Mediterranean Sea in Italy. seas of italy

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The Italian "boot", stretching from central Europe almost to Africa itself, is washed by five seas at once. These are the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Adriatic and Mediterranean (which, in fact, includes all four of the above basins). Each of them has its own characteristics and specifics.

Ligurian Sea

The Ligurian coast is the patrimony of wealthy individuals. Local resorts are far from being as popular as, say, Rimini or Amalfi, and they are quite inferior in size. The Ligurian coast stretches from the very border with France to Genoa, sheltering a lot of miniature charming resorts along the way.

The coast is mostly rocky, sandy beaches you won't find it here. But the sea here is cleaner and more transparent - you can watch the vibrant, bustling life of the underwater kingdom from the shore.

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Adriatic Sea

The Italian Adriatic is primarily Rimini, Lido di Jesolo and Riccin - the three most popular resorts on the coast. Almost all local beaches are a long strip of fine sand; in Lido di Jesolo alone, they reach 14 km. Peculiarity Adriatic Sea in Italy - gentle entrances to the water, in order to reach the depth here you will have to take many steps, carefully stepping over the crabs hurrying about their business.

On the coast of the Adriatic Sea

Life in the Adriatic is in full swing: along the sea, one large “shopping street” has been built, which, changing resort after resort, does not change its essence. Most of the hotels, restaurants and cafes are built here. In addition, this is the most popular coast among Russian tourists and those who like to arrange high-quality and inexpensive shopping.

Tyrrhenian Sea

Tyrrhenian coast, one of the cleanest and most picturesque in Italy, starts from Sorrento beach and occupies almost 2/3 of the country's western coast. Here, for the most part, mountainous coasts and gentle coastal waters: without strong tides and winds. The resorts are just as calm and quiet, family-friendly. The most popular and expensive is the Amalfi Coast with excellent hotels nestled on the rocks, not on the coast.

ionian sea

"The sole of the boot" - The Ionian coast is still little known Russian tourist. But in vain. There are surprisingly picturesque and, so far, deserted sections of the coast, and hotels are a little cheaper than in other resorts in the country. Beaches for the most part beaches awarded blue flag for the purity of their waters. The swimming season on the Ionian coast lasts from May to November.

Situated on an elongated peninsula and surrounded by sea on three sides, Italy has the longest coastline in Europe. The Mediterranean basin in its central region, where the Apennine Peninsula is located, is divided into several parts under separate names.

Italy washes four seas at once, and this division of the Mediterranean into different basins is not so arbitrary - the coasts of these seas in Italy have some differences among themselves, in addition, separate names allow you to better navigate the numerous Italian beach resorts.

From the west, at the base of the Apennine Peninsula, Italy washed by the waters of a small Ligurian Sea bounded on the south by the island of Corsica. The coast of Liguria stretches from the border with France to Genoa. This part of the Italian Riviera is quite rocky, wide and gently sloping beaches are rare, but the sea here is amazingly clean - so transparent that you can watch the lively life at the bottom from the shore. Resorts Ligurian coast- small, calm, charming towns, inferior in terms of development and popularity to the famous Rimini or Amalfi, but offering a quiet holiday surrounded by beautiful nature.

From the west, Corsica and Sardinia limit the more spacious Tyrrhenian Sea, formed by the protruding "toe" of the Italian boot and the island of Sicily in the southeastern part. The coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea is clean, picturesque, with a large number of beaches, framed by low mountains - spurs of the Apennine Range. There are good expensive family resorts with upscale hotels. The rocky coast of Amalfi is one of the most popular in Italy.

The narrow Strait of Messina, only 3 kilometers wide, separates the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Ionian Sea, which washes the "foot" of Italy, where the region of Calabria is located. This coast is practically unknown in mass tourism, and completely unfounded. ionian sea in Italy it is washed by very picturesque, mostly wild and deserted coasts, which delight nature lovers. Resorts Ionian coast relatively inexpensive, and many beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag for their impeccable cleanliness.

The east coast of the Apennine Peninsula is washed by a long Adriatic Sea, the most popular in the field of beach tourism in Italy. Here are three famous resort- Ricchina, Rimini and Lido di Jesolo. The popularity of the Adriatic among fans beach holiday easily explained by the magnificent beaches with fine sand, which stretch for tens of kilometers without interruption. Busy embankments with restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels are laid in the same continuous line parallel to the coast. The Adriatic coast is famous for its developed nightlife and excellent trading. In the northern part of the Adriatic Sea has formed a large lagoon with salt marshes, deep water areas, canals and small islands of land - the famous Venice is located here.

Holidays on the Apennine Peninsula! It sounds tempting and impressive, and not only for those who prefer to admire architectural masterpieces on vacation. The beautiful seas of Italy are a good reason to go to the Apennines to sunbathe and swim in the company of beautiful people and surrounded by the best natural masterpieces. For those who are fond of geography, it will not be difficult to answer the question of what seas are in Italy. The hint for the rest looks like this:

  • Ligurian Sea. Located in the northwestern part of the "boot" above the island of Corsica. Represented in Italy by the Gulf of Genoa.
  • Tyrrhenian Sea. It extends south of the Ligurian, and its basin is framed by the islands of Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica, the Tuscan archipelago and the western coast of the Apennine Peninsula itself.
  • The “sole” of the Apennine “boot” is washed by the Ionian Sea, smoothly flowing in the south into the main part of the Mediterranean, and in the north connected by the Strait of Otranto with the Adriatic.
  • And, finally, the Adriatic Sea, stretching from the "heel" to Venice itself, where its waters are proudly called the Gulf of Venice.

All these reservoirs essentially belong to the same water basin, and therefore, to the question of which sea washes Italy, there is another answer - the Mediterranean.

Beach holidays and other advantages

All the seas of Italy have their own specifics of a beach holiday, and therefore the concept of “sunbathing in Italy” turns out to be not at all unambiguous.
The Adriatic has the largest number of resort areas, and the local beaches are a strip of clean sand and allow families with small children to relax, thanks to the gentle entry into the water and excellent developed infrastructure. Another plus in the treasury of advantages Adriatic Riviera- great opportunity to get involved profitable shopping. The water temperature on the Adriatic coast during the swimming season reaches +27 degrees, making swimming very comfortable.
The Ionian Sea is not so popular among travelers, and therefore the hotels there are still cheaper, and the opportunity to retire with nature or with each other is incomparably higher. The season begins at the end of spring, when the water warms up to +23 degrees. The beaches of the Ionian Sea in Italy often win prestigious awards for cleanliness, and the season, thanks to their southern location, lasts until the last days of the calendar autumn.
The Tyrrhenian Sea is rocky shores, secluded bays and family friendly hotels. The beauties of the Amalfi Coast make this sea the most popular among bohemia.
The Ligurian Sea offers a vacation for wealthy travelers who feel the need for solitude and silence. The beaches here are rocky and often just rocky bays, and the hotels are miniature and conducive to a quiet and contemplative rest.

What seas wash Italy. Seas of Italy on the map. Today's Mediterranean Sea is a remnant of the ancient Tethys Ocean located here, it was much wider and extended to the east, the remnant of which are the Aral, Caspian, Black and Marmara seas, which were its deepest depressions.

Seas. Italy is surrounded by seas on three sides, the total length of the coastline is about 4660 miles, is perfect place for a holiday at sea. A wide variety of beaches and services makes it popular for various types of recreation: lovers of flora and fauna, entertainment and recreation, water sports sports and relaxation. The Italian coast, with its innumerable bays and coves and coves, tourist routes, many kilometers of sandy beaches, can really offer services to even the most demanding vacationer for any budget. Sprawling small villages, coastal cities with their seaside resorts and beaches, in one day it is easy to reach many by car, train and plane, by water on large and small vessels.


Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas

From north to south, from east to west, the territory of the state is covered by high mountain slopes.
Tyrrhenian Sea is a part mediterranean sea, washes Italy from the west, the depth of the sea is about 3800 meters. It occupies an area between the Apennine Peninsula (Italian regions of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Calabria) and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. The coast is a rocky indented coast, it borders on the west with the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, in the north with the island of Elba, in the south with Sicily.
The distance from Elba to Palermo is no more than 571 km (355 miles), and from Naples to Sardinia, due west, is 395 km (246 miles). In addition, the islands of Corsica, Elba, Sardinia and Sicily have many popular small islands, including Capri, Ustica and active volcano Stromboli. The main ports are Cagliari (Sardinia), Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo (Sicily). West Coast The Tyrrhenian Sea is considered the most beautiful on the Mediterranean coast, here in the Lazio region is the Odyssey coast, known as a place with amazing scenery, for family vacation Terracina, Gaeta, Sabaudia are very suitable.
ionian sea- part of the Mediterranean Sea, washes the state of Italy from the south side and occupies the area between Greece and Italy, the islands of Crete and Sicily, connected to the Adriatic Sea by the Strait of Otranto. The Gulfs of Taranto (located between the Salentina and Calabria peninsulas, the coastline is about 140 km long) and the Gulf of Corinth (occupies an area between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece, a strip length of 130 km is located in a seismically dangerous area of ​​​​Europe, the beach is very clean, the sand is without shells, it is very convenient to relax with small children, but this already applies to Greece) are strategically important objects. The area of ​​the sea is approximately 169 thousand km2, maximum depth about 5121 meters. The main port cities are Catania and Taranto.
The Strait of Messina, located between the administrative region of Calabria and the island of Sicily, connects the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas.
Which sea is more salty Ionian or Tyrrhenian? The salinity of the Ionian Sea exceeds 38%, the Tyrrhenian Sea is less salty (37.7%).
The Ionian Islands are located in its eastern part: Kerkyra or Corfu (Kérkira Greece) and Patra (Pátrai Greece). This sea is also suitable for those who love secluded relaxation, there are no very noisy resorts here yet, but there is a sea with picturesque bays and cheap hotels located on the coast.


Ligurian Sea

The Ligurian Sea is also part of the Mediterranean Sea, washing the northwestern regions of Italy: the southern part of Liguria, the north-central part of Tuscany, the area connecting the Maritime Alps and the Apennine mountains is called Italian Riviera, and the most famous resorts Alassio and San Remo, here is a consistently mild climate, borders on France in the west, close to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Resting in San Remo, Genoa, Rapallo, you can go on a trip to the French Riviera.
The coast is predominantly low-lying, most of these places have experienced an increase in tourist activity since the 1960s. The islands of the Tuscan archipelago: the famous island of Elba and the island of Capraia (Capraia) with the National Park, the island of Montecristo (Isola di Montecristo) is privately owned and therefore closed to tourists.
Moving further south along the coast, we meet the Maremma region, in which the pristine nature has been preserved unspoiled by civilization, it is protected by the state and is a natural reserve Parco Regionale della Maremma, here are the most sparsely populated beaches. The regions of Lazio (the capital of Lazio and Italy, Rome) and Campania (Avellino, Naples, Benevento, Salerno, Caserta) are largely low-lying, with sandy shores, there are rocky peninsulas, they correspond to the Pontine Islands, little known for foreign tourists reserved corner of Italy, which consists of seven islands, and if you like solitude and wildlife, then this is the place for you close to Rome - the island of Palmarola, which can compete with the legendary Polynesia.


Moving further south towards Gulf of Naples, where the tortuous coastline, clear sea, mountains immersed in natural greenery, fresh healing air and thermal springs. Bay resorts: Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello, Minori, Maiori, Positano, Salerno and Pesto.
slopes of varying degrees, sea ​​coast with a beautiful view, the Gulf of Salerno, the high rocky cape of the Cilento - this amazing landscape accompanies almost all the way to the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the rest of the continent.

Adriatic Sea

It is part of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located between the Balkan and Apennine peninsulas. The coast is divided between Italy and the countries of Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Croatia, Herzegovina.
Italian resorts in the Adriatic: the Venetian Riviera, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Rimini (popular Marina Center beach) located on east coast Italy is equipped with magnificent sandy beaches. Cape Gargano - “the spur of the Italian boot”, is located in the south of the peninsula, in the northern part of the Puglia region - Capitanate, with the exception of the rocky shores of Cape Gargano and Mount Conero (about 572 meters high), the coastal zone of the Adriatic part of Italy represents a line of wide sandy beaches created by nature. Thanks to the winds from the sea, windsurfing is convenient in the Gargano area, there are no hiking trails, resort areas far enough, they will not offer a menu in Russian.
The depth of the Adriatic Sea is different, in some places it reaches more than 1200 meters. The coastline is quite indented: in the eastern part it is mountainous, and in the western part (near Italy) it is mostly low-lying, the sea is distinguished by the transparency of the water and the cleanliness of the beaches, many of them have the UNESCO Blue Flag award for beaches that meet the highest quality standards and the requirements for safe swimming. The Adriatic coast is very suitable for families with children, the hotel can be chosen for every taste, both at a distance from the center, and for young people who like to settle in the center.


Sicily- most big Island in Italy of volcanic origin, the surface of which consists of mountain peaks, indented coastline in the north and east, flat shores in the south and west. On the island are located nature reserves, here are breathtaking landscapes, this region is truly amazing, like all the islands surrounding it, where tourists from different parts of the world gather. Sicily is washed by three seas: Ionian, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian. The seas wash the island from the north by the Tyrrhenian, from the east by the Ionian, from the south and west by the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition, the second largest island is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Sardinia, the terrain is mountainous, western shores mostly low-lying, eastern rocky and steep. Giant boulders, as well as other islands large and small (Maddalena, Caprera), make up the offshore landscapes of Sardinia.

What is the best sea in Italy? It is unlikely that it will be possible to name the best sea, all seas are good in their own way, when planning a vacation in this country, rely on your preferences and wallet.