Between the concrete of the Tangenziale Est and a promontory where the Mediterranean scrub suddenly gives way to a sheer drop over the sea, there are 270 kilometers and less than 3 hours of driving. In between: the A24, the A14, and one too many highway rest stops. At the end: Punta Aderci, near Vasto, one of the most beautiful beaches you can reach by leaving Rome in the morning.
It’s the kind of place that makes you understand why it ends up straight on the lists of Italy’s most beautiful beaches every summer. No beach clubs crammed together, no lines for sunbeds: a 285-hectare nature reserve where you arrive and, quite simply, there’s the sea.
Sabaudia, Sperlonga, Gaeta, and Circeo are all wonderful places. But there comes a time—usually around July—when even the Lazio coastline starts to feel a bit cramped, and the idea of driving an extra hour or so to cross into another region feels like the right move. Punta Aderci is exactly that move.
What makes Punta Aderci different from the usual beaches near Rome
The Punta Aderci Regional Nature Reserve is a succession of elements that don’t usually go together: golden-sand beaches, pebble coves, sheer cliffs, and country trails winding high above the sea. All along the same stretch of coastline.
The heart of the reserve is Punta Penna Beach: wide, golden, with dunes behind it and water so clear that loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nest there. This isn’t just brochure-style rhetoric; it’s a fairly recent reality along these coasts.
Here we are in the Costa dei Trabocchi Park, and the trabocchi are the detail that really sticks in your mind: ancient wooden fishing structures, stilt houses jutting out over the water like friendly spiders, many of which have now been converted into restaurants.
Dining on a trabocco at sunset is, on its own, worth half the trip.
The lighthouse that almost no one expects
Above Punta Penna stands a record that takes first-time visitors by surprise. The Punta Penna Lighthouse, built in the early 20th century and standing 70 meters tall, isthe second-tallest lighthouse in Italy: only the Lanterna di Genova surpasses it. A sort of white skyscraper planted in the midst of nature, overlooking the Gulf of Vasto.
Punta Aderci: What to Know Before You Go (What’s New for Summer 2026)
Punta Aderci, right now, is a fragile beauty in the literal sense, and it’s worth knowing that before you go.
Since March 2025, a landslide has opened a chasm along the route of the former Adriatic railway, where the Via Verde—the Costa dei Trabocchi bike and pedestrian path—runs. More than a year later, the section remains closed, and the rains of recent months have only made matters worse. The estimated cost of restoration is around 4 million euros: in other words, this isn’t something that can be fixed in a weekend.
How to get there from Rome (without any surprises)
🚗By car is the quickest option: about 265 km and roughly 3 hours, taking the A24/A25 until you connect to the A14 Adriatica, exiting at Vasto Nord. The toll is around 25–26 euros each way.
🚆 Without a car, take the train to the Vasto-San Salvo station and then continue by bus or shuttle to Punta Penna beach.
