Figure 1.--Here we see a beach resort near Genoa in 1913. I'm not sure what the buildings in the background are. Some are probably still there. The boys look to have just rolled up their pants legs rather than wearing swimsuits.

Surely Italy as a narrow peninsula must have more resorts than any other country, at least in proportion to population. And beaches with nice warm water. We do not know when beach resorts first began to appear in modern Italy. We do see some beach scenes in the early 20th century. There appear to have been quite a number of popular beach resorts. The best known or in the north along the Italian Riviera. One such resort was Rimini, today one of the best-known seaside resort on the eastern cost of Italy. We also notice resorts near Genoa. We know less about Adriatic resorts. Some of the available images show a range of activities at the various resorts. We know very little about the individual resorts at this time. Hopefully our Italian readers will be able to tell us something about the various resorts. They have a different look than the American and English resorts we have noted.

Genoa

We also notice resorts near Genoa. These resorts had the advantage of a large city nearby. The photograp here shows a beach, but without any nearby prominade. I am not sure just what the buildings in the background zare.

Grottammare

This photo was taken in 1919 at Grottammare Beach, close to Ascoli Piceno, on the eastern Adriatic coast of central Italy. It shows a large family group centered on the patriarch. The adults and many children are on the beach fully clothed, I asume meaning that they wereb not going swimming--at least the adults. Barbie would clearly not approve. That was common at the time. Only three girls are wearing swimming suits. They are even shirtless, that was not common at the time for the girls.

Lignano Sabbiadoro

We note a view of Lignano Sabbiadoro taken during the 1950s. This was a costal village and important tourist resort near Venice. The photo was taken in the second half of 1950s. The car in the center of background is a Fiat 600. Fiat started the production of this car in 1955. It was a cheap little car and became an icon of the Italian economic boom. We don't know if the two boys were tourists or village inhabitants. They have a bike and one of them is barefoot on the street, so we could think that they were local inhabitants.

Naples

There are many popular beaches in the Naples/Pompey area, the whole Bay of Naples and surrounding areas is endowed with beaches. It is why the Allies chose to land nearby at Salerno during Workd War II. This includes the Amalfi Coast and Phlegrean Islands. Some of the best beaches Naples beaches are on islands that can easily be accessed by ferry or hydrofoil in just a few minutes. Beautiful beaches are found on Ischia, Amalfi, or Procida. The Marina Grande Beach on the island of Capri is one of the most famous. The beaches right by the city are not as spectacular, but are enjoyed by the Nepoltanos who nonly have to take an inexpensive tram ride to get there.

Rimini

One such resort was Rimini, today one of the best-known seaside resort on the eastern cost of Italy.

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Created: 12:55 AM 11/6/2005
Last updated: 2:59 PM 9/6/2023