Forno, Elba, Tuscany
The main five beaches on Elba can get suffocatingly packed in high season – including the popular resort of Biodola. However, Forno, set in the bay of Biodola, is far less busy and the main beach is set in a lovely cove, surrounded by villas and dense vegetation.
Levanto, Liguria
Anchoring the westernmost point of the Cinque Terre, the unpretentious small resort of Levanto feels quite cut off by Ligurian standards, but it has a nice sandy beach, which, despite the number of parasols, has a great surfy vibe.
Cefalù, Sicily
Despite being one of Sicily’s busiest international beach resorts, Cefalù has a parallel life as a small-scale fishing port. Naturally, the long, fine curving sands are the major attraction, but Cefalù is a pleasant town and nothing like as developed as Sicily’s other major package resort, Taormina.
