Pineta Dannunziana

The beach beside the Pineta Dannunziana sits at the southern end of Pescara's seafront, backed by a 53-hectare protected pine forest reserve rather than the hotels and apartment blocks that line most of the city's coast. The sand here is fine and the water shallow, but the real draw is the pine wood itself - shaded paths, birdlife and a handful of Art Nouveau-era buildings - which makes this stretch feel calmer than the central Pescara seafront just a short walk north.

Pineta Dannunziana - informally called D'Avalos Park - was established as a nature reserve in 2000 to protect one of the last remnants of coastal pine forest on this part of the Adriatic. Long before that, it was already known for its literary association with Gabriele D'Annunzio, whose family had property nearby, and the reserve's name pays tribute to Pescara's most famous writer.\n\nBehind the beach, the pine wood offers shaded walking paths that are a genuine relief from the sun-baked seafront elsewhere in the city, along with a scattering of historic buildings including the former Aurum liqueur factory, an Art Nouveau structure now used as a cultural venue, and a few surviving early-20th-century villas. Wildlife in the reserve includes various birds that nest in the pines, giving it a quieter, more natural feel than a typical urban park.\n\nThe beach itself is a mix of a free public stretch and beach concessions, with fine sand and the same gently shelving seabed found along most of Pescara's shoreline. Its position at the edge of the city - close enough to walk to Pescara's centre, restaurants and train station, but separated from the busiest seafront by the pine forest - makes it a good middle ground for visitors who want beach convenience without being right in the thick of the city's summer crowds.

Other beaches in Liguria are shown on the map — tap a pin to open its page.