Holiday Homes in Italy selection of beachfront villas and apartments

Living right by the sea

A beachfront villa or apartment puts the sea at the centre of the holiday. You can swim before breakfast, wander back for lunch on the terrace and watch the fishing boats come in as the evening light changes. This collection suits families with children who love the water, keen swimmers and snorkellers, and anyone who wants sea and sand without getting in the car.

What beachfront can mean

The word covers a range of settings, so it pays to ask exactly where the property sits. Some open straight onto sand, some sit above a rocky shore with steps or a ladder into the water, and some are across a quiet road or promenade from the beach.

In Italy the shoreline itself is public land, so even a villa right on the beach is unlikely to have the sand to itself, and in summer you may share it with a beach club. Ask how you reach the water, what the beach is like underfoot and how busy it gets in August.

With young children, ask whether there is a gate between the garden and the beach, how quickly the water deepens and whether the sea tends to be calm. Beach bars in busy resorts can play music late on summer evenings, so mention it if you would prefer somewhere quieter.

Coastlines to choose from

Sardinia is known for clear turquoise water, from the granite coves of the Costa Smeralda and the Maddalena archipelago in the north east to the long beaches of the south. Puglia has two seas: the Adriatic, with rocky inlets around Polignano a Mare, and the Ionian, where the Salento coast near Porto Cesareo has long stretches of sand.

In Sicily, choose between Mondello near Palermo, the coves below Taormina or the south-east coast around Marzamemi, close to the Baroque towns of Noto and Ragusa. The sea is usually warmest from late June to September, and early summer and September bring quieter beaches.

Browse the villas listed below to find a holiday home with the sea on its doorstep.