Italian Blue Flags rise to 226, 16 more

There are 226 Italian marine and lake resorts that have obtained the Blue Flag recognition in 2023 for the quality of their environment, 16 more than the 210 of last year: there are 17 new entries, 1 the Municipality not confirmed. The 226 Italian resorts include 458 beaches, 11% of the award-winning beaches worldwide. In addition to the municipalities, 84 tourist landings have also received the Blue Flag.

The Blue Flags are awarded by the international NGO for sustainability education FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), based in Denmark and present in 81 countries. The award is given to marine and lake resorts on the basis of water cleanliness, waste management, green areas and cycle paths, services on the beaches and in the municipality, hotel facilities and more.

This year's new entries are Catanzaro (Calabria); Rocca Imperiale (Calabria); San Mauro Cilento (Campania); Gatteo (Emilia Romagna); Laigueglia (Liguria); Sori (Liguria); Sirmione (Lombardy); Toscano Maderno (Lombardy); Porto San Giorgio (Marche); Termoli (Molise); San Maurizio D'Opaglio (Piedmont); Verbania (Piedmont); Gallipoli (Apulia); Tremiti Islands (Puglia); Leporano (Apulia); Vieste (Apulia); Orbetello (Tuscany). The Blue Flag has not been confirmed this year in Cattolica (Emilia Romagna).