Beach life The sandy, Blue Flag beaches at the resorts of Fano (30 mins), Marotta and Senigallia all offer safe swimming and a full range of water-sports. The Adriatic is a shallow sea – in many ways, more of a great lake- so the water is generally warm. Bathing for children is particularly safe with shallow beaches and little undertow. Fine sand beaches (known as the ‘velvet beaches’) alternate with pebbly-shingle stretches and rocky cliff areas all the way from north to south along the eastern seaboard, so people can choose their favourite type of beach – wind surfing and paragliding are just as common as paddling, building sandcastles, eating ice-cream and working out to beach-aerobics. Beaches are either free (spiaggia libera) or ‘concessione’ where you pay for the sun beds and the umbrellas. The latter are not as horrendous as they seem: they save the hassle of carting beach equipment on a hot day, the sun-beds are comfortable with a moveable shade and the umbrellas are big, with little tables and hooks on which to hang your clothes. The sand is also swept regularly (no tides here!) and life-guards are on duty every 100 metres. Bars are on-hand and, best of all, plentiful free freshwater showers. The Italians take their beach holidays very seriously. If you prefer the DIY approach, umbrellas, cool boxes and beach towels and other beach paraphernalia are available at Casa Mandorla. You really don’t need to bring much with you – or spend a great deal!
