My Endless // ITALIAN SUMMER

Favorite Beaches Of Italy

This summer I had the luxury of traveling through Italy for three months from Rome down the Calabrian coast all the way to Palermo, Sicily. It was something that I have been dreaming of doing for years, an idea that was born more than fifteen years ago when I was living in the north in Varese, Italy. During those years, I had spent one summer zooming up and down the Italian coast on a Vespa, starting on the west side in Alassia and buzzing around Genoa. Another summer was subsequently spent on thin Naples, luckily attending a wedding in Sorento and then exploring that beautiful Amalfi coast.

But the south was calling me. I need to see the South. And so the seeds were sewn into my brain until I finally couldn’t take it anymore until early this year when I told my husband: We need to spend the summer in the South of Italy. And after some gentle (ahem) persuasion, he was on board.

Off we went to Rome where we experienced everything you need to when in Rome. Next, it was a car rental and a long drive entailing three months of beaches, blue waters, and yummy food avec hubby and doggie. It was a summer that we will never forget.

There was a lot of beach candy, and we weren’t shy to indulge.

Here are our favorite beaches that we discovered as we drove from Rome to Palermo in a car, given to you geographically as we drove from the country’s Center (Rome) to the boot-tipping South (Sicily).

POSITANO, Campania, Italy

Sure, Positano is full of tourists. Always. And mainly, they go there for the shops and restaurants — and of course, the views. I’ve been to Positano several times, but not once hand I hung out on the beach. So I was so grateful to have done so this summer. Because when you sit on it and stare up at the staircases of villas and restaurants, you can see Positano in a completely different light. The main one being: Relaxation.

Getting in and out of Positano is extremely hectic, winding up and down and backwards on those teeny weeny roads. In fact, this time I was the driver and I was the one honking at buses and narrowly missing trees. So when we finally wound our way down to the city center, all I wanted to do was plop myself on one of those orange lawn chairs and sip some Aperol.

Positano Beach

PRAIANO, Campania, Italy

Praiano Beach is so wee small (even by the Amalfi Coast standards), that you may hastily drive past in whilst driving to-and-fro from Positano to Amalfi. We nearly made that mistake and yet miraculously, we found a chance opening in the traffic to make a U-turn and head back. Finding parking spots is probably the most stressful part about visiting this part of the coast.

Once known for producing silk, today it is known mainly as a beach and is in fact a commune of 2,000 people. The beach is quiet and difficult to access (note: steep, shallow stairs), but well worth it.

Praiano Beach

AMALFI, Salerno, Italy

Famed for its production of limoncello (yes, I know, most of Italy makes it too, but Amalfi sort of “owns” it), Amalfi is a former maritime power between Egypt and Syria dating back to the 6th century. Believe it or not, at some point they had as many as 80,000 people living in this little village, nestled between two major cliffs. This is why you will find some incredible Byzantine architecture, including the Domi di Amalfi, and those typical winding, curly, teeny streets.

In terms of the beach, its pretty much everything you see in the photos. Picturesque, quiet, chic. We had a fabulous meal at the Stella Maris which we will never forget. And we loved climbing up through the hill-side streets and visiting all of those little ceramic shops.

Amalfi Beach

TROPEA, Calabria, Italy

Tropea is a quiet cliff-top village that is decaying before your very eyes. If you even so much as touch a building, it will likely start crumbling between your fingers. But the town enjoys a lot of tourism, and so the restaurants and bars are pretty chic and reminded us slightly of Mykonos (slightly).

Legend has it that the town’s protector, the Madonna of Romania, once saved the town by appearing in the dreams of the town’s Bishop — so many times that finally on March 27, 1638, he ordered the entire village to do a procession. Thanks to this, the entire town avoided harm from a massive earthquake that day. Or, so they say.

Tropea Beach

CEFALU, Sicily, Italy

Cefalu! I know it’s not fair to declare favorites…. But can I? Ok, then I will. So, I love Cefalu. It was love at first beach. When I walked onto the beach, I knew it was meant to be. We were lost souls, finally united. With the town’s buildings forming the barrier of the water, it doesn’t get more beautiful than this. The water is so shallow and so warm, you can skip walking through the town and just walk along the water’s edge — or even in it.

This Sicilian town is located less than 1 hour by train from Palermo. Full of amazing shops and yummy cafes, Cefalu is small and chill and glam all at the same time.

Cefalu Beach

MONDELLO, Sicily, Italy

Known for its shallow, pastel beach and paddle boats, Mondello is considered to be a suburb of Palermo. The beach lies between two cliffs — Mount Gallo and Mount Pelligrino — and is where all of the Palermetani go to bake their skin on the weekend.

The beach vibe is very chill and family oriented, with ice cream shops and sushi bars lining the boardwalk that spans nearly 2 km. Originally a small fishing village situated on marshland, at the end of the 19th century it grew into a favorite tourist spot and retirement haven.

Mondello Beach

SAN VITO LO CAPO, Sicily, Italy

With the careful watch of Mount Monaco, San Vito Lo Capo is long sandy beach with crystal blue, shallow water perfect for families or someone who wants to temporarily disconnect with mainstream life. Three kilometers of golden beach with lots of water toys, bars, street food and seafront restaurants and live music.

San Vito lo Capo Beach

SCALA DEI TURCHI, Sicily, Italy

A rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, the origine of the name “Turkish Steps” comes from the many invasions of Turkish pirates and the “stairs” are formed by eroded Marl, clay and silt similar to calcite and limestone.

The wet Marl (muddy) is seen as being beneficial to your skin, so don’t be surprised to see many people bathing in it. Otherwise, lots of beach-goers will be jumping off the steepest of stairs or climbing to the top for an amazing Mediterranean sunset.

Scala dei Turchi Beach

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