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Abruzzo Best Beaches and Coastal Towns

Abruzzo, or Abruzzi, is the central Italian region covering the highest and wildest part of the Apennine mountains and extending to the Adriatic Sea, the arm of the Mediterranean on the east coast of the Italian peninsula. Abruzzo is, like many parts of Italy, both mountainous and coastal.

Within it lies the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, or Abruzzo National Park, home to bears, wolves, lynx and eagles.

Many pretty beaches and seaside resorts line the Adriatic Coast, and are generally a short distance from any part of Abruzzo.

Lying on the eastern coast of Italy, the beaches, cliffs. coves and shores of Abruzzo afford dramatic dawns.

Some of the best beaches and coastal towns in Abruzzo, including Giulianova, Alba Adriatica, Silvi Marina, are described in the next section tab.

Giulianova, Alba Adriatica, Silvi Marina, Pineto, Roseto

Giulianova Lido has one of the best beaches of Abruzzo for a holiday with your dog. In Giulianova the beach is very clean, winning the seaside town the Blue Flag. It’s among the winners of the Green Flag for kid-friendly beaches, and is on the coastal Adriatic Cycle Route.

Alba Adriatica, one of Abruzzo’s and the Italian Adriatic coast’s most famous and popular resorts, has a child-friendly, ample, over-3-km-long beach of fine sand. It is one of the best beaches in the Abruzzi region, and has been awarded for 13 times the Blue Flag, eco-label for European beaches, by the Foundation for Environmental Education, in recognition for the cleanest seaside resorts.

Alba is known as the Silver Beach for the silvery hue of its sand, the loveliness of the coastline and the shallow and sandy seabeds. Majestic pines, palm trees and fragrant oleanders grace the seafront promenade. The town of Alba Adriatica doesn’t lack trendy clubs, fashionable shops and various forms of entertainment, including late-evening dance floors on the beach and the summer carnival on the waterfront, displaying allegoric floats and colorful masks.

Silvi Marina, with a long and wide sandy beach good for children, which has earned it the Green Flag in addition to the Blue Flag, is recommended, along with Pineto, by guidebooks to the most beatiful seaside localities in Abruzzo. The coast here is equipped with plenty of accommodation and tourist facilities.

Near Silvi Marina and few kilometers (8 minutes’ drive) south from Pineto is not only an enchanting beach but also a site worth seeing: Torre del Cerrano, a sixteenth-century coastal tower, housing a library and the Sea Museum. It stands in the Torre del Cerrano Marine Protected Area, which protects a stretch of sea of about 7 kilometres.

Cerrano Tower is one of the ancient coastal towers of the Kingdom of Naples, and is located between Pineto and Silvi. Built in 1568, it is one of the few intact examples that remain of the dense network of coastal fortifications of the Kingdom of Naples, which had the function of repelling the frequent attacks of Turks and Saracens coming from the sea.

Torre Cerrano takes its name from the river descending from the hills of Atri, whose mouth is 500 meters south of the tower, in the municipality of Silvi. It dominates an evocative, sandy, soft beach. Not crowded, surrounded by pine trees, this is another recommended beach and winner of the Green Flag for child-friendly beaches, as well as of the Blue Flag for clear waters.

The town of Pineto (meaning ‘pinewood’), considered one of the pearls of the Abruzzo coast, has another gorgeous Blue Flag beach, a wide, golden and almost 10-kilometre-long coastline, some of which is completely bordered by a fragrant pine forest with trees that come down to the coast. The whole area, with stretches of free beach alternating with beaches with many services, is well looked after, with crystal clear sea even during periods of many tourists. In the pine forest are many picnic areas, some of which equipped with games for both kids and adults. Pineto is near the little medieval town of Atri, where you can see a Gothic cathedral with lovely frescoes.

Roseto degli Abruzzi, one of Abruzzo’s best known resorts, long established for over a century, has a narrow, long sandy beach suitable for kids, winner of the Green Flag: its calm waters are ideal for families, as well as the golden and soft sand that slopes gently towards the sea, allowing children to play on the shore in tranquility. But the many facilities, shops and fashionable venues also attract a young clientele for a fun that continues in the evening hours.

Famous for its clean sea, Roseto is also called “Lido delle Rose” for the great variety of roses, gardens and oleanders that traditionally have adorned its streets and balconies. The town has a graceful seaside promenade, surrounded by green pines, palm trees and, you guessed it, bright-coloured roses. Roseto has both free beaches and well-equipped bathing establishments.

Near Roseto is one of Abruzzo’s most beautiful beaches, Cologna Beach: it has no services, is free of crowds and full of nature, and is winner of the Blue Flag of Europe since 1999. The stretch of coast between Cologna Beach and Roseto itself is part of the Nature Reserve of Borsacchio, 3 km of wild coast free from built-up areas, which like Cologna Beach is dotted with centuries-old pine trees, oak trees and Mediterranen vegetation, all around a white sandy beach and a sea of turquoise blue. Ideal for those who want to swim in crystal clear waters away from the multitudes.

Martinsicuro is a little town on the Adriatic and ancient Roman colony. It has long beaches of golden, fine sand, very good for children, and a delightful seafront promenade lined by palm trees between the mouths of the river Tronto and the stream Vibrata, both of which reach the sea after having crossed the enchanting hills and mountains towering above their valleys.

Martinsicuro, like many other seaside resorts in Abruzzo, is rich in tourist services, hotels, campsites, bathing establishments where you can rent a beach hut, umbrella and sun bed, but it also has stretches of free beach. You can also find sports centres to hire sailing, windsurfing and other water sports equipment. The Adriatic Cycle Route is a cycle path running along the coast for over 20 km.

Tortoreto Lido, next to the little medieval hilly town of Tortoreto Alto, has a pretty seafront promenade: about 3,000 palms and pine trees framing the exquisite Art Nouveau villas, which have given the town the reputation of being aristocratic and elegant. The beach is 3 km of fine sand, winning every year since 1992 the coveted Blue Flag for the respect it has for the surrounding nature and environment. It has also won the Green Flag destined to the best beaches for children, with its shallow seabeds. Tortoreto can be reached by a lovely cycling path along the coast.

Photo credits: Dawn on Abruzzo beach by Max Pixel, Martinsicuro by pizzodisevo 1937, Alba Adriatica by Antonio Castagna, Torre del Cerrano by Simone S. Taddei.