Punta della Penna beach is a little-known beauty and Abruzzo’s best kept secret. Located in the nature reserve of Punta Aderci and surrounded by vineyards that roll back from the coast, it is a perfect powdery white beach that stretches out for kilometres, crystal-clear turquoise waters and boasting Blue Flag status. Utterly picturesque and one of the best beaches in all of Italy, it is a must for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Abruzzo.
A little more rustic and wild than the more groomed and perfectly equipped beaches along the Abruzzo coast, Punta della Penna boasts its own unique charms. Moulded sand dunes, sea grass and a range of coastal blooms occupy the beach, making it seem more magical and showcasing the aesthetic benefits of being a beach in a nature reserve. A pretty and colourful picture is presented and the air hangs with the scent of the Sea Daffodils, shocking blue Sea Holly, pink Campion, yellow Horn-poppies, crimson Sulla, Sea Splurge, white & mauve Sea Rocket, Samphire & Myrtle that dot the beach from May to September.
There is also an abundance of wildlife with birds such as Kentish Plovers, Great Bitterns, Squacco, Stonechats, Crested larks, Great Tits, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters and Sparrow Hawks being common. In the water, you will find dolphins and sea turtles visible in the perfectly clear waters.
While the beach is a preserved natural gem, there are also some facilities and manmade landmarks that make this stretch of coast even more charming; there are rental umbrellas available (highly recommended as the sands can get impossibly hot in summer), canoe rentals are also available for those looking for a little bit of adventure, to the left of the beach there is one of Abruzzo's iconic trabocchi, and Italy's second highest lighthouse, the Punta Penna Lighthouse, constructed in 1906 under Olindo Tarcione, overlooks it all and boasts excellent views.
Free to visit and utterly beautiful, if you are looking for a beach in Abruzzo, this one is a real winner.
There is also an abundance of wildlife with birds such as Kentish Plovers, Great Bitterns, Squacco, Stonechats, Crested larks, Great Tits, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters and Sparrow Hawks being common. In the water, you will find dolphins and sea turtles visible in the perfectly clear waters.
While the beach is a preserved natural gem, there are also some facilities and manmade landmarks that make this stretch of coast even more charming; there are rental umbrellas available (highly recommended as the sands can get impossibly hot in summer), canoe rentals are also available for those looking for a little bit of adventure, to the left of the beach there is one of Abruzzo's iconic trabocchi, and Italy's second highest lighthouse, the Punta Penna Lighthouse, constructed in 1906 under Olindo Tarcione, overlooks it all and boasts excellent views.
Free to visit and utterly beautiful, if you are looking for a beach in Abruzzo, this one is a real winner.
Photo credit: Ra Boe / CC BY-SA 3.0