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OPINION: Is Italy’s west or east coast the best place for a holiday?

Choosing which coast to visit in Italy can be a tough call, particularly if you’re planning to spend most of the time sunbathing and swimming. Reporter Silvia Marchetti shares her insights on the pros and cons of both.

OPINION: Is Italy’s west or east coast the best place for a holiday?
Which Italian coast should you choose when booking your holiday? Here are the pros and cons of both. Photo by Azat Satlykov on Unsplash

The Tyrrhenian west coast and the Adriatic east one are very different, and each come with their pros and cons.

In my view the Tyrrhenian side of the boot wins, because even though it tends to be more crowded due to the many art cities located along it, its beaches have fewer facilities for families and the shores are more ragged, with rocks and cliffs ideal for solo and adventurous young people. 

The Amalfi coast’s picturesque fishermen villages, or Liguria’s Cinque Terre, feature tiny pebble stone bays cut between high cliffs with little space for sun umbrellas and beds.

The Adriatic, on the other hand, is a mass destination for foreign sunbathers, very popular especially among German and Russian tourists. The east coast has Italy’s widest and flattest sandy beaches, which make it an ideal spot for families – but also very crowded. 

READ ALSO: Private lidos take up more than 40 percent of Italian beaches: report

The Adriatic shore is one long line of adjacent beach facilities that run for kilometres from the northern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region down south to Puglia. 

Beaches in the seaside towns of Rimini and Riccione, located along the chaotic Riviera Romagnola renowned also for its wild nightlife, feature up to 50 rows of sun beds and umbrellas in summer.

More sunbeds than sand… Some parts of Italy are heavily built-up with an abundance of services. (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP)

Beach facilities there resemble open-air condominiums where there are children’s playgrounds, restaurants, sleeping areas, dance floors and changing rooms for clients.

One good thing, though, is the constant presence of bay watchers and lifeguards at each facility, who are present throughout all eastern coastal regions and very helpful if you don’t constantly want to look after the kids. Beach resorts often come with big seaside multi-floor hotel buildings that look like city offices. 

To escape the crowds on the Adriatic coast you need to pick niche, rocky spots with very few beaches such as the Conero Hill in the Marche region and the Gargano promontory in Puglia.

While the Adriatic coast’s wide and easily accessible beaches are great for children and older people, the sea is not always clear and there are just a few top scuba diving and snorkelling spots, such as the beautiful Tremiti islands.

The Tyrrhenian sea, which is deeper than the Adriatic, is packed with diving sites: Ustica island in Sicily and Ventotene isle in Latium are Italy’s top diving meccas brimming with barracudas and giant groupers.

Tyrrhenian waters are cleaner too: in 2021, its shores won more bandiera blu (Blue flag) awards for high water quality standards than Adriatic beaches.

READ ALSO: Where to find even more of Italy’s best beaches

There are also more protected marine reserves along the west coast, which guarantees a pristine environment, and more free beaches without facilities and lifeguards. While this ‘wild’ aspect may be attractive to many, it could make some beaches not suitable for families with small kids. 

Family friendly beaches tend to draw in more crowds. (Photo by ludovic MARIN / AFP)

On the other hand, given its relatively shallow waters, the Adriatic is blessed with reasonable stocks of fish, so if you long for fishing expeditions it’s the perfect destination. 

However the real plus point of the east coast is its strategic location facing other Mediterranean countries and allowing tourists, particularly from the US, to expand their holidays and exploit Italy as the door to the ‘Old Continent’. From the ports of Bari and Ancona, ferry boats depart to Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Albania.

The winning asset of the Tyrrhenian, other than its translucent waters and baby powder beaches, is the huge artistic heritage it offers visitors. The west coast boasts the top must-see Italian cities usually picked by global tourists (Rome, Naples, Florence) which all lie, or are close to the sea – except for Venice (the gem of the Adriatic).

READ ALSO:

The cultural appeal of the west side makes the central national highway, the A1 – otherwise known as Autostrada del Sole – a very trafficky infrastructure. 

There are also mesmerising fishermen villages with a mythological vibe along the Tyrrhenian coast, such as Gaeta and Sperlonga, where it is said Odysseus, the legendary Greek king, landed during his wanderings.

Plus, most of Italy’s UNESCO heritage-listed sites are located along or near the west shore. For instance, the archaeological excavations of Pompeii are among the top tourist hotspots in Italy.

READ ALSO: Life in Italy in 2022: 10 things to add to your bucket list

Generally speaking, the appeal of popular places along the west coast inevitably translates into more expensive hotels and travelling costs but it depends on the specific location. 

A photo shows a general view of the archaeological site of Pompeii, near Naples. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

The major west coast lure for sea dogs, sailing amateurs and fans of the tan is that nearly all Italian islands are located in the Tyrrhenian sea and reachable from the mainland.

The two island regions of Sardinia and Sicily are accessible by ferry boat from Naples and Civitavecchia, while the Tuscan archipelago, the Pontine islands and Sicily’s dozens of ‘satellites’ such as the Aeolian, Egadi and Pelagie isles are tropical paradises just a stone’s throw from the cultural highlights.

READ ALSO: Ten percent of the world’s best beaches are in Italy

Even though both coasts are stunning and are worth exploring, personally, I’d chose the Tyrrhenian over the Adriatic any day, and not just because I’m a Roman who lives in Rome. 

It has a diversified offer of artistic sites and beaches, inlets and cliffs that allow you to savour the most of Italy in just a few days. 

The last time I rented my beach home south of Rome to a French couple, I thought they’d laze all day under the sultry sun. Instead they drove across half of Italy in 14 day trips, visiting Florence, Naples, Sorrento and Calabria. 

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MILAN

Six things to do in Milan in April 2024

As March draws to a close and Italy shakes off the winter gloom once and for all, it’s time to see what Milan has in store for both residents and visitors this April.

Six things to do in Milan in April 2024

April is generally considered one of the best times of the year to be in Milan as the northern city leaves behind the short days, grey skies and cold temperatures of the winter season and enjoys warmer and sunnier conditions while still being a good distance away from the humid heat of the summer months. 

But it’s not just good weather making life in Milan sweeter in April as a host of cultural events and opportunities pick back up all around the city, helping both residents and visitors shake off the winter blues once and for all. 

Run in the Milan marathon

If you’re a competitive runner, you’ll have until Thursday, April 4th to book your spot in the 2024 edition of the Milan marathon, which is set to start at 8.30am on Sunday, April 7th.

But if you’re looking for something a bit easier than a 42-kilometre race across central Milan, three parallel events will take place on the day: a non-competitive relay marathon with profits going to national or international NGOs, a 3-kilometre family run and a dog run, where participants will run alongside their pet friends.

But the Milan marathon won’t be your only chance to work up a sweat this month: there are a number of running routes around town, including a 38-kilometre trail along the Naviglio Martesana canal, that can be fully enjoyed as local weather improves.

Get into a museum for free

Milan opens several museums and cultural sites for free on the first Sunday of every month as part of the popular nationwide Domenica al Museo (or ‘free museum Sundays’) scheme.

‘Free’ sites on Sunday, April 7th will include the world-famous Pinacoteca di Brera gallery and the Last Supper Museum. Note that for some of the most popular venues you may need to book your free visit ahead of time.

Brera, Milan

A view of Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera gallery in April 2023. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

If you’re not going to be in Milan on April 7th, don’t worry: the city has plenty of cultural sites that are completely free to visit all year round, including Palazzo Morando, the Museo delle Culture’s (Mudec) permanent collection and the Risorgimento Museum.

Go to a flea market

Milan is known all over the world for its haute couture stores, but is also a great city to be in if you’re a fan of second-hand and vintage finds. 

There’s a wealth of excellent markets scattered all across the city, with East Market Milano being one of the best in town (you’ll find anything from vintage clothes and furniture to old video games and records).

Other popular markets that are worth checking out are: Tra Noi e Voi near Piazza Repubblica, Il Mercatino di Brera and Dock 41 in Novate, just outside the city.

READ ALSO: How to use Milan’s public transport

You can also expect both sides of Milan’s popular canals (navigli) to be lined with market stalls on the last Sunday of each month, including Sunday, April 28th.

Learn about the latest home design trends at the Milan Furniture Fair 

If you’re short on inspiration on how to decorate your new Italian home or simply like to keep up with the latest home design trends, the Milan Furniture Fair (or Salone del Mobile) – a yearly benchmark event for the international furnishing and design sector – may just be what you’re looking for. 

The exhibition, currently in its 62nd edition, will run from April 16th to April 21st at the Rho Fiera complex, with installations being open to the general public on Saturday, April 20th and Sunday, April 21st.

Milan, Furniture

People visit the stand of Finnish brand Nikari at the Milan Furniture Fair in April 2023. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

This year’s fair will also include a “dreamlike” installation from renowned filmmaker David Lynch. 

Get lost in Milan’s Modern and Contemporary Art Fair

Art enthusiasts will get a chance to see a collection of 20th- and 21st-century masterpieces from up close this month as the 2024 Miart – the annual Milan trade fair for modern and contemporary art – will return to the Allianz-MiCo Center, west of the city centre, from April 12th to April 14th.

This year’s edition will see the participation of some 181 art galleries from as many as 28 countries around the world, with ‘no time no space’ being the underlying theme of the displays.

Info on this year’s artwork and tickets can be found here

Visit one of the local ‘house museums’

Milan is home to a number of precious house museums (or case museo): historic family residences that have been turned into exhibition spaces offering a rare insight into the personal and social lives of their original owners as well as the cultural nuances of their times.

The Necchi-Campiglio Villa, a luxurious 20th-century residence known for its marble art deco features, is a good place to start your tour, especially as its lush magnolia-dotted garden makes for an idyllic place to wind down on a sunny spring day. 

Conveniently, you can visit the Necchi-Campiglio Villa and three other popular house museums (Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano) with a single 25-euro ticket.

Have we missed out your favourite April event? Let us know in the comments below.

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