This year, 19 Tuscan coast towns have been awarded a bandiera blu (‘blue flag’) of excellence for their beaches, one more than last year.
The bandiera is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) recognising beaches with “good practices regarding water quality, environmental management, safety & services and environmental education,” according to the Bandiera blu website.
There are 32 environmental and service quality criteria required for a beach to be recognised as bandiera blu-worthy. These include purification, waste collection, green areas and accessibility.
Elba, an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea 10 km (6.2 miles) from the Tuscan port of Piombino, is the 19th Tuscan municipality to be awarded a bandiera blu for its Marciana Marina beach.
Click on this link to see a list of the other 18 Tuscan beaches awarded a Bandiera Blu this year.
For 2025, 15 new beaches in Italy were awarded the bandiera. Along with Marciana Marina, new entries include beaches such as Torino di Sangro (Abruzzo), Margherita di Savoia (Puglia) and San Teodoro (Sardinia). (Keziah McCann)
