Discovering Italians' favourite top destinations

Summer 2024, which are the top and family-friendly destinations? Young people, the under-25 holiday tribe, where will they find themselves? Which locations rise and fall in holidaymakers' preferences? Are there any new entries? Italy with just over 7,900 kilometres of coastline offers thousands of beaches, but which ones make it into the top 20? Which regions have the best beach destinations? The answers come from the 'Jfc Italian Observatory of Beach Destinations' which asked Italians to indicate which they think are the best destinations for their next holiday.

The first two steps of the podium in the general classification do not reserve any particular surprises and go to Rimini followed by Jesolo. In both cases, we can speak of "successes" built with decades of work, territorial marketing activities and many heterogeneous offers with "services" and entertainment for all generations and all budgets. An offer that has been enriched and where the 'beach, sun and sea' formula has been progressively enriched with cultural, food and wine, outdoor events, sports activities or, more simply, with cycle paths, trekking routes, museums that tell the history of the territory. A territory protagonist of historical events: last week Romagna was the backdrop for the first two stages of the Tour de France, which arrived in Rimini and departed from Cesenatico. The Tour is the third most-watched sports event in the world, after the Olympics and the World Cup, and reaches 150 million viewers in Europe. This is also how the fusion between the coast and the hinterland is realised, and it is also the best opportunity to promote the deseasonalisation of tourist flows.

In third place is San Vito Lo Capo, in Sicily, and it is the new entry that takes the highest position in the top 20. Other new entries are Tropea, Monopoli and Porto Cervo, the 'capital' of the Costa Smeralda. More enchanting beaches with San Teodoro, in Gallura, in 16th place ahead of Porto Cesareo and Roseto degli Abruzzi. Villasimius gains 4 positions while Cervia-Milano Marittima slips from 3rd to 7th place. The other destinations in the ranking do not reserve any particular surprises except for Polignano a Mare, which is down this year.

Holiday is also escape to relaxation after a year's work, and a large proportion of Italians are looking precisely for relaxation. The ranking of the most relaxing resorts sees three destinations in Sardinia on the podium: Orosei, Villasimius and Budoni. Monopoli is also in fourth place and western Liguria with Varazze, Alassio and Spotorno. In all cases, it seems that the islands are considered the best destinations for unplugging, with Elba, Ponza, Favignana and the Aeolian archipelago being at the top of the list. In the ranking of green resorts, on the other hand, San Vito Lo Capo, Alghero and Pula stand out. The former climbs a good 13 positions and offers the Zingaro Nature Reserve, considered one of the most beautiful spots on the island. Alghero follows thanks to beaches reminiscent of those in the Caribbean, with white sand, turquoise waters and Mediterranean maquis, and the new entry Santa Margherita di Pula, in southern Sardinia. The other islands also do very well. In fourth place is the island of Elba followed by Lampedusa and in eighth place is the island of Giglio, while in the second half of the ranking is the island of Capraia. Sirolo, the pearl of the Conero Riviera, also did well. Small villages such as Sperlonga, Avola and Sirolo are popular and in the lower part of the ranking are the island of Capraia, Stintino and historical beaches such as those of Cervia - Milano Marittima, Forte dei Marmi, Jesolo and Riccione.

When it comes time to choose where to spend the week's holiday, families with children have few doubts and only one certainty: the Adriatic Riviera, which stands out thanks to hundreds of kilometres of sandy beaches. Two are the established capitals: Rimini and Cattolica, while Alba Adriatica gains 8 positions compared to 2023. At the top of the ranking many other resorts overlooking the Adriatic from Jesolo to Lignano Sabbiadoro, from Senigallia to Cesenatico. Since the early 1930s, this has been the Riviera chosen by millions of families from all over Italy and then from all over Europe with, in recent years, arrivals thanks to low-cost airlines and charters from former Soviet bloc countries. The ranking ends with Santa Teresa di Gallura, San Vito Lo Capo, Capo d'Orlando and the Ligurian Spotorno. The kids are growing up but Generation Z in search of fun and movita remains more or less tied to the same locations because fun is at home in Rimini, Riccione, Gallipoli, the jewel of the Salento and Jesolo. The Calabrian Tropea, two Sardinian resorts - San Teodoro and Alghero - and a Sicilian destination also stand out. San Vito Lo Capo. More than to spend holidays here people go for fun just like in the archipelagos of Greece and the Spanish islands. In other words, they are fashionable. Gallipoli is the fashionable resort for summer 2024 and knocks Riccione off the top step. Porto Cervo follows, climbing 6 positions while Riccione is bronze medal. Polignano a Mare gains 8 positions and in the medium-high part of the ranking there is Rimini followed by Cervia-Milano Marittima, Jesolo, Forte deiMarmi and Porto Rotondo.