Helping travelers to Italy since 2008

Where Is The Adriatic Sea?

The Adriatic Sea borders the Italian coast for 1,249 kilometres and 7 regions, from Europe's biggest seaport in the north to Italy's easternmost point (and most beautiful lighthouse) in the south.

It has 1300 islands, 7,000 native plants - many of them threatened - and its waters are reasonably warm all year round.

It has rocky cliffs and sandy beaches; ages-old woodland and marine protected areas; tiny fishing ports and enormous yacht harbors; small, multi-colored, "away-from-it-all" villages and large, fascinating cities.

However, it's not well known to foreign tourists, so if you want a holiday amongst Italian people this is the place to be!

Blue sea and a rocky coast on a sunny day at Italy's Adriatic coast

Where is the Adriatic Sea?

The Adriatic Sea runs down the East coast of Italy, separating it from the Balkan Peninsula and countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

The Adriatic Coast provides stunningly delicious fresh seafood in its many local restaurants.

In the north, apple and cherry groves run down to the sea while in the center, vines on its cliff-sides produce its little-known but distinctive wines.

And in the south, the crops from olive groves only slightly inland mean peppery-fresh oil and plump, succulent olives and chilli peppers are dried on rooves in the hot southern sun.

So why isn't the Adriatic coast more well known?

Because Italian people like to keep it a closely-guarded secret!

Where is the Adriatic coast?

It stretches right down the eastern side of the country, from Trieste and the Gulf of Venice in the north to the Capo d'Otranto in Puglia at the south-eastern tip.

A map of the Adriatic coast on Italy's eastern coast.

It encompasses some of the most spectacularly beautiful scenery. And yet, apart from the very well-known areas like Venice and some parts of Puglia, it's largely ignored by non-Italian tourists.

Which makes the Adriatic coast a great place to visit if you want to see some of the least crowded places in the country!

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CLICK HERE for the best price and availability.

Let's split it into three sections

We're going to share information about some of the most beautiful parts with you. But it's a big coastline, so we'll split it into three. And we'll cover in detail one part of each of those 3 areas that we know best.

A map of the Italian Adriatic coast, split into three sections.

1. The northern coast, from Trieste to Venice and the Po Delta.

Everyone wants to visit Venice. But have you ever heard of Little Venice? Don't worry - you will!

2. The central Adriatic coast, taking in Marche and Abruzzo.

This is part of the Adriatic coastline most people have never heard of. Let us share our home region with you.

3. The southernmost regions: Molise and Puglia.

Puglia - where dreams are made. Stunning cliffs, sandy beaches, gorgeous sunrises - and sunsets.

So - where would you like to go?

Covering it all would be impossible - we couldn't be specific enough in our information for you. So we'll concentrate on some of the lesser known parts of the coast.

Click on any of the links below if you have an interest in that particular area to jump down to that section. Or, carry on reading down the page if you haven't made your mind up where you want to be!

Venice

Marche

Puglia

The northern Adriatic coast - Venice: the most romantic city in the world?

Wait - we said "we'll concentrate on some of the lesser known parts of the coast" - but Venice? Lesser known?

"La Serenissima" is one of the most well-visited areas of Italy. But it can get crowded - immensely crowded (although to be fair, this pic was taken during Carnevale).

Here is our dedicated page all about Venice - the famous bits AND the hidden gems off the beaten track!

So we will concentrate on parts of the city where you can get some peace and quiet. The lesser known canals. The areas where local people still live (and there aren't many of those!). Things to do apart from the obvious.

Mask-making workshop in the heart of Venice

A man in a green apron Mask-making in Venice.

Who'd like to do a spot of mask-making? We'll show you how you can!

Head to one of the few remaining artisan mask studios still active in Venice for this mask-making workshop, a wonderful way to unleash your creativity—and craft a unique and expressive souvenir. Learn the history of Venetian masks and the artisans who make them, then paint and decorate your own mask using traditional techniques such as painting and gilding. Your tutor is on hand throughout to help realize your vision.

Decorate your own Venetian papier-mâché mask to your personal design
Numbers are capped at eight, ensuring personal attention from the teacher
Tutor can tailor the workshop to different interests and ages
Authentic atelier location in the heart of the city, near the Rialto Bridge

Read more about - Mask-making workshop in the heart of Venice and get the best price through our trusted partner Viator!

And yes - we'll cover some of the more obvious things too, but we'll give you tips about how best to see them. Things that locals know, and like to keep to themselves.

You can take a tour of the Real Hidden Venice - click here to find out more!

And then there's Little Venice...

The colourful island of Burano, Italy - the lace-making island.

A short boat ride from Venice, yet a whole world away. Come visit with us!

We did say we'd show you the not-very-well-known parts of the Adriatic coast, though. So how about this for starters...

Just a few miles further south from Venice, hidden in the plains of the Po Delta, is a sleepy, little-known village called Comacchio. It's known as "Little Venice" because... well...

The pretty town of Comacchio - "Little Venice".

You'll love it. Seriously.

The central Adriatic - Le Marche's sleepy seaside towns and fields of gold

We're a bit biased about Le Marche. You see, we're lucky enough to live there.

This beautiful and largely unknown region in central Italy has been described as "Tuscany, without the crowds".

And so it is. It's an immensely fertile area, so the coastal scenery varies from cliff faces and sandy beaches to olive groves, vineyards and golden fields of corn.

A field of harvested wheat with the sea in the distance

It's not a tourist area but a land made of small, rural, working villages where locals speak dialect and never-ending summer festas stretch late into the night.

Linking land and sea together are ancient mediaeval villages and little hilltop towns such as you might see in your dreams.

The pretty pilgrimage town of Loreto, sitting high above the Adriatic sea on the beautiful Le Marche coast..

The pretty walled town of Loreto, an important place of pilgrimage.

Beautiful to visit and, if you're lucky enough to stay here, you'll be welcomed not as a tourist, but as part of the community.

And did you know that one of the most important products for export from Marche is sunflower oil? Which makes it one of the best areas in the whole of Italy to see field upon field of sunflowers.

Want to see them? The crops bloom between June and September. Find out more, here.

Sunflowers: one of the major crops in the rural region of Le Marche, Italy.

So come - let us show you the real Italy!

The south Adriatic to Puglia: a land where magic happens.

Some parts of Puglia are really well known and populated largely by tourists. Polignano a Mare is one of its most popular coastal resorts, and lots of people's idea of the "real Italy".

Whitewashed houses hanging on the side of a cliff, tiny restaurants selling the freshest seafood, a beach formed by a break in two cliff faces...

The beach at Polignano a Mare, Puglia, Italy.

Read more about Puglia in our Complete Guide to Puglia HERE.

We look at the practicalities: how to get there, where to eat, where to stay, how to enjoy time there if you only have a day or two.

Then there's Alberobello - the town of the "trulli". Those weird, conical shaped homes with even weirder symbols on the roof that only exist in this particular part of the country.

Alberobello

You can read more about the Hidden Gems of Italy here.

A white trullo in Puglia, Italy - the traditional dwelling only found in this region of Italy.

A trullo in Puglia - an amazing experience to stay for a holiday

Puglia Full Day Tour

Viator have a Puglia Full-Day Tour: Bari, Trulli of Alberobello, Castel del Monte and Sassi of Matera.

Discover the highlights of Puglia on a small-group full-day tour from Bari. After a walking history tour of Bari’s old town, head inland to the medieval village of Alberobello, known for its distinctive prehistoric-style Trulli dwellings.

Visit the ancient cave city at the Sassi of Matera, where homes and churches are carved directly into the rock in a complex stone labyrinth, and admire the World Heritage-listed Castel del Monte tucked into the Puglian hills.

Read more about - Puglia Full-Day Tour: Bari, Trulli of Alberobello, Castel del Monte and Sassi of Matera and book HERE.

And then there's the Gargano Peninsula.

Oooooohhhhh the Gargano...

Part of northern Puglia (the bit that sticks out). Where tiny villages cling to cliffs, and lunch is still caught by traditional fishing "machines" that hang over the Adriatic (and where you can lunch on the latest catch)...

A traditional fishing machine on the coast at Vieste, Puglia, Italy.

A traditional "trabucco" fishing machine on the coast at Vieste. Watch the fish being caught - and then stay for lunch!

The Gargano peninsula is our very favourite spot in the whole of Puglia. It has it all: sleepy seaside towns, deserted sandy beaches (or more resort-type areas if you need entertainment for kids), ancient hilltop villages, the most stunning forested area anywhere in Italy.

And, to cap it all, tiny, achingly beautiful, little-known islands in the middle of the Adriatic sea, reachable by local ferry in just an hour or so.

A view of the stunning, unspoilt Tremiti islands, in the Adriatic sea off the Puglian coast.

The stunning, unspoiled Tremiti islands, in the Adriatic sea off the Puglian coast. Reach them from the mainland in an hour.

It's an area well known to Italian people - a lot of visitors during the summer months are escaping the crowds and the heat of Rome - but not a lot of other nationalities know about this well-guarded secret.

And, because we're friends, we'll share its secrets with you.

Discover the spectacular Gargano coast

You can book a guided boat tour of the Costa Del Gargano Caves. A journey through untouched nature, breathtaking caves, ancient trebuchets and crystal clear waters. If you wish, you can dive and swim in a true natural paradise.

Guide to Puglia

Check out our complete Guide to Puglia here!

We look at the practicalities: how to get there, where to eat, where to stay, the Must-Visit Towns and Cities, stunning beaches and how to enjoy time there if you only have a day or two.

We also cover the hidden gems of Puglia, culture festivals and local life, and the food and wine of the area.