The country’s beaches account for roughly one in nine Blue Flags worldwide, as Liguria holds first place for another year and fourteen municipalities join the list.
Italy’s national operator confirmed 257 awarded municipalities for 2026 — eleven more than last year — covering a total of 525 beaches and 87 marinas. According to the Foundation for Environmental Education, those 525 beaches represent about 11.6% of all Blue Flag beaches worldwide, keeping Italy among the programme’s leading countries.
Fourteen municipalities entered the list for the first time, while three lost the distinction they had held: San Felice Circeo (Latina), Patù and Castrignano del Capo (both in Lecce).
Cifras clave: 257 Municipalities · 525 Beaches · 87 Marinas · 14 New entries
Liguria stays on top
Liguria confirmed its place as Italy’s most-awarded region with 35 municipalities, two more than in 2025, thanks to the additions of Andora and Taggia. It leads by a clear margin over Puglia and Calabria, tied in second place with 27 each. Within Liguria, the province of Savona alone accounts for 15 municipalities — the highest concentration in any single Italian province.
Blue Flag is not a simple beauty contest but an eco-label certifying the sustainable management of the coastline.
Among the new entries, three stand out for extending the map beyond the classic seaside destinations: Rimini, on the Emilia-Romagna coast, and two lake municipalities — Limone sul Garda in Lombardy and Monte Argentario in Tuscany. Blue Flags on Italian lakes rose to 23 this year with the addition of a new municipality.
How the flag is earned
The awards were assigned by the Foundation for Environmental Education, which each year recognises locations where bathing-water quality is rated excellent based on sampling from the previous four years. Other criteria include the existence and functioning of water-treatment plants, waste management, accessibility, beach upkeep, bather safety and environmental-education initiatives run by local authorities.
Italy’s Ministry of Tourism, which hosted the announcement, underlined that the country holds more than 11% of the world’s Blue Flag beaches — a figure it framed as recognition of both coastal quality and the tourism services offered to visitors.
Sources: FEE Italia announcement and Italy’s Ministero del Turismo, May 2026; figures also reported by Sky TG24 and FIRSTonline. Reported and summarised by Blue Flag News. Full data at bandierablu.org.
The Ligurian coast, Italy’s most-awarded region. Photo: Unsplash
