Italy - Quick Facts
LOCATION: Southern Europe
POPULATION: 6000000
NATIONALITY: Italian
LANGUAGE: Italian
CURRENCY: Euro

Italy is a country with great culture and excellent history including the scientific advancements by Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo. It has a huge natural diversity with the outstanding beauty of the Alps in the north and the warm Mediterranean which make the country a huge tourist attraction. Italy also boasts some of the best food and beverages in the world such as pizza, spaghetti, coffee, and wine.

Find out more about what Italy has on offer at www.italia.it.

Surfing Areas in Italy

The beautiful villages and towns perched on the edges of the coastlines make Italy a very popular surfing attraction especially with tourists who want to witness the picturesque art of the Italian seas. It offers a variety of decent surfing spots; however, you want to stay away from the Mediterranean Sea due to the lacklustre swells on the waves breaking onto the beaches. The best waves are usually seen in the north of Italy during the winter period, making a hot summer holiday to surf in the south of Italy unfeasible.



Tuscany is one of the four main surfing areas of Italy. It provides excellent views for tourists making it one of the most popular surfing areas in Italy and attracting millions of visitors each year. Furthermore, it doesn't let down in the waves category, with lots of swells being blown in from the west. The region has a 500km coastline packed with beaches and local surfing areas perfect for catching waves. Ansedonia is a great area in the southern area of Tuscany for catching rare waves blowing in from the south. It is also quite quiet which is good for beginner surfers who want to experience with warm, comfortable waves. However, Forte dei Marmi is the most famous area of attraction in Tuscany with big numbers of surf enthusiasts congregating together to compete.

Another fantastic surfing area is off the mainland of Italy, this time on the island of Sardinia (Sardegna). It receives a lot of wind which can seriously vary the quality of waves. It draws in swells from the Mediterranean and even the Strait of Gibraltar which gives them a time to build up in size and power before it hits the west coast. 80% of the year, Sardinia boasts suitable surfing conditions meaning that it is available for surfing nearly all year round. The island has lots of famous surf spots including Portoscuso which delivers some of the best waves in the winter and Alghero which is great for beginners and is positioned right next to a beautiful village. Just watch out for the sea urchins.



Lazio, the area surrounding Rome, has a massive variety of waves ranging from beginner friendly one to competition sized barrels. Lido Gardia is one of the most popular areas with consistent waves, however, can get a little crowded at some times. Ostia is the closest beach in the area to Rome and provides calmer waves compared to the Banzai of Italy which is perfect for beginners who also want to soak in the enriching history and scenery of the capital. The largest wave in Italy is located here just a few miles away from Santa Marinella. Lazio is the perfect place for novice surfers who want to catch large waves but do so safely in the shallow water.

The final region for the best waves to be surfed is Liguria. Liguria is home to the alluring beach of Levanto, which holds half a kilometre of coastline and one of the largest surfable waves to hit Italy annually. 350km of coastline is available for conquering waves. This stretches all the way up to the border of France, where some of the advanced surfers may want a challenge, one of these places being Varazze.

Surfing Italy - The Good
Warm water in the summer
Excellent scenery and food

Surf Italy - The Bad and the Ugly
Waves are not massive
Beaches can get crowded

Italy Surfing Conditions

A longboard will see the most use due to the smaller waves. Using a longboard will give allow you to ride these smaller waves for long and maximise the amount of fun on them.
A 3/2 fullsuit is best during the winter. Despite the fact that Italy is known to be a hot country, I think we all know the deception. Make sure you have a thick enough wetsuit as the sea can get very cold in the winter.
A pair of boardshorts is recommended during the summer.

If you have any useful information about surfing in Italy, please write about it in a forum and add a spot on the map.