Italy is rich in everything, both history and modern time can offer: literature, music, architecture, fashion, sports, events and famous people. One of the best way to explore the country is through it’s coastal towns. They are the perfect combination of nature, sea, people and the Mediterranean architecture. Here is our list of Italy’s most beautiful coastal towns.

Camogli

Camogli is a typical, Italian romantic seaside village with a view on the Gulf of Paradise, on the Italian Rivera di Levante, in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera.  It’s full with wonderful small restaurants, Italian coffee shops and narrow streets with flowers. In the medieval ages, Camogli was a very important seaport, but later it became a fishing village, where the local Italians try to avoid the touristic crowds.

Portofino

The Italian town of Portofino is considered as one of the most beautiful European ports to sail into. Resort is famous for its picturesque harbour, colorful buildings, a stunning turquoise sea and has historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It also has a number of excellent hotels like the Hotel Splendido and the Grand Hotel Miramare, and offers great shopping experience for the visitors.

Manarola

Manarola is a small town in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is the second smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns highly frequented by tourists from all around the world. It is one of the oldest towns in the region having church with cornerstone from 14th century and is well known for it’s local wine, called Sciacchetrà.

Sorrento

Sorrento is a very old coastal town in southwestern Italy, facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrentine Peninsula. It has origins from the Roman era. Perched atop cliffs that separate the town from its beautiful marinas, it’s known for sweeping views and Piazza Tasso, a cafe-lined square. The historic center is a warren of narrow alleys that includes the Chiesa di San Francesco, a 14th-century church with a tranquil cloister. When you visit Sorrento, make sure to not leave without trying famous limoncello, which is produced exactly here.

Capri

The Province of Naples can be proud of the island Capri. It’s located in the Campania region in Italy, surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea. As the rest of the coastal towns, Capri Town also has it’s own magical sparks. When you are visiting this place, make sure to visit the sea cave known as Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto), a dark cavern where the sea glows electric blue, as the result of sunlight passing through an underwater cave. Capri is also known for its rugged landscape, upscale beach resorts and high-end shops selling handmade leather sandals and signature limoncello liqueur.

Ponza

Ponza is a truly gorgeous island in the Tyrrhenian Sea shaped like a crescent moon. It is the largest island of the Italian Pontine Archipelago, in the Lazio region. Here you will find amazing blue coastline, rocky coves, sandy beaches and numerous grottos and caves. The island has clear and limpid waters and is ideal for sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.

Positano

Positano is a cliffside village and comune on southern Italy‘s Amalfi Coast. It’s a famous holiday destination with picturesque harbor, a Moorish-style architecture, a pebble beachfront and steep, narrow streets lined with boutiques, restaurants and cafes. This charming village started to get attention after famous writer John Steinbeck wrote an essay about how wonderful this fishing village is. Today is frequented by celebrities like Denzel Washington, Mick Jagger, Sting, Rod Stewart and Tom Cruise.

Praiano

Praiano is a town and comune of the province of Salerno in the Campania region, in southwest Italy. It is situated on the Amalfi Coast, a prime tourist location for the region and Italy alike, between the towns of Amalfi and Positano. Praiano has a number of beaches, including the only beach on the Amalfi Coast to enjoy the sun until it sets. The nearby village of Furore, famous for its fiord, hosts a spectacular diving competition, each summer.

Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea. Unlike many other Italian coastal towns, Polignano a Mare isn’t very colorful, but rather in plain, white colors. The town is built on the edge of a craggy ravine pockmarked with caves. It is thought to be one of the most important ancient settlements in Puglia and was later inhabited by successive invaders ranging from the Huns to the Normans.

La Maddalena

La Maddalena is an island archipelago off the coast of Sardinia, Italy. The archipelago consists of seven main islands and numerous small islands, islets and rocks. La Maddalena attracts with the beautiful unspoiled beaches, crystal clear turquoise blue sea and is the final home of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, on the island of Caprera.

Ravello

Ravello is a town situated above the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno, Campania, southern Italy. French author Andre Gide wrote about Ravello that it’s “closer to the sky than the sea,” and he’s right. The town is renowned for Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, two romantic gardens offering spectacular views of the water.

Ischia

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Italian Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 kilometres from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. It is the island of regeneration, energies, beauty and history. One of Ischia’s most famous characteristics is its unusual geological composition with thermal activity raging beneath the surface of the island, thus creating a series of natural phenomena such as naturally heated thermal water and fumaroles. 

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