The Adriatic's Best Beach Clubs. Your Guide to Beach Excellence

by Benedetta Cucci

The beach tour is, for the third year, a half-delight, half-extravagant undertaking undertaken by journalist Andrea Guolo and actress and social media writer Tiziana Di Masi. Starting in Bologna, they cover 9,000 kilometers and visit 300 beach resorts, reaching every corner of Italy where there's a beachfront business. With particularly close ties to Emilia Romagna and Marche, the beach advisor duo's favorite regions, here are the best, along with awards, selected by the "Guide to the Best Beach Clubs in Italy," published by Morellini. "Emilia Romagna," they say, "is well represented in the new edition of the guide with 21 beach resorts. Among these, the highest rating was awarded to MarePineta in Milano Marittima, which also earned the "three umbrellas" rating, the highest in the region, shared with Fantini Club in Cervia and Spiaggia Le Palme in Riccione." They continue: "The high level of service and the refined design of the stations allowed MarePineta to dominate the regional rankings. But in addition to the overall winner, four special prizes were awarded, divided into categories." The restaurant industry's winner, winning the Cà Maiol Award - Best Beach Restaurant 2025, was Marè in Cesenatico, while the San Greg by Feudi di San Gregorio Award for best design went to Spiaggia Le Palme in Riccione, and the Audit People award for quality and sustainability was won by Altamarea in Cattolica. The guide's authors chose Marina Romea as the best location, and the title went to Boca Barranca.

The Marche region also boasts top destinations, according to the authors: in Ancona, there's La Capannina di Portonovo; in Civitanova Marche, there's Cala Maretto and Shada Beach Club. Also, Chalet Bagni Pinè in Cupra Marittima, Bagni 45 Maristella in Gabicce Mare, Seven Beach in Grottammare, and Marino 1958 in Numana. And then there's Senigallia, with three locations: Bagni 77, Bagni Virgilio 46, and Scalo Zero. "As a university student," says Di Masi, here as an experiential consultant, "I would take the regional train, risking an exotic destination, and I would wander from the beaches of Romagna to those of Senigallia, a legendary destination of my twenties. The Marche region is 'that beautiful sea,' not too far for those arriving from Bologna, and it has that unique, trendy, yet slightly rustic atmosphere that I really like. In short, no one here is pretentious." The author, who was named one of Forbes' 100 Italian Women in 2024, loves strolling along the seafront and singing "Una Rotonda sul Mare" because "it always puts me in a great mood: perhaps also due to the excellent cocktails at Bagni 77." Among her various remarks about the region and its surroundings, one exhortation stands out: "My friends from the Marche, where are your typical products, famous throughout Italy? I wouldn't be offended if, for an aperitif on the beach, you occasionally served me a nice cone of Ascoli olives with a cool glass of Verdicchio."