Vasto, Abruzzo

With its interminable white-sand beaches, Italy’s Adriatic coast merits exploration beyond the resorts of Rimini and Riccione.

Well on the way towards the “heel” of the peninsula, Vasto – birthplace of Gabriele Rossetti, father of Dante Gabriel and Christina – is an elegant place, set high above a straggle of family-fun beach high-rises to the south, and a striking stretch of unspoilt coastline in the Punta Aderci nature reserve to the north, where trabocchi – ramshackle wooden fishing platforms – emerge like crazy sculptures from the sea.

You’ll find exceptional hospitality at the Bagni Vittoria b&b where seven rooms and apartments are a stone’s throw – quite literally – from the Adriatic waves.