Who's ready for a beach vacation?

Four Italian seaside destinations to warm up your weekend.

Jan 20, 2024

After an unusually warm December, some of us in the Upper Midwest wondered if we might dodge the worst of winter this year.

That was wishful thinking.

The arctic cold has hit Minneapolis, with temperatures in the single digits. That’s Fahrenheit, by the way. In Celsius, it’s been in the negative teens and beyond. Our friends in Italy, who wear their winter coats and wrap scarves tightly around their necks when the temps drop to 55°F, ask us incredulously how we manage when it’s this cold.

It’s rough. Some Midwesterners embrace winter, but not us. We’re among those who tolerate it begrudgingly and escape to warmer climates for a reprieve during the year's coldest months. Case in point:

Friends whose kitchen we just remodeled are reading this newsletter from the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Other friends just returned from a vacation in Tulum, Mexico, where they rode their bicycles to the fish market and bought fresh seafood to grill on their deck for dinner.
Clients of ours told us on that they’d decided to take a quick weekend trip to Florida to escape the cold.

Alas, there is no beach vacation for us this winter. No complaints, though. We’re traveling to Italy next month, instead. Until then, we are staying indoors, curled up by the fireplace.

But all this talk of beaches inspired us to look back at few of our favorite Italian beach vacations.

First, a disclaimer

Italy has 4,900 miles (7,900 kilometers) of coastline and some of the world's most spectacular beaches and seaside towns. We’ve only been to a fraction of them. What follows is not intended to be a list of Italy’s best or most beautiful beaches.

Furthermore, we left out two of Italy’s most famous coastal destinations, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast. Both are amazing places, but each is a collection of villages rather than a single location. There’s more to write about them than would fit in this newsletter.

Instead, we were inspired to share a few Italian beach destinations and seaside towns that we have visited and loved. We hope it brings some warmth and inspiration to your winter weekend.

Castiglione della Pescaia

Tuscany

On a whim, we decided to cut our tour of Tuscan wine country short and spend a day at the beach before returning to Rome. We headed toward the Maremma, a long stretch of coastline in southwestern Tuscany known for its wild, natural landscapes and pristine beaches.

While diehard beach-goers flock to the unspoiled and remote spiaggie libere, or free public beaches further south, we are fussier. Our perfect day at the beach includes comfortable lounge chairs, a large umbrella to protect us from the blazing sun, and a beach-side restaurant nearby for drinks and a bite to eat. So, we made our way to Castiglione della Pescaia, a picturesque old fishing village with a towering medieval fortress in the historical center, and a long, sandy beach dotted with bathing establishments along the coast.

While not as exclusive (or expensive) as beaches further north in Viareggio or on the Tuscan island of Elba, Castiglione della Pescaia is a tried and true, family-friendly, and easily accessible beach town. The water is crystal clear, the beach establishments are well-maintained, and the old town is charming. We had a delicious seafood lunch on the shaded and breezy porch of a beachfront eatery, wearing our swimsuits and beach slides with sand between our toes, and concluded we’d made a good decision.

Polignano a Mare

Puglia

Thirty minutes south of Bari on the southern Adriatic coast in Puglia, Polignano a Mare is a delightful little town known for its dramatic scenery, iconic beach, and excellent dining. We visited Polignano a Mare with Stefano’s mom, Maria, and our sons, Sean and Luca, both young adults. It was the perfect place for our seaside vacation, with plenty to see and experience, but small enough that everyone could explore the city at their own pace and easily meet up again.

The historical center is a maze of narrow streets and stairs, whitewashed buildings, and piazzas lined with restaurants, gelaterias, and shops. In the late afternoon, grandmothers sat outside their family’s bars chatting, with baskets of herbs on their laps. We laughed when we realized they were de-stemming mint, presumably for the mojitos to be served later that evening.

Sean and Luca hung out at Polignano a Mare’s iconic beach, Lama Monachile, a small, rocky beach located right next to the town, tucked between high cliffs that serve as a dramatic backdrop, making it one of the most photographed beaches in Italy. The locals and a few brave visitors dived off those cliffs, but our kids were content to watch them. We later learned this beach is on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series tour, recently featured on a CBS Sunday Morning special.

We couldn’t resist breaking out in a spontaneous rendition of Volare in front of the status of Domenico Modugno, the Italian singer-songwriter from Polignano a Mare who became famous with that song, and we splurged and had dinner at Grotta Palazzese, a stunning restaurant built into a cave on the water, located in the hotel by the same name.

Our friends from Puglia laughed at us, claiming there are many less expensive restaurants with even better food in Polignano a Mare. Maybe that’s true, but it’s such a captivating setting that we think it is worth at least one visit.

Check out our blog post on the Due Spaghetti website to learn more about Polignano a Mare.

San Vito lo Capo

Sicily

With 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) of white sand and unbelievably clear blue-green water, San Vito lo Capo may be the most beautiful beach we have ever seen. Off the beaten path on the tip of northwestern Sicily between Trapani and Palermo, the beach is located on a bay, with the majestic Mount Monaco towering in the background.

The lazy town, with its low-rise whitewashed buildings lined with colorful bougainvillea, is quiet but offers a range of bars, restaurants, gelaterias, and gift shops. The true draw, though, is the beach and the sea. It’s the quintessential destination for beach vacationers, some of whom stay a week, others a month, and others all summer long.

We made a quick visit to San Vito lo Capo in July one summer while we were touring the western coast of Sicily. Swimming in that cool, clear water and sitting on our beach lounges eating street food out of the tin takeaway containers, we wished we could stay longer and we told ourselves we would return, maybe in September when they hold their annual couscous festival.

Cefalù

Sicily

Cefalù was the final stop on our Sicilian tour, and we could not have found a better place to savor our final moments on the island. It is a delightful seaside village on the northern coast of Sicily, just about an hour east of Palermo, nestled between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mountainous cliff named la Rocca di Cefalù which towers above.

Less pretentious than neighboring Taormina, Cefalù has a relaxed, beach town vibe. It’s not too quiet though; there’s still plenty to do, starting with its iconic sandy beaches with crystal clear water and dramatic views of the old town underneath the huge Rocca.

While spending the entire time in Cefalù on the beach is tempting, it’s worth taking time to stroll the medieval streets and take in the town’s history. Visit the Cathedral of Cefalù, a 12th-century Norman basilica known for its Byzantine mosaics and twin towers. If you are the active type, you can hike to the top of la Rocca and visit the Temple of Diana, a megalithic structure built around 3rd century BC by the Saracens as a place to worship water.

Or, do as we do – skip the hiking tours and instead explore the shops, bars, gelato spots, and small osterias that dot the village streets and grab an aperitivo in the piazza. It won’t be hard to find an excellent meal at any of the local restaurants, but if you’d like a recommendation, we had a memorable seafood dinner Il Covo Del Pirata on Via Vittorio Emanuele. Stop by in the afternoon when they open to make dinner reservations and ask for a table overlooking the water – seafood tastes even better with a view.

Sant’Angelo

Ischia

After a hot and busy week in Rome preparing to drop Luca at John Cabot University, we were ready for a seaside vacation. Ischia, a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples known for the healing powers of its mineral-rich thermal waters, was a fitting place to relax and toast becoming empty-nesters.

Less touristy and more authentic than neighboring Capri, Ischia has several ports and villages to visit. We chose Sant’Angelo, a small village on the southern coast made up of narrow streets and whitewashed buildings set one on top of another. The historical center of Sant’Angelo is pedestrian-only, making it a lovely place to stroll the narrow streets, shop for beautiful cotton and linen island dresses, have a caffè or gelato, or people-watch while enjoying an aperitivo in the piazza.

A typical day involved waking up, packing a beach bag, walking into town for a cappuccino and a cornetto ischiatano on a table overlooking the sea, and then heading to the little marina and take a taxi boat to that day’s beach of choice. There many beaches to experience and we tried a different one each day, including:

Maronti, a three-kilometer stretch of crescent-shaped, pebbled beach with calm, shallow water.
Cava Grado, a small, remote beach nestled between rocks and cliff with gorgeous views from the water.
Sorgeto, a rocky bay with a natural thermal pool where hot water rises from the seabed. Visitors take turns entering the hot water pool, relaxing in the thermal waters, and then cooling off in the sea beyond.

When we had soaked up enough sun and sea, we took the boat taxi back to Sant’Angelo, stopping for an afternoon aperitivo on a seaside patio before returning to our house for a nap. In the evening, we’d dress for dinner (island style of course) and head back to the village center for a seafood dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants.

Although we are not usually the spa type, at the end of our stay, we spent a day at Giardini Poseidon Terme, or the Poseidon Gardens and Thermal Baths, an expansive outdoor facility with natural thermal pools, seawater pools, a thermal steam grotto, hydrotherapy pools, a private beach, and three restaurants, set in lush greenery and beautiful scenery. It was a lovely treat.

For more travel tips on visiting Sant’Angelo, including lodging and restaurant recommendations, visit our blog post on the Due Spaghetti website.