I’m lying on a yellow sunlounger shaded by a striped umbrella flapping in the breeze. On one side of me, a group of friends is gossiping loudly, to the other, a woman is chopping salami and distributing it to a gaggle of children. Tormentoni – Italian pop hits that are played incessantly – drift over from a bar, and someone on a megaphone announces that the “baby dance”, a disco for kids, is about to start.
With turbid water, regimented miles of sunloungers and uninteresting coastal geology, this portion of the Emilia-Romagna coastline can’t rival the spectacular seasides in southern Italy. Yet, the seven Lidi Ferraresi, or Ferraresi beaches, a couple of hours’ drive south of Venice, draw thousands of returning Italian beachgoers each year.
As chain resorts and ultra-luxury hotels take over the Puglian and Tuscan coasts, the Lidi Ferraresi offer an unpretentious and distinctly Italian summer escape.
Shorts
Although beach costs are rising up and down the Boot, this area remains one of the most affordable. Renting two sunbeds and an umbrella for the day costs around €25. B&Bs and rental apartments near the sea start from €100 a night in August.
