Italy's 14 New Blue Flag Beaches for 2026: Who Debuts and Who Drops Out

Italy has 257 Blue Flag municipalities in 2026, 11 more than last year. The net gain comes from 14 places winning the award for the first time and 3 that were not renewed. The figures were released in May 2026 by FEE Italia (the Italian branch of the Foundation for Environmental Education) and repeated by the Ministry of Tourism. Below you'll find who is in, who is out, and what the shift means on the map, which is handy if you're choosing where to go next season.

Blue Flag 2026 in Numbers

The Blue Flag programme, run in Italy by FEE Italia, has awarded 257 coastal municipalities in 2026. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the total covers 525 beaches and 87 tourist marinas. Compared with 2025 the net change is +11: 14 new entries minus 3 exits. The 14 new entries are spread across 8 regions. Liguria remains first with 35 municipalities, followed by Puglia and Calabria, tied on 27. The certification assesses four areas: water quality, environmental education, coastal management, and services and safety.

The 14 New Blue Flag Towns, Region by Region

Calabria gains the most, with 4 debuts: Amendolara and Montegiordano (Cosenza), Falerna (Catanzaro) and Locri (Reggio Calabria). Liguria and Puglia follow with two each: Andora (Savona) and Taggia (Imperia) in Liguria, and Morciano di Leuca and Tricase (Lecce) in Puglia. Sicily also adds two, Ispica (Ragusa) and Lipari (Messina). Emilia-Romagna (Rimini), Lombardy (Limone sul Garda, Brescia), Sardinia (Teulada, South Sardinia) and Tuscany (Monte Argentario, Grosseto) each add one. That makes 4 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 14.

Which Towns Lost the Blue Flag

Three places were not renewed in 2026: San Felice Circeo in Lazio, and Patù and Castrignano del Capo in Puglia. Dropping off the list doesn't mean the sea has become unfit for swimming or that the beaches are closing. The Blue Flag is an annual award based on criteria that go beyond bathing-water quality, and a town can miss out because of just one of them. For water quality at any given moment, check the official regional and ARPA (regional environmental agency) monitoring.

What It Means for Your Holiday Planning

The new entries shift attention towards the South and towards places that weren't on the list before: the Salento coast around Lecce with Tricase and Morciano di Leuca, Calabria's Ionian coast with Locri, Amendolara and Montegiordano, the Ragusa area with Ispica, and the Aeolian Islands with Lipari. Rimini, one of Italy's busiest beach destinations, wins the flag for the first time, and Limone sul Garda brings a Blue Flag to a lake. If you're planning next year's trip, use the list as a starting point, but remember that the flags are reassigned every year, so check the official FEE Italia website before you book.