The Jarvii You are probably wondering why there wasn’t a Day 6 entry. Well, we decided to have a shopping day and really just a break from waking up early. It was actually nice to find a mall as a reprieve from the Roman heat.
And Day 7 was equally hot, with temps in the 90s. So off to the beach we went, Marina di San Nicola to be exact. This beach is a quick 40 minute drive from Rome when there’s no traffic. But August in Italy with the heat bearing down on the city meant beach traffic, so more like an hour or so if you don’t factor in the time to find parking (which took us another 30 minutes).
Marina di San Nicola is a cute little beach town just north of the airport. My cousin chose this beach because of the shallower and calmer water for the kids. You could walk pretty far into the sea without it being so intimidating for the kids. And boy did they enjoy just splashing about. My cousin brought us sand toys and the kids were able to build sandcastles when they weren’t busy swimming. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch we packed from home.
There are a few private beach clubs here. They mostly provide nice beach loungers and umbrellas. Some had cafes and all have bathrooms. There was a club that had a public bathroom, and by public I mean you have to pay a few Euros to use the toilet. It was a 5 minute walk from where we were posted up on the beach.
The public beach itself was actually really nice, albeit very crowded. It was clean and relaxing. The huge difference between American beaches and Italian beaches, aside from the male swimwear, is that people smoke their cigarettes. It’s slightly disconcerting as an American even though that’s pretty much Italy no matter where you go. But everyone pretty much does what you do at American beaches, more soccer playing though.
At the end of the day we went to Ladispoli, another beach town a few minutes north. This town is more like the “boardwalk” type of beach town. There were more restaurants along the beach and there was a little arcade I took the kids to ride the carousel. We also had a little ice cream snack to hold us over until it was time for our (very late) dinner.
As a tourist, I know you can easily get a local train from Termini to Ladispoli (about an hour ride). Having said that, I do not know how to get to the beach from the train (since we drove), nor do I know the best spot to set up shop on the beach for the day. But the people there are super friendly, so I’m sure they would be able to point you in the right direction. Thank goodness for my cousins, who have being coming out here since they were born.
I’m happy we did this little trip. It was super relaxing and felt like a real summer vacation. Funny enough this was the only time we’ve been to the beach all summer!
