Ten Most Beautiful Beaches in Sicily

Sicily is one of the most popular destinations of the Italian summer. It is often chosen as a destination by many celebrities, including Kate Moss, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Uma Thurman, Princess Caroline of Monaco's daughter Charlotte, bringing paparazzi on the Sicilians shores. It is the ideal region in which to spend extra holidays, thanks to the high temperatures that bless it during the autumn season.

Second only to the Aeolian Islands, which hold a unique charm, here are the most popular mainland beaches. First of all is Marina di Ragusa. Among the best-equipped and most famous seaside resorts of the south-eastern Sicily, it is appreciated for its beaches of fine golden sand.

Not far away is the beach of Punta Secca, a small fishing village that locals call 'a sicca' due to a small formation of rocks in front of the beach.

Between Noto and Ragusa are also Calamosche, a small sandy cove, wedged between two rocky headlands and surrounded by dunes, with transparent waters. The Oasis of Vendicari is one of the wildest places in Sicily and a wildlife and nature reserve since 1984. The sea here is crystal clear.

To the west of the island, not far from Sciacca, is one of the most famous beaches (and there's a reason): Capo Passero. Here the sea is deep, but absolutely wonderful.

In the northwest of the island are concentrated three world-unique beaches: San Vito lo Capo, Scopello and Terrasini. The first two are located in a nature reserve called Lo Zingaro. Here the sand is white and fine and the sea is dotted with rocks. Terrasini, instead, is characterized by red rocks tinged with white.

To find other beaches worthy of note you need to go to the eastern part of Sicily, just below Taormina. The Isola Bella just below the city is one of the most beautiful places in Sicily. A two-kilometer long oasis with white sand and lush vegetation. It can be reached walking with low tide or by boat with high tides.

Its in front of the Aeolian Islands, in the province of Messina, that you can find one of the most popular holiday destinations: Capo d'Orlando. The beach is 8 kilometers long, and on the west coast one can enjoy a fiery red sunsets, while to the east you can admire the sunrise.

Finally, near Tindari there is Laghetti di Marinello, a fine white sand beach, characterized by the formation of some marine lakes, from which it takes its name. This beautiful coastal lagoon is a regional nature reserve.

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Sardinia and The Fantastic Beach of Orri

Italy has some of the most wonderful beaches in the Mediterranean and the world. And Sardinia has some of the most wonderful beaches of Italy. Therefore you can trust that your holiday in Italy will bring you to the most prized seaside localities with the best shores you have ever dreamed of. Orri is one if these beaches.

Set on the side of Sardinia that looks Italy, it can be found on the southern coast of Arbatax, from where it is about 8 km, while from Tortolì it is just 2 Km away.

Getting there
Go from Olbia to Siniscola through the SP125 or the new expressway to Nuoro and follow the indications for Lanusei and Tortoli. At the junction turn right towards the Lido Orrì and follow the road for a couple of miles along the beach.

The Beach
It is a famous and enchanting place. It is rich of many inlets each leading to delicious deserted beaches. Orrì is considered one of the most beautiful and cleanest beaches in Sardinia. The beach is very long and wide, nearly 16 km of coastline, characterized by fine white sand and shallow waters for about three hundred meters from the shore and a light blue color. The beach has a sandy bottom with white rocks polished by the time that can be found both on the beach and submerged by the water. The water has a characteristic iridescent blue color due to the sun light reflecting on the sea bottom.

Services
This is the usual meeting point for holidays in Ogliastra, and today this is the crown jewel of the town of Tortoli. The services are numerous and of any kind, from various rentals, kiosks, bars, street vending, and games for children. During lively summer evenings on the road that runs along the main beach there are street vendors, music and various entertainments. A visit to this beach is not to be missed!

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Salento, The Heart of Apulia (Puglia)

Prehistoric monuments as a Dolmen and Menhir testify a thousand years of history. The natural environment is as diverse as it is beautiful, the green countryside and bare hills are covered with wheat, tobacco crops and olive groves, while the sea is the highlight of it all. The coast is high, rocky, rugged, dotted with caves and bays, while waters are rich in flora and fauna. All this is Salento. Perhaps most important of all is the story of its people who overcome famines and persistent poverty and now can offer their land to tourists with love and kindness.

The Territory
Once the Salento peninsula included the territory occupied by the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, but today this term has been used to include the geographical area of ​​Lecce, which is much smaller. The Salento stretches from the so-called "Messapian threshold" between Casalabate, north of Lecce, and Punta Prosciutto, north-west of Porto Cesareo, goes down to the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca, and is limited by 220 kilometers of coastline overlooking the Adriatic and lonio Seas.

The Heart of Salento
Like any land, Salento has a heart, which is called Salento Greece. Its sunny villages, the dialect rich of Hellenic words, the spirit and tradition characterize this area.
Palmieri, Castrigiano of the Greeks, Corigliano d'Otranto, Lecce, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia and Zollino are a world apart, or rather what remains of a larger area known as the ancient Land of Otranto. This area was made Greek starting from the sixth century. It remained impenetrable to Latinization up to the eleventh century. The priests of this area continued to celebrate their Greek Orthodox rites up until the first half of the seventeenth century.

Suggested Tour
Take two or three days to dedicate to this part of Salento. The small villages made of white houses and beautiful sunny countryside open lands invite you to get lost in them while eavesdropping the so-called Griko dialect.
Then you can enjoy the Greek roots at the table with typical dishes of Greek derivation with Mediterranean aftertaste.
This is the most unexpected corner of Italy's heel. It's exotic and archaic character forces time to flow more slowly than elsewhere. The tour winds from Calimera to Soleto and you can travel it by car stopping every few kilometers at one interesting town or site.

The Climate
The climate of Salento is typically Mediterranean. Obviously a result of the mitigating effect of the sea, the peninsula provides exceptionally long summers, dry and sunny days overall for and average of 2600 hours of sunshine per year. The colder weather is mild and brief, and is felt differently depending on the area you are in, as there are several micro-climatic zones. The high Adriatic coast, between Otranto and Leuca, receives more rain than the one on the Ionian coast up to Gallipoli, where warm winds from North Africa prevail. The area north of Otranto receives Balkan influences that determine slightly lower temperatures.

Villas and Farmhouses
The Lecce Baroque period saw its prelude with cities being reborn, large countryside farms being built, bishops and local aristocrats promoting local building activity, church and castle artworks being produced in Castro, Cupertino, Gallipoli and Otranto. In the seventeenth century architects and master builders transformed urban spaces and created new sceneries where to place squares, churches and palaces.
The Baroque of Lecce is still elegantly shaping the capital and cities such as Alessi, Cupertino, Gallipoli, Leverano, Minervino, Morciano di Leuca, Muro Leccese and Presicce. Elegance and imagination remained during the following centuries, as many homes in Liberty style in Santa Cesarea Terme and Marina di Leuca testify. Moorish villas reaffirm the memory of the link with Middle East.

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Sardinia Beaches near Nuoro

The coastal area of Ogliastra is located in the central-eastern part of Sardinia in the province of Nuoro. Departing from Olbia you can reach it driving along the scenic ss125 ss131 or the highway to Nuoro, built in 1997. Other access points are Tortoli airport, which connects the island to the main seasonally national and European airports, and the port of Arbatax.
To the north of this area is the magnificent Sisine Coast, which with its nearly two thousand feet of cliffs is considered the highest in the Mediterranean. Impressive cliffs of bare stone suddenly appear, covered with luxuriant vegetation. Hidden and mysterious fractures and cracks in the coast are frequently populated by twisted, ancient junipers.

The limestone cliffs continue up to Capo di Monte Santu, which closes to the south the Gulf of Orosei. A limestone section leading south starts here and slowly changes into splendid red porphyry, reaching its maximum charm with the famous Red Cliffs, unique in the world, next to the port of Arbatax.

Along all this stretch of coast the landscape is ever changing. Always different and unique charming beaches display granite and porphyry shapes of a special beauty. The peaceful surroundings, crystal clear sea water and sand of magnificent colors are the accents that will make you fall in love with the beaches of Sardinia.

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