9522 Blue flags and Italian beaches

I've just been reading the article about Italian beaches on the home page. Every year the blue flag list is full of surprises. This year Tuscany has come out tops. If I remember right last year Tuscany got lots of thumbs downs. I can't see what could have changed in a year. Sicily only has one or two flags which is a big surprise. I was always told that the beaches got better the further south you went. I don't understand this list at all and I can't help thinking it's all business and not much else. What do you think?

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 08:01

I agree with you. It seems to get shared around from year to year, with some of the best beaches often never being mentioned.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 08:25

Poor old Basilicata coming bottom....except they haven't mentoned Umbria which gets nul points! :nah:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 10:16

Well Charles no wonder landlocked Umbria gets no Blue Flags...have you tried the beach areas around Lago Trasimeno??? You are likely to turn blue when entering the water for a start.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 10:36

We've also added a Google Map with all the Blue Flag beaches:

[url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/travel/guide-italys-blue-flag-beaches]Map Guide to the Italy's Blue Flag Beaches | Italy Magazine[/url]
I agree with the comments above that some of the best ones are left out. This is because some of best spots are also places where no one goes. I mean no restaurants, no sedia + ombrellino, no water sports and no lifeguards. Since a Blue Flag also takes into account the support in place at a seaside location these places are automatically excluded.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 11:06

With the greatest respect to Ronald, on our visit to Sicily last year we were constantly amazed by the natural and historic beauty but in equal measures appalled by the Sicilians lack of care for their environment. Wonderful people, etc. but there does not appear to be any sense of care or respect for anything outside the family. I may be generalising but in 3 weeks, and despite desperate attempts to be proved wrong, we came away from Sicily with a feeling of sadness for what was being abused and not joy at what was there and this included the coastline, the beaches and the hinterland.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:55

[quote=Noble;89218]Well Charles no wonder landlocked Umbria gets no Blue Flags...have you tried the beach areas around Lago Trasimeno??? You are likely to turn blue when entering the water for a start.[/quote]
Don't know when you've been in Lago Trasimeno, but when I was there in September it was like swimming in a warm bath.

I mean, what's the average depth of the lake? Something like two meters?

Al

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 09:52

Aretina - you are generalising! Did you go to the Vendicari? Pozzallo? Maganuco? Sampieri? Eloro? we have 150km of superb coastline in the se of Sicily and the beaches - whether sandy or rocky are beautiful. Whether the comunes have enough money to send the tractors along to clean them up mid season is another question!