The number of Italian beaches to be awarded a prestigious 'blue flag' for clean water and pristine sands has risen once again this year, the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) said Wednesday.
Italy now has 104 environmentally top-notch swimming beaches, eight more than last year and 14 more than in 2006.
While 10 beaches that made it onto the 2007 list failed to meet FEE standards this year, a total of 18 new beaches received the international thumbs-up, the association said.
This year Tuscany ws joined at the top of the league by the Marche, with each region boasting 15 awards.
Close on their heels are Liguria, with 14 blue flags, and Abruzzo, with 13.
While last year many southern Italian beaches failed to clinch the coveted symbol because of problems with waste disposal, this year they have had greater success.
''Of the 18 beaches that were not present on the list last year, around 13 come from the south and central regions,'' said Carla Creo of the Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment, which promotes the blue flag programme in Italy.
''It's a result that follows an awareness programme carried out through the course of the year in those regions,'' he said.
Campania earned two more flags this year, bringing its total up to 11, while Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia each earned one additional flag, bringing their totals up to 5, 4, 3 and 2 respectively.
Bottom of the list is Basilicata, which has a small swathe of coastline on the Ionian sea, with one blue flag.
FEE examines thousands of beaches all over Europe every year, demanding that strict environmental criteria be respected before its blue flags can be displayed.
The criteria focus on water quality, environmental information and education, environmental management, safety, cleanliness, provisions for waste and recycling and strict zoning of different beach activities.
''Developing tourism by safeguarding the environment is the challenge that the Blue Flags pose to many tourist districts along our coastline,'' said Claudio Mazza, secretary general of FEE Italy.
''But with the exception of the winning beaches, local councils too often still show poor environmental awareness,'' he warned.
