Italy's Best Beaches 2005

[Regions of Italy]

Arbus

Planning to spend some time on an Italian beach this summer? As always, the national environmental league (Lega Ambiente) has rated every single one of them, using an astonishingly thorough combination of factors - chemical purity of the water, ongoing cleanliness of the shoreline, absence of industrial and chemical wastes, level of local emergency awareness, equilibrium between bathing facilities and environmental protection, presence of adequate containers for all our daily garbage, quality and quantity of services available - that make it all too obvious how seriously the Italians take their seaside vacations. Other annotated factors are nearby historical sites, handicapped accessibility and snorkeling and scuba level. The very best beaches get a "five sails" rating, and for 2005 they are:

1. Castiglion della Pescaia (Tuscany)
2. Cinque Terre - especially Riomosso, Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza (Liguria)
3. Arbus and Bosa (Sardinia)
4. Giglio Island (Tuscany)
5. Otranto (Apulia)
6. Portovenere (Liguria)
7. Noto (Sicily)
8. Tropea (Calabria)
9. Pollica, Acciaroli and Pioppi (Campania)