towns where both things are true.
The 7 best beach towns inside a nature park in PugliaPuglian beaches where the sand runs into protected dune pinewood rather than a seafront strip: clean bathing water, Aleppo pines, watchtowers and limestone towns behind them, from the Ionian shore of the Salento to the olive plain below Ostuni.
The best beach towns within 90 minutes of PisaThe Tuscan coast north of Pisa runs from the marble quarries of the Apuan Alps down to long flat sand, with clean bathing water certified along the whole stretch, seafood fried at the port and bathing huts painted in rows.
The 6 best beach towns with a serious restaurant in CampaniaAlong the Campanian coast, clean bathing water and a kitchen worth booking often turn up in the same small town, from the anchovy boats of the Cilento to the lemon terraces above the Bay of Naples. These are the seaside places where lunch is the reason to stay.
The best small beach towns that eat well in LiguriaSmall stretches of Ligurian coast where the bathing water is clean enough to hold the national award and a dining guide has picked out a table in town: anchovies under salt, trofie with pesto, sea urchins in spring, and houses painted ochre and rose above the shingle.
The best lake towns within 75 minutes of TrentoTrentino and the northern reaches of Lake Garda put deep green water, lemon houses and Monte Baldo within an easy drive of Trento, from the Dolomite pool at Molveno to the olive terraces above Bardolino.
The best lake towns within two hours of BolzanoLake water within reach of Bolzano runs from small Dolomite basins ringed by spruce down to the olive terraces and lemon houses of northern Garda, with trout, lake sardines and Bardolino red on the tables. These are the towns on the water where fewer people go.
The best lake towns within 90 minutes of PaduaThe southern and eastern shores of Lake Garda lie within easy reach of Padua, a run of olive terraces, moraine hills and lakefront towns built from pale stone, where the wine is light and red and the water stays warm into September.
The best coastal towns within two hours of PaduaThe upper Adriatic coast within reach of Padua is lagoon country: sandbanks, fishing channels, eel and clams, salt-air brick towns built low against the water. From the Po delta up to the Friulian lagoon, the sea arrives quietly rather than dramatically.
The best coastal towns within two hours of UdineThe upper Adriatic within driving distance of Udine runs from fishing lagoons and Roman mosaics to Istrian olive terraces, with sardoni, brodetto and bora winds instead of beach clubs.
The best lake towns within two hours of ParmaNorth of Parma the Po plain gives out at the lakes, and Garda and Iseo begin: olive terraces, lakefront promenades under plane trees, lake trout and bigoli on the menu, and towns built from pale stone that hold their warmth into the evening.
The best coastal towns within two hours of ParmaParma sits closer to salt water than its ham and Parmigiano suggest: the motorway south through the Cisa pass drops onto the Ligurian and Versilian coast, where slate villages, marble quarries and anchovy boats are all within a morning's drive.
The best coastal towns within two hours of SienaThe Tuscan coast begins where the Sienese hills run out, a drive of pine forest, umbrella pines, salt lagoons and grilled fish south and west of the city. These are the seaside and near-seaside towns of the Maremma and the Etruscan Coast, reachable from Siena in an easy morning.
The best coastal towns within an hour of LecceThe Salento coast either side of Lecce runs from Adriatic limestone cliffs to shallow Ionian sand, with sea urchins in spring, rustico pastries, and towns built from the same pale tufo stone as the baroque city itself.
The best coastal towns within an hour of CataniaBlack lava rock, sea urchins on ice and granita at breakfast: the coast either side of Catania runs from the basalt stacks of the Riviera dei Ciclopi to the citrus plain below Etna and the limestone of the Ionian south.
The best beach towns in the province of GenovaBeach towns along the Riviera di Levante east of Genova, from pebble coves under painted houses to sandy bays and the fried anchovies and focaccia col formaggio that go with them. Each holds the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches.
A 7-day trip through the Tuscan Maremma, based in GrossetoA 7-day Maremma itinerary based in Grosseto, with six day trips down the Tuscan coast from the Etruscan Coast to the Orbetello lagoon. Where to go, how far each one is, and why September is the month for it.
The best hidden beach towns in PugliaPuglia has eight hundred kilometres of coast and the crowds concentrate on about thirty of them. These are the smaller seaside towns on the same two seas, each with water measured clean rather than assumed clean.
The best small towns on Lake Garda's eastern shoreLake Garda's Veneto side runs from the Mincio outlet to the Trentino border, and most visitors see two towns on it. These are the smaller ones along the same shore, with the castles, the olive groves and the ferry stops.
The best lake towns in the province of BresciaBrescia holds shoreline on both Lake Garda and Lake Iseo, from lemon-house terraces and olive groves to a wooded island with no cars. A guide to the lake towns on the province's western and southern shores.
The best beach towns in the province of SalernoBeach towns along the province of Salerno's coast, from the Amalfi cliffs down to the long Cilento shore, each holding the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches.
The best lake towns in the province of Verbano-Cusio-OssolaLake towns on the Piedmontese shore of Maggiore, plus Orta and Mergozzo, where granite quarries, camellia gardens and lake-fish kitchens sit within a short drive of the Ossola valleys.
The best beach towns in the province of SavonaThe Riviera delle Palme and Riviera di Ponente coast in the province of Savona, where a run of beach towns all hold the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches. Sand rather than shingle in many of them, plus a caruggi and a fish market behind the seafront.
The best coastal towns in the province of GrossetoThe Maremma coast in the province of Grosseto runs from pine forest and lagoon to granite islands, with sandy beaches, fish soup and macchia scrub instead of the resort strip further north. Six coastal towns worth the drive south.
The best coastal towns in the province of MessinaCoastal towns in the province of Messina, from the Ionian terraces above the Strait to the volcanic harbours of the Aeolians, with granita, swordfish and Nero d'Avola along the way.
The best beach towns in the province of LatinaThe Tyrrhenian coast south of Rome runs through dune, lagoon and limestone headland, and the beach towns of the province of Latina all hold the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches. Fondi, Gaeta, Minturno, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Sperlonga and Terracina, with the sea, the buffalo mozzarella and the fried anchovies to prove it.
The 7 best lake towns in LazioLazio's lakes fill old volcanic craters north and south of Rome, ringed by dark tuff villages, fish restaurants and chestnut woods. Anguillara Sabazia, Bolsena, Bracciano, Capodimonte, Castel Gandolfo, Nemi and Trevignano Romano all sit directly on the water.
The best coastal towns in the province of SassariThe northern coast of Sardinia, from the Catalan streets of Alghero to the granite islands off Palau, taken town by town. Beaches, sea walls, lobster and cork oak in the province of Sassari.
The best beach towns in AbruzzoAbruzzo's Adriatic shore runs long and flat and sandy, backed by pinewoods and, further inland, by lakes under the Apennines. These are the towns along it that hold the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches.
The best beach towns in SardegnaBeach towns around the Sardinian coast, from Gallura's granite headlands to the dunes north of the Gulf of Asinara and the lagoons of the west, all holding the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches.
The best hidden coastal towns in the province of GenovaCoastal towns in the province of Genova that sit directly on the sea, from pebble beaches under Monte di Portofino to fishing harbours where the focaccia comes out of the oven at breakfast. The smaller stops on the Riviera di Levante, with notes on what to see and how to arrive by train.
The best hidden coastal towns in the province of La SpeziaCoastal towns in the province of La Spezia that sit directly on the sea, from the Magra river mouth at Ameglia to the slate and vine terraces above Framura and Deiva Marina.
The best hidden beach towns in CampaniaBeach towns along the Cilento coast, the Sorrento peninsula and Capri where the bathing water carries the national award for cleanliness and well-run beaches. Smaller places on the Campanian coast, with clear notes on what to see and how to arrive.
The best coastal towns in AbruzzoAbruzzo's Adriatic coast runs from wide pine-backed sands in the north to the cliffs and fishing huts of the Costa dei Trabocchi in the south. These are the coastal towns that sit directly on the sea, with the beaches, brodetto and evening passeggiata to match.
The best hidden coastal towns in MarcheSmall coastal towns along the Marche seaboard, from the white cliffs of the Conero to the low sandy shore north of the Metauro. Where to eat brodetto, swim off pebbles, and stay within sight of the Adriatic.
The best hidden beach towns in CalabriaTen Calabrian beach towns on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts, each holding the national award for clean bathing water and well-run beaches, from cliff coves near the Policastro gulf to the long sand and citrus plains of the Sibari coast.
The best small coastal towns in CalabriaSix small towns on the Calabrian coast, from the Tyrrhenian cliffs above San Nicola Arcella to the Ionian castles of Rocca Imperiale and Roseto Capo Spulico. Sandstone villages, red onions, swordfish and water that stays warm into autumn.
The best small coastal towns in SiciliaSmall towns on and above the Sicilian sea, from tuff-built villages in the hills over the Ionian coast to volcanic islands off the Tyrrhenian. Fewer people go than to Taormina or Cefalù, and the water is the same.
The best small coastal towns in ToscanaSmall towns on the Tuscan coast and its islands, from the pine-shaded shore of the Etruscan Riviera to the granite hills of the Tuscan Archipelago. Sea, sheep's cheese, wild boar and umbrella pines, with fewer people than the resorts north of Livorno.
The 7 best coastal towns in the province of LivornoThe Livorno coast runs from working port quays and Etruscan iron country to pine-backed beaches, holm oak hills and the volcanic rock of the Tuscan archipelago, with cacciucco, Bolgheri reds and sea urchins along the way.
The 8 best coastal towns that eat well in CalabriaCalabrian seafront towns where swordfish, nduja, Tropea onions and tartare of red prawn arrive within sight of the water, each with a table a dining guide has picked out. Ionian and Tyrrhenian coast, best from late spring to the end of September.
The best coastal towns with a serious restaurant in PugliaPuglia's coast runs from the limestone cliffs of the Gargano to the Adriatic ports of the south, and along it sit towns where raw prawns, burrata and grilled scorpion fish are treated with the seriousness of a city kitchen. These are seafront places whose restaurants have been picked out by the most demanding of the guides.
The best coastal towns that eat well in SardegnaSardinian coast towns where the kitchens are worth the drive: bottarga from the lagoons at Oristano, Catalan lobster in Alghero, Ligurian-Tunisian tuna cooking on San Pietro, and guide-listed tables in each of them, all within sight of the water.
The 6 best coastal towns inside a nature park in ToscanaTuscan coast where umbrella pine, dune and macchia are protected land: the sea at Piombino, Pisa's river mouth at San Rossore, the marble hills above Seravezza. Towns that sit on the water and inside a regional nature park at the same time.
The best coastal towns you can reach by train in SiciliaSicilian coast reached along the old single-track lines: black lava beaches under Etna, tuna and marsala in the west, granita and brioche at breakfast, and stations set close enough to the water to hear it.
The best hidden lake towns you can reach by train in LombardiaLombardia's lakes are stitched together by regional railways, so the shore is reachable on a ticket rather than a hire car. Along Como, Iseo, Maggiore and Ceresio, smaller stations open onto stone waterfronts, ferry piers, lake perch with rice, and hills of olive and chestnut behind.
The best hidden coastal towns you can reach by train in ToscanaThe Tuscan coast runs from the marble hills above Versilia down through the pine barriers of the Maremma, and much of it is served by the Tirrenica railway line. These are the smaller stops on the sea, from umbrella pines and cacciucco to lagoon eels and Sangiovese from the Bolgheri hills.
The best hidden coastal towns that eat well in SiciliaSicilian coast towns where the kitchens are as good as the water: tuna landed off the Egadi, capers from volcanic terraces, red prawns and pistachio, sea urchin in spring, and dining rooms that guidebooks have taken the trouble to name.
The best small coastal towns you can reach by train in LiguriaThe Ligurian railway runs along the sea almost the whole way, stopping at small towns of tall ochre houses, pebble coves and fried anchovies. These are the coastal places you can arrive at with a ticket and a bag, no car and no hairpin road.