Overview
- Italy now lists 257 coastal municipalities hosting 525 Blue Flag beaches, up from 487 last year.
- Liguria leads with 35 recognized municipalities, followed by Apulia and Calabria with 27 each.
- Notable new entrants include Rimini on the Adriatic and Limone sul Garda on Lake Garda, while San Felice Circeo, Patù, and Castrignano del Capo lost the award.
- The Blue Flag is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education with UNEP and UNWTO and uses 33 criteria covering water quality, environmental education, environmental management, services, and safety.
- Italy’s beaches account for about 11.6% of Blue Flag sites worldwide, and Germany logged 118 awards in 2026, showing the programme’s broad reach.