Forte Dei Marmi has some of the best sandy beaches in Italy. It usually doesn’t get many American tourists despite being just a short train ride or drive from Florence (it’s actually most popular among wealthy Italians and Russians). There’s also an airport nearby in Pisa.

Below towering mountains is a long, wide, and flat sandy beach that’s dotted with tons of beach clubs with colorful umbrellas and beach loungers. We love to eat at the beach club restaurants, which often have delicious food using fresh local seafood and fish. Forte Dei Marmi is known for its tiny clams called arselle. You’ll see old men out in the ocean catching them in the surf. We also love that the beaches are flat and easy to go out into the water. We didn’t find that there were many rocks jetting out of the surf or large drop-offs. It’s pretty gentile.