Surf, sand and sundowners in Italy’s hottest coastal destinations

The good people of Italy’s cosmopolitan cities are certainly not adverse to indulging in a few aperitivi while watching the world go by in an alfresco bar, but to combine the country’s renowned beaches with your evening out you really need to go clubbing on the coast. We’ve rounded up some of the best places to party the night away – complete with sea views and sand between your toes.

Join stylish Sardinians sipping sundowners

Seriously stylish, visitors to Sardinia’s glorious Emerald Coast take their sunbathing very seriously – in fact, during summer months, the island’s sandy stretches turn into a chic catwalk as locals and international visitors drop anchor in the turquoise water and head to the area’s glamorous bars and exclusive clubs. If you can’t quite stretch to the mega-yacht, you can still look the part. Simply grab your designer bikini, oversized sunglasses and wide-brimmed hat, and strike a pose at Phi Beach. Occupying a slightly more laid back location below the Napoleonic fortress of Forte Cappellini, you’ll find wooden terraces and green spaces snuggled between rocky outcrops. With no guest list and no bouncers patrolling the beach, you don’t need to be A-list to dance the night away on the white canopied day beds as top DJs pump out electro-house beats.

Capri gets its old-school kicks

Singing along to songs in public might sound like your worst nightmare, but at Anema e Core even the most reticent reveller soon loses their inhibitions thanks to the fast and frenetic jazz performances and vintage Neapolitan classics played at this legendary piano bar. Audience participation is actively encouraged, and with a name that translates to ‘with all my heart and soul’, people throw themselves into the party here – expect to find yourself tap dancing on tabletops and fox-trotting with new-found friends. And while Capri is home to some ultra-luxurious bars – situated off the coast of Naples the pretty island has earned itself a reputation as a billionaire’s playground – this place is truly down-to-earth.

Party with the Romans in Rimini

You’ve done your best gladiator impression in the Colosseum and stared up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel – if you’ve conquered Rome’s top attractions and want to take some time out from your sightseeing schedule with a seaside break, make like the locals and enjoy a ‘Roman holiday’ in Rimini. Just a three-train ride from the capital, this Adriatic resort is home to heaps of fashionable bars and clubs, not to mention more than 150 beautiful beaches on which to recover the next day. The after-dark options here are endless – from the towering glass pyramid of Cocoricò, where you might just catch headline acts like Benny Benassi and Norman Cook, to the palm tree-fringed, Caribbean-themed Coconuts on one of the beaches close to the city’s historic port.

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