The prestigious international recognition, up from 407 last year and 215 more than a decade ago, comes from the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which assigns the flags to destinations that meet the highest standards on their beach and sea, according to 33 factors ranging from water quality monitoring to environmental management principles.
The regions with the highest number of bandiera blu beaches are Liguria, once again in the top spot with 32 beaches; followed in second place by Campania, up one place from last year with 19; and Tuscany and Puglia in joint third place with 17 Blue Flag beaches each.
The FEE agency also takes into consideration the beach’s waste management, recycling, the extent of its pedestrian and bicycle paths and green areas, and the presence of lifeguards.
The annual awards come as Italy’s beaches prepare to open up later this week, with COVID-19 protocols in place, in time for the summer season.
FEE Italia President Claudio Mazza said the Blue Flag resorts could be “an engine powering the recovery of Italy’s tourism sector”.
Mazza added that the organisation vowed to help local authorities reopen safely this summer.
Last week, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that from mid-May Italy will reopen to international tourists with a “green pass”, provided they are vaccinated, have recovered from the virus and are immune, or have tested negative for the virus in the previous 48 hours.
“The time has come to book your holidays in Italy,” Draghi said
“Our mountains, our beaches, our cities are reopening.”
To find your nearest blue flag beach, you can search the interactive map here.
