Edoardo Bonatti
21 giugno 2019
Legambiente published its yearly guide to Italy’s most beautiful beaches and resorts. In 2019 Legambiente, joint with the Italian Touring Club, awarded its top rating, the Five Sails, mostly to beaches overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The Ancient Cilento area, led by its crowning jewel Pollica, tops this year’s ranking while, the coast of the Tuscan Maremma, led by Castiglione della Pescaia, is a close second. Then Sardinian seaside resorts start dominating the ranking, represented by the Barony of Posada and the Park of Tepilora, just below Olbia, to the area, further north, which includes the coastal Gallura; the southern part of the island includes Chia’s Coast and the municipality of Domus De Maria, and Baunei. Beaches on the northwestern coast, near the municipality of Bosa, were also awarded Five Sails. Other top beaches can be found in Sicily along the Northern Coast of Trapani, in the island of Pantelleria and Ustica; in Apulia between Bari and Brindisi and in the province of Lecce. Leaving Southern Italy, Giglio Island and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Cinque Terre also received the Five Sails accolade.
The guide on the “best of the sea and Italian lakes” – where to spend an environment conscious holiday, surrounded by nature, clean waters and also by excellent food, wine, and art – was presented on 12 June, in Rome, at the villa Celimontana during the final workshop of the MedSeaLitter project.
“This year, as always, we aim at divulging what our local coastal administrations do all over Italy – said Sebastiano Venneri, Head of Legambiente Sea and Tourism office -. The seaside tourism industry had to face many challenges derived from the global environmental crisis and to do so, put together a wide range of proposals and initiatives: local authorities, private entrepreneurs, associations and regions committed themselves to propose innovative solutions for an environmentally friendly holiday. We are convinced now more than ever that these concrete initiatives will begin to change the fate of the planet “. Franco Iseppi, Italian Touring Club President, described the guide as a symbol of their mission, which includes the valorisation of Italian natural, artistic and cultural heritage, and economic potential. Bringing to the forefront of the public discussion the theme of Italy’s seas and coasts represents “a great opportunity for tourism development, whereas a virtuous relationship can be established between the coasts and the hinterland, because it is the ideal condition for sustainable development of the entire territory and for an experiential, personal and sustainable tourism”.
Source: Legambiente
