I often forget about Southern Europe. It’s so close to home that I kind of think “meh, not so exciting”, but in reality some of the best beach holidays I’ve ever had have been to the south of the Continent. Although I’ve only ever travelled to Italy once, it was an awesome trip with so many cool places to explore!
One thing to note if you’re from the UK, Italians drive very differently to us – lots of thin, narrow and winding roads at high speeds and little to no respect for another driver. I warned you, now be prepared. Cogoleto, located to the North West of Italy is a small coastal town not far from the City centre of Genoa. Now if you’re into beach relaxing, this place is for you. If you’re into clear water perfect for exploring and snorkelling then this place is for you too! What I’m trying to say is that Cogoleto is awesome for everything; beautiful beach bars, brilliant beaches and superb snorkelling. Also, since its located near to Genoa its extremely accessible by plane, so it really is a perfect destination!
My favourite thing about a chilled out beach break is when there are great places to relax in the sun next to the sea. Even better is when you can combine this with alcohol, and there are definitely enough beach bars in Cogoleto to refresh the vibe each and every day! We even found one with jacuzzis, so in case the sea gets too cold for you, go have a relaxing warm-up! How awesome is that?
Now, in my opinion beaches are one of those things that should be free. Being a natural and beautiful place that makes everyone’s day better, I feel that there’s no need to have to pay for access…Italians on the other hand have a different outlook on this, and don’t ask me why but for a lot of the beaches, you have to pay to just be there! I know it’s not right to “break the rules” and whatnot, but we found a way to avoid this.
Many of the beaches in this area in particular were surrounded by rocks and small cliffs, so we thought why not climb down them and avoid paying. I mean who loves saving money and having a great day at the same time? It felt so much better, so why not go for it…worst comes to worst and someone catches you and makes you leave or pay, which you would have done anyway, so I reckon no big deal. And due to most of the beaches being pebbly, it makes for some fantastically clear snorkelling. I don’t know about you but I think it’s so cool exploring underwater worlds of fish and plants.
However, easily the best part of the trip and my time in Italy was when we hired a speed boat for the day. It was only a small one, enough for 5 people which meant that it wasn’t too expensive, and easy to drive which is a major bonus when you have no boat licence! It’s definitely a worthwhile experience as it makes for an awesome day of freedom on the water. It’s also a good scare when you let the most irresponsible group member take it to full throttle.
Once your heart rate has slowed back down, you realise how amazing the views down the coastline are, and how far out to sea you can see. It makes for some great photography and the most peaceful relaxation possible! The other great part to having a boat is that you can access almost any snorkelling spots that you want, providing for the best snorkel adventures of the trip. The fact that the water is so clear makes it so much better just to park up, jump in, take a swim and explore…and still see the bottom which is always comforting.
So as I said at the beginning, and I’ll think you’ll agree now, although I’ve only been to Italy once, it’s a pretty great place to visit and definitely offers some awesome experiences. Whenever I think of travel at first I think of it to be action-packed, always on the move and exploring your surroundings. But there are definitely those moments you need that purely consist of relaxing, enjoying some sun and not having a care in the world, which I believe are fundamental to the travel lifestyle. And places like Cogoleto are prefect for just that! “Feel the sand between your toes, and find your place of relaxation”.
