Mediterranean holiday flair spreads on the beautiful beaches, bays and coastal towns of the Italian Adriatic. Italy’s Adriatic coast can be as diverse as the regions that lie on its shores – from Veneto to Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo to Puglia. Film, novel and fascinating travel stories entwine around the beautiful holiday destinations on the Italian east coast, including dream destinations such as Venice, Caorle, Trieste, Rimini and Otranto. One thing is clear: The Italian Adriatic coast is a paradise for friends of Mediterranean culture and beach holidays.
Venice – World-class Mediterranean cultural city
Hardly any other city in Italy – perhaps with the exception of Rome – fascinates international visitors as much as Venice. And for good reason. The world-famous canal city strings together a whole spectacle of magnificent buildings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along unforgettable sights such as the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Square with St. Mark’s Basilica or the Doge’s Palace runs Venice’s Mediterranean lifeline: the Grand Canal. If you have chosen the Italian Adriatic as your holiday destination, you should not miss Venice and its Veneto region. The Venice Lagoon is located directly on the Adriatic coast and can provide a wonderful contrast to many of the seaside resorts of the Adriatic Sea with its fascinating cultural program within the city. Not much more needs to be said about the city with its fascinating canals, except: A Mediterranean dream destination on the Italian Adriatic.
Caorle and Bibione – In the footsteps of Hemingway
The beauty of the Italian Adriatic did not pass by the American writer Ernest Hemingway either. In the 1940s, for example, he regularly stayed in the historic coastal town of Caorle. There he is said to have laid the foundations for his work “Across the River into the Forests (1950)”. Together with the neighboring town of Bibione, Carole is now considered one of the most beautiful seaside resorts on the northern Adriatic coast. Highlights are of course the local beaches – in Caorle there are the Spiaggia di Ponente and the Spiaggia Levante to see. But the coastal town also has an old town worth seeing with picturesque alleys and colourful house façades, as well as the Madonna dell’Angelo church near the shore and a cylindrical campanile. Mediterranean beach idyll can also be seen in Bibione, a top destination for beach vacationers on the northern Adriatic.
Trieste – City of Culture on the shores of the Adriatic Sea
It is easy to forget that the historic cultural city of Trieste can also be found directly on the Adriatic coast as a holiday resort. The city is excellently located near the border to also take a tour to Croatian Istria . Trieste itself has a long history, dating back to ancient times, when the city was known as Tergeste. Today, Trieste is a well-known port city, an economic and cultural center of the northern Adriatic coast. At its heart is the central square Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia with an eclectic town hall from the 19th century, magnificent palazzos and the Fountain of the Four Continents (Fontana dei quattro continenti) from the 18th century. In the surrounding area are the scenic Castello di Duino and the Castello di Miramare – magnificent buildings located in the dreamlike panorama of the Adriatic Sea. The city has a beautiful Grand Canal at its heart as well as fascinating
Districts – whether historic or modern – and hiking routes in the area that are popular with nature lovers. When it comes to the most beautiful holiday destinations on the Adriatic, Trieste should not be forgotten.
Rimini – paradise for beach vacationers
None other than the world-famous Italian film director Federico Fellini (La Strada, 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita) was once born in Rimini, which repeatedly resonated in his films through characters and scenery. Even today, Rimini is one of the most popular bathing orders on the Italian Adriatic coast. This is due to the many dream beaches in the Emilia-Romagna region, but also to the optimal location to explore other highlights of Italy. A day trip to the historic city of Ravenna with its World Heritage Site is easily possible – magnificent churches and baptisteries from early Christian times await you there. Rimini itself is interspersed with historical buildings – there are especially ancient structures such as the old Arch of Augustus from 27 BC or the Ponte d’Augusto bridge, whose roots lie in the time of the Roman emperor Tiberius. Seaside tourism in Ravenna has a long tradition, so in the middle of the 19th century the first official seaside resort on the Adriatic coast was built here. And the city has lost none of its seaside charm to this day.
From Otranto to Lecce – The tourist insider tips of Puglia
The beautiful Apulia in the south of Italy is still one of the insider tips among the Italian travel regions. Puglia has some of the most idyllic coastal resorts in the Italian Adriatic. If you want to get to know the Adriatic coast far away from the classic hotspots such as Venice or Rimini, you should therefore go to the south of the country. Among other things, the historic Otranto with its old town and its fascinating coastal cityscape is located there. Rarely has a city been so seamlessly integrated into the cliff landscapes of the Adriatic coast. In general, a relaxed tour along the coastal region of Puglia is recommended for travelers. Here are historic cities such as Lecce with its terminal columns of the ancient Roman Via Appia, the Roman amphitheater, and its famous buildings of the Leccese Baroque, which is why the city is also known as the Florence of the Rococo. Bari, Ostuni or the beautiful Santa Maria di Leuca on the South Cape – the intersection between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea – make Puglia one of the most interesting regions to discover the Adriatic coast.
