Where Foodies Go to the Beach in Italy—And It’s Not the Amalfi Coast

There are only a few countries in the world that can rival Italy in terms of food. For centuries, it has been known for its dishes. But there’s much more to the local cuisine than the pizza and pasta. Each Italian region has its own delicious recipes and typical products. The sea is present in most of the regions, so you can always combine eating with relaxing on the beach. While the Amalfi Coast is among the top destinations for first-timers, we explore the wider Italian gastronomic map.

You will discover the tempting seafood dishes of Venice, why the mussels of Taranto are considered best in the world, and how Tropea in Calabria makes jam from its red onions. It will be a mouthwatering journey. Here’s where foodies go to the beach in Italy.

Top food to try – Polenta e Schie (polenta with small gray shrimps)

Seeing the timeless beauty of the canals and architectural gems of Venice is a bucket-list travel experience. What many visitors miss is the coast that lies east of La Serenissima. Stretching for over a hundred miles is the Venetian Riviera, a series of towns with long and shallow sandy stretches. Lido di Jesolo is the most famous, a top choice for Italian families to vacation in the summer. Bibione and Caorle are smaller resorts, with pine tree forests and more Adriatic beaches. The Veneto region has given the world such food masterpieces as tiramisù, prosecco, spritz, and carpaccio, so there are plenty of gastronomic adventures here for foodies.

Polenta, or boiled cornmeal, is a beloved local staple that accompanies many dishes. Taste it with schie, or small local gray shrimps. Other prominent seafood dishes include fegato alla Veneziana (liver with caramelized onions), sarde ao saor (deep-fried sardines with onion marinade), and baccala (whipped salted cod). Lido di Jesolo is the best place for seafood restaurants. 

Top food to try – Caciovacallo Podolico cheese

The Gargano Peninsula is the triumph of Adriatic nature. Located at Italy’s geographical “heel,” it’s an area of tall white monoliths rising from the sea, spectacular cliffside beaches, sapphire-colored waters, and ancient forests. Most importantly, it’s still a hidden gem—you won’t have the crowds of the Amalfi Coast here and enjoy plenty of space on its fine sand beaches. Dramatic Vieste, a coastal town on a cliff with medieval whitewashed houses, is the best place to base yourself to explore Gargano. Its miles-long Spiaggia di Castello is among Italy’s most beautiful stretches and offers golden sands and overlooks the 25-meter Pizzomunno sea stack.

Teardrop-shaped caciocavallo podolico cheese is what you should try in Vieste. It’s made from the milk of the Podolica cows. It tastes exquisitely with paposcia, or local durum wheat bread. Another Gargano speciality is orecchiette (ear-shaped) pasta with broccoli rabe.

Top dish to try – Cipolla rossa di Tropea (Tropea red onion) 

The Coast of the Gods (or Costa degli Dei) is home to some of the most unique foods in Italy. Here, almost every coastal town has a dish that originated there. It’s also home to marvelous, uncrowded beaches that offer a combo of white sands and translucent waters. Apart from its gorgeous sandy stretches, the UNESCO-protected Tropea is known for its red onion (or cipolla rossa). The vegetable’s sweet taste even inspired locals to produce the thick onion jam that you can buy in the Old Town. Pizzo, another historic seaside gem, is the birthplace of tartufo—the irresistible gelato dessert with a generous chocolate filling inside.

Go south to Scilla for a gorgeous pebbly beach alongside the perched medieval quarter with a fortress. It proudly preserves the centuries-old swordfishing by using the traditional feluca boats. You can’t leave Scilla without sampling the pesce spada alla ghiotta (cooked swordfish in a tomato sauce).   

Top dish to try – arancini (deep-fried rice balls)

When it comes to cuisine, Sicily is in its own league. Exploring local food will give you an impression of being in another country. Also, it’s a big island with several distinct coastal areas. In the East, try the unique volcanic wines from the grapes cultivated on the ash-covered land at the foot of Mount Etna. The gorgeous perched town of Taormina is great for tasting granita, or the semi-frozen queen of Sicilian desserts. Catania is famous for its pasta alla Norma (made with eggplant). The vibrant Sicilian capital, Palermo, is the best place to try street food favorites – cannoli (tube-shaped pastry with Ricotta), arancini (Sicilian stuffed rice balls) and pani câ meusa (a spleen sandwich). Indulge in grilled seafood in Trapani and accompany it with the Marsala fortified wine. The coast of Sicily is diverse, offering stunning urban stretches in Cefalu and Mondello, hidden coves in Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro, elegant private beach clubs in Taormina, and remote island escapes in Levanzo. 

Top food to try – focaccia

From the incredible perched towns of Cinque Terre National Park to the chic resorts of the Italian Riviera, the palaces of Genoa and the idyllic bays of Sestri Levante, the Ligurian coast is always awe-inspiring. Food is another reason to visit. Pesto, the iconic basil leaves paste, was born in Genoa. The rugged landscapes of Cinque Terre are home to an ancient tradition of cultivating the Sciacchetrà wine. The beach town of Levanto is known for its gattafin, or fried ravioli. But the most popular dish from Liguria is focaccia, a delicious bread soaked in olive oil. You will find it in focaccerias from Rapallo to San Remo, served plain or filled with cheese, meat, or tomatoes.

Everywhere you go along the coast, you’re met with beautiful beaches. Most of the stretches in Liguria are made of pebbles, with notable exceptions like the divine Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, the ultra-hip Paraggi beach in Portofino, and the gorgeous Monterosso al Mare bay, all of which are sandy. 

Top food to try – bottarga

The beaches of Sardinia are among the planet’s finest. It’s the symphony of soft white sand and blue sea. Su Giudeu, La Pelosa, Porto Giunco, Bèrchida, Cala Luna—the island is a treasure trove of mesmerizing sandy bays. Its food is classic Mediterranean. Hard Pecorino cheese made from Sarda sheep milk is central to the island’s gastronomy. You can have it solo or as a filling for local dishes like culurgionis (Sardinian large ravioli-like pasta) and seada (typical fried pies). Sardinia is blessed with seafood, and foodies will enjoy grilled sea bass, lobster, dogfish (in burrida style), and polpo (octopus).

Try the fregola ai frutti di mare, a pea-like semolina pasta cooked with mixed seafood. Perhaps Sardinia’s most original dish is bottarga—a love-or-hate cured fish roe pouch of flathead mullet. It’s used as an ingredient in local pastas and pizzas. 

Top food to try – Schiaccia Briaca cake

Italy’s underdog island, Elba, is refreshingly free of mass tourism. Third-largest in the country, it surprises you with dramatic mountainous landscapes, numerous pristine coves, ancient vineyards, and postcard-perfect harbors. Administratively, it’s Tuscany. But the distance from the mainland made its culture and gastronomy very Elban. The island’s main pride is the Aleatico red wine. Per local lore, it was the favorite drink of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was exiled here. You can enjoy its sweet taste at wine bars in Portoferraio, or embark on a wine tasting tour around the island. The most famous local dishes are stoccafisso alla riese (Rio-style cooked stockfish with potatoes), gurguglione (a typical vegetable stew), and sburrita (a stockfish stew). Another local staple is Schiaccia Briaca, a delicious Arab-inspired cake with nuts, Alchermes liqueur, and Aleatico wine. 

Top food to try – burrata cheese

The Southern region of Puglia has always been exceptionally good at making cheese. Its capital, the Adriatic seaside port of Bari, is your best getaway to both the magnificent coast and culinary exploration. Puglia is the birthplace of such famous Italian cheeses as scamorza (white cheese from cow’s milk), burrata (creamy buffalo milk cheese), and stracciatella (shredded buffalo milk cheese). Of course, it’s absolutely necessary to try each one, preferably with locally produced orecchiette pasta or focaccia barese (a Bari variety of focaccia flatbread). Do it while discovering the divine beaches of the Adriatic coast. The most famous one is the Lama Monachile, a splendid cove in Polignano al Mare. Another fantastic beach town is Monopoli, famous for its porti, small limestone coves, and grotti, or sea caves. 

Top food to try – cozze alla tarantina (Taranto-style mussles)

You rarely hear about Taranto when Italian coastal destinations are mentioned. While it may not have the striking panoramas of the Amalfi Coast, it’s one of the Italian gastronomic strongholds. Its geographical setting between the Gulf and the enclosed Mar Picollo basin proved to be an ideal breeding ground for mussels. Thus, the cozze alla tarantina, or Taranto-style mussels (cooked or raw), became the most popular local dish. They have a salty, slightly sweet taste and mix very well with Primitivo di Manduria, a Puglia-produced wine. Taranto province is also famous for its Ionian beaches. Campomarino is a popular resort with vast, golden-sand dunes. Spiaggia di San Pietro in Bevagna is perfect for kids, offering shallow waters and a clear sea. Torre Colimena beach is a crescent-shaped bay alongside a pretty historic village.