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The limestone spire and clear turquoise water of Cala Goloritze in Sardinia
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The 30 best beaches in Italy

I read a beach by its water and its shore: the clarity, the grade of the sand, the seagrass and reef, the entry and the shade. Here are the thirty best in Italy, ranked on what the sea actually does, from the glass shallows of Lampedusa to the limestone coves of Sardinia, with the honest verdict on each.
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Beaches mapped
Sardinia
Clearest water
Honest
Verdicts
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Photo: Carlos Alberto do Amaral via Google
Published 15 January 2026. Last reviewed 7 April 2026

The verdict

  • Who it is for. Swimmers and snorkelers choosing where to base themselves in Italy for clear sea, clean sand and a living shore, not just a famous name.
  • The pick. Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa for the clearest water in the country, with Cala Goloritze and Cala Mariolu in Sardinia just behind.
  • The one thing to know. The most famous beach is rarely the best swim. Positano photographs beautifully but the water is grey pebble and boat churned; for clarity go to Sardinia, Lampedusa or the Salento coves instead.
The brief

Why these made the list

I rank a beach by what the sea does, not by how it photographs. Water clarity comes first, then the grade of the sand or pebble, the seagrass and reef that keep a bay clean and alive, the ease of the entry, the shade, and how the tide and swell behave. Judged that way, Sardinia and the small protected islands rise to the top of Italy, and several celebrated mainland names slip down the page.

The candidates are drawn from across the Amalfi Coast, Sardinia, Sicily and Puglia, and every beach below has its own full guide. Where a headline beach is more scene than swim I say so and point you one cove along, because the honest verdict is the whole point of a list like this.

The ranking

The best of Italy, in order

Thirty beaches ranked on water, sand and shore, each with the reason it sits where it does and the one thing to know before you go.

1
Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Carlos Alberto do Amaral via Google
Lampedusa, Sicily

Spiaggia dei Conigli

Rabbit Beach reads the light like no other water in Italy, a shallow pour of glass over fine white sand on an island that sits closer to Africa than to Sicily. It is a protected reserve where loggerhead turtles still come ashore to nest, so the shore is alive as well as clear, and the gentle wade in suits everyone. It takes the top spot because the swimming and the living seabed are both extraordinary, where most rivals give you only one or the other.

Glass clearTurtle nestingShallow wade
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2
Cala Goloritze in Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Carlos Alberto do Amaral via Google
Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia

Cala Goloritze

A limestone spire rises over water of total transparency, reached only on foot down a long gorge or by boat, with numbers capped to keep it pristine. The clarity is the finest on the island, but the entry is pale pebble and rock into a cooler, deeper plunge, and there is almost no shade. It sits just behind Conigli because the swim, sublime as it is, asks more of you than a warm shallow wade does.

Limestone spireCappedHike or boat
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3
Cala Mariolu in Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: matthias chevrier via Google
Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia

Cala Mariolu

White pebbles the locals call ciottoli sit under bands of turquoise that deepen to ink where the floor drops away close to shore, which is what gives Mariolu its painted look. The snorkelling along the flanking rock is among the best in Sardinia, with bream and wrasse working the clear water. It edges its Orosei neighbours on colour, losing only to Goloritze for sheer drama.

Colour bandsSnorkel rockBoat or hike
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4
La Pelosa in Stintino, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Konrad Gałczyński via Google
Stintino, Sardinia

La Pelosa

For once the Caribbean comparison is fair: white sand and water so shallow and clear you can wade a hundred metres with the Asinara tower ahead of you. Seagrass meadows offshore keep the bay filtering itself clean, and the seabed is pure pale sand. The catch is its fame, with capped numbers, a fee and a mat rule to protect the sand, so it suits waders and families who arrive early rather than anyone chasing depth.

Shallow wadeSeagrassCapped
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5
Cala Luna in Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Tomas Gregor via Google
Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia

Cala Luna

A wide crescent under the Orosei cliffs with caves at the back and a freshwater seep that cools the shallows, reached by boat from Cala Gonone or a long coastal walk. The water runs deep and clear off a mix of sand and pebble, better for a proper swim than a paddle. It trails Pelosa on easy wading but beats it for raw setting.

Sea cavesDeep clearBoat or walk
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6
Cala Brandinchi in San Teodoro, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Davide Malinverno via Google
San Teodoro, Sardinia

Cala Brandinchi

Nicknamed Little Tahiti for its flat turquoise shallows over white sand, backed by pines that hand you real shade, which the Orosei coves cannot. The water is warm, calm and forgiving, a true family bay. It gives up a little on pure clarity to the wild gulf beaches but wins back comfort and shelter.

Little TahitiPine shadeCalm shallows
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7
Tuerredda in Teulada, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Pierre Micallef-Grimaud via Google
Teulada, Sardinia

Tuerredda

A near enclosed bay of fine pale sand with a small islet you can swim out to over clear turquoise, on Sardinia's quieter south coast. Numbers are capped in high summer, which keeps the water and sand in good order. Easy, sheltered swimming with a goal to aim for makes it a favourite.

Islet swimCappedSheltered
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8
Calamosche in Vendicari, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Antonino Coraci via Google
Vendicari, Sicily

Calamosche

A sheltered cove tucked inside the Vendicari reserve, reached on a walk of about fifteen minutes that filters out the casual crowd. Clear water sits between two rock headlands with good snorkelling along them, and there is no development to muddy it. It is the cleanest swimming water on the Sicilian mainland.

Reserve coveSnorkelWalk in
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9
Baia dei Turchi in Otranto, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Paolo Fant via Google
Otranto, Puglia

Baia dei Turchi

The clearest water in Salento, backed by a protected pine and oak wood and reached down a path rather than a road. Sand gives onto shallow transparent Adriatic water, and the lack of a big lido keeps it honest. It rewards the short walk with the cleanest sea on this coast.

Clearest SalentoPine woodPath in
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10
Spiaggia del Principe in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Alessandro Loja via Google
Costa Smeralda, Sardinia

Spiaggia del Principe

The prince's beach earns its name with pink tinged sand and granite coves holding classic Smeralda water, undeveloped and lovely. It is also busy and serviceless, a scene as much as a swim, with no shade and a scramble to reach it. Beautiful, but it sits here because the wilder coves simply swim better.

Pink sandGraniteNo facilities
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11
Su Giudeu in Chia, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: mirko curridori via Google
Chia, Sardinia

Su Giudeu

Shallow clear water and a wadeable islet front a sweep of dune and juniper on the Chia coast, with flamingos working the pond behind. The seabed is clean pale sand and the entry is gentle and warm. Easy swimming in a wild looking setting keeps it high.

Wadeable isletDunesFlamingos
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12
Punta Prosciutto in Porto Cesareo, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Lorenzo Terreni via Google
Porto Cesareo, Puglia

Punta Prosciutto

Long dune backed white sand runs into shallow clear Ionian water inside a marine protected area, the Salento at its most convincingly tropical. Walk away from the lidos at either end and the crowd thins fast. Genuinely clean water and soft sand put it ahead of the busier Salento names.

Marine reserveDune sandShallow
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13
Porto Giunco in Villasimius, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Renata Mancini via Google
Villasimius, Sardinia

Porto Giunco

A white sand spit divides the sea from the Notteri lagoon and its flamingos, with the Capo Carbonara marine reserve just offshore. The water is shallow, clear and warm, with snorkelling around the rocks at the headland. A reserve setting and easy water make it one of the south's best.

Sand spitMarine reserveFlamingos
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14
San Vito lo Capo in Trapani, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Fabio Inghilleri via Google
Trapani, Sicily

San Vito lo Capo

A broad bay of white sand under the sheer Monte Monaco crag, with shallow warm water that stays clear despite a busy town beach. Facilities are good and the entry is gentle, which makes it a strong family choice. It ranks for the water quality, not for solitude.

White sandMountain backdropFamily
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15
Is Arutas in Sinis, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Laura Bettiol via Google
Sinis, Sardinia

Is Arutas

Instead of sand the shore is quartz grains like grains of rice, on a wild Sinis peninsula beach with clear but more open Atlantic feeling water. There is real swell and a cooler edge here, and you must take none of the quartz, which is protected. Singular and beautiful, if less of a easy swim than the sheltered bays.

Quartz grainsExposedProtected
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16
Porto Selvaggio in Nardo, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Aladino via Google
Nardo, Puglia

Porto Selvaggio

Pine cliffs drop to a bay fed by cold freshwater springs that keep it clear and bracing, reached on a walk through a protected park. The entry is rock into deep clean water, so it favours swimmers over waders. The effort and the cool clarity are exactly the point.

Spring fedPine cliffsRocky entry
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17
Marina di Pescoluse in Salento, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Csaba Biro via Google
Salento, Puglia

Marina di Pescoluse

The Maldives of Salento is a marketing line, but the shallow white sand and turquoise water under it are real. The nickname has also made it crowded and heavily lidoed in summer, so the honest move is to come early or out of season. If it is packed, Punta Prosciutto up the coast gives you the same water with more room.

Shallow turquoiseBusyGo early
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18
Isola Bella in Taormina, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Mariusz via Google
Taormina, Sicily

Isola Bella

A tiny island in a marine reserve below Taormina, ringed by pebble and the best snorkelling on Sicily's east coast around its rocks. The setting and the underwater life carry it, since the pebble entry is less inviting than sand. Come for the mask and fins more than the towel.

Marine reserveSnorkelPebble
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19
Piscinas in Costa Verde, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Spiaggia di Piscinas via Google
Costa Verde, Sardinia

Piscinas

Towering desert dunes back a wild open beach on the Costa Verde, with clear but exposed water that carries real swell and, at times, current. This is beauty and solitude rather than a calm dip, a place to walk and watch the sea work. It ranks for its singular landscape, with respect for the conditions.

Desert dunesExposedWild
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20
La Cinta in San Teodoro, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Anita Sloot via Google
San Teodoro, Sardinia

La Cinta

A long sandbar with a flamingo lagoon behind it and shallow clear water in front, with room to walk well clear of the crowds. Wind funnels through here, which the kitesurfers love and the still water swimmer may not. Space and clean shallows make it a reliable day.

SandbarLagoonBreezy
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21
Fiordo di Furore in Amalfi Coast with clear water and sandPhoto: walid chettouh via Google
Amalfi Coast

Fiordo di Furore

A slot of beach wedged in a flooded gorge under the famous bridge, dramatic and tiny, with deep clear water in the cleft. It is more a marvel to stand in than a beach to spread out on, and it loses the sun early. Go for the spectacle and an early swim before the shadow falls.

FjordDeep waterTiny
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22
Vendicari in Noto, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Riserva naturale orientata Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari via Google
Noto, Sicily

Vendicari

The wild reserve beaches around the Vendicari salt pans, from Marianelli to Eloro, give you clean water, birdlife and almost no development. Shade and facilities are scarce, so this is for the naturalist over the sunbed seeker. It earns its place on water and wildness, not comfort.

Nature reserveBirdlifeWild
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23
Santa Croce in Amalfi Coast with clear water and sandPhoto: francesco di perna via Google
Amalfi Coast

Santa Croce

The clearest water on the Amalfi Coast proper, reached by boat or a long stair from Amalfi, deep blue over pebble with a rock arch you can swim through. There is no sand and the access is work, but the swim itself is the best on this coast. Come by boat in the morning before the light leaves the cove.

Clearest AmalfiSwim archBoat or stairs
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24
Torre dell'Orso in Melendugno, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Marcello Firrincieli via Google
Melendugno, Puglia

Torre dell'Orso

A horseshoe of fine sand between low pine cliffs, with the Due Sorelle sea stacks offshore and clear shallow Adriatic water. The entry is gentle and the bay is sheltered, which makes it a steady family beach. It fills in August, so the shoulder months suit it best.

Sea stacksFine sandSheltered
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25
Cefalu in Palermo, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Cuadros J.A. via Google
Palermo, Sicily

Cefalu

A rare town beach with genuinely good water, golden sand under a Norman cathedral and the great headland rock. The shallows are warm and clear early in the day before the crowds and the lidos take over. Charming and easy, if never quiet in season.

Town beachGolden sandWarm shallows
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26
Lu Impostu in San Teodoro, Sardinia with clear water and sandPhoto: Melanie Horváth via Google
San Teodoro, Sardinia

Lu Impostu

Brandinchi's quieter neighbour, with the same flat turquoise shallows over white sand, pines for shade and a lagoon behind. The water is calm and warm and barely deepens for a long way out, which small children love. A touch lower only because its more famous twin draws the eye first.

Flat shallowsPine shadeCalm
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27
Fontane Bianche in Syracuse, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Antonino Coraci via Google
Syracuse, Sicily

Fontane Bianche

White sands and pale shallow water near Syracuse earn the name, a clear and easy bay with plenty of facilities. It is lively and heavily lidoed rather than wild, so come for comfort and good water, not for seclusion. The clarity is real even if the scene is busy.

White sandShallowLidos
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28
Lama Monachile in Polignano a Mare, Puglia with clear water and sandPhoto: Antonio Schiavo via Google
Polignano a Mare, Puglia

Lama Monachile

The postcard cove between cliffs under Polignano's old town, and more a photograph than a beach. It is a small pebble inlet, dramatic and packed in summer, with deep clear water for those who can find a perch. Come for the cliff and the dive scene, but for a real swim go to Baia dei Turchi up the coast.

Cliff covePebbleCrowded
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29
Mondello in Palermo, Sicily with clear water and sandPhoto: Eric Jeanluca via Google
Palermo, Sicily

Mondello

Palermo's elegant city beach, with an art nouveau bathing house and shallow warm water in a bay sheltered by two headlands. It is clear and lovely first thing, then urban, lidoed and busy by midday. A fine swim if you treat it as a morning beach.

City beachSheltered bayMorning swim
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30
Spiaggia Grande in Positano, Amalfi Coast with clear water and sandPhoto: Oriol De Batlle via Google
Positano, Amalfi Coast

Spiaggia Grande

The icon, and the most overrated beach in Italy. The sand is grey pebble, the water is churned all day by a constant flotilla of day boats and tenders, and most of it is paid loungers, with the view back up to Positano doing the real work. It is stunning to look at and ordinary to swim. For the water, take a boat to Santa Croce or walk to Fornillo next door for a calmer dip.

Grey pebbleBoat churnedOverrated
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Honest notes

How to read the ranking

Two things decide whether any of these beaches lives up to itself: the hour and the season. The clearest coves are still and luminous for the first hour after access opens, then fill with day boats and swimmers who stir the shallows by late morning. At almost every beach here, arriving early is the single best decision you can make.

Water quality is the great leveller, which is why a plain looking bay with a clean sand floor can outrank a dramatic pebble cove that the boats have churned. It is also why the protected beaches, from La Pelosa to Cala Goloritze, hold their clarity: capped numbers, mat rules and reserve status keep the seagrass and the seabed in good order. Tread lightly, take no quartz or sand, and the list stays this good.

Where you want a daybed and proper service rather than a towel on the sand, the Amalfi Coast beach clubs, Sardinia beach clubs, Sicily beach clubs and Puglia beach clubs directories list who is open and where to book.

Questions, answered

Common questions

What is the best beach in Italy?

For pure water and a living shore, Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa, with the Gulf of Orosei coves in Sardinia close behind. For sheer drama, Cala Goloritze is hard to beat. The best one depends on whether you want a warm shallow wade or a clear deep plunge under cliffs.

Which Italian beaches have the clearest water?

The clearest water sits in three places: the Gulf of Orosei coves in Sardinia such as Goloritze and Mariolu, Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa, and Baia dei Turchi in Salento. All three stay clear because they are protected and largely undeveloped.

Which famous Italian beaches are overrated?

Spiaggia Grande in Positano is the clearest case, a grey pebble beach churned by day boats where the view does the work. Lama Monachile in Polignano is more a photograph than a swim. For real water go to Santa Croce on the Amalfi Coast or Baia dei Turchi in Puglia instead.

Where are the best beaches in Italy for families?

Look for shallow, calm, sheltered water with shade. Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu in Sardinia, San Vito lo Capo in Sicily, and Punta Prosciutto in Puglia all give you warm shallows you can wade for a long way, and most have pines or facilities nearby.

When is the best time to visit Italy's beaches?

June and September give you warm sea, clear water and far fewer crowds than peak August. Arrive early in the day for the calmest, cleanest water, and remember that capped beaches such as La Pelosa, Cala Goloritze and Tuerredda are worth booking ahead in summer.

Do I need to book or pay to visit these beaches?

Most are free to walk onto, though many have paid lidos for loungers. A handful cap numbers or charge to protect the sand, including La Pelosa, Cala Goloritze, Tuerredda and Cala Mariolu, and some Orosei coves are reached only by boat. Confirm any permit, fee or boat before you travel.

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