As Tides Rise, Italy’s Sandy Shores Shrink: One in Five Beaches Could Be Gone by 2050

Under the warm light of Mediterranean summers, Italy’s beaches have long been places of leisure, childhood laughter, and holiday reverie. But the horizon is shifting. Researchers warn that by 2050, around one in five of Italy’s beaches could vanish beneath rising seas, coastal erosion and flood risks. The landmarks of summer may no longer be so certain.

A recent report by the Italian Geographical Society titled “Sunken Landscapes” estimates that roughly 20 % of Italy’s 8,300 km of coastlines — particularly those composed of sandy beaches — are vulnerable to submersion by mid-century. The danger is most acute along the Northern Adriatic, the Gargano peninsula of Puglia, stretches of the Tyrrhenian coast between Tuscany and Campania, and parts of Sardinia around Cagliari and Oristano.

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