Good winds, constant sun, and mid-height waves make Sardinia's west coast the capital of Italian surf country. Surf schools line the coast from Buggeru in the hardscrabble southwest to Alghero in the north. Capo Mannu, halfway up the coast, is considered one of the top surf destinations in the Mediterranean. Portixeddu and Piscinas beaches are worlds away from the glitzy resorts on Sardinia's east coast and can be nearly empty in May and June.

A number of surf spots sit along the coast of Lazio near Santa Marinella and Santa Severa, roughly an hour northwest of Rome. It’s a great place to surf (and windsurf) and convenient for short trips from the capital. Surf locales include Spiaggia Ostia Lido; however, Banzai Beach has consistently modest waves and is one of Italy’s top surf destinations. While some consider this area the surfing capital of Italy, it doesn’t have the same appeal of Sicily, Sardinia, or the Maremma.

Levanto is best known as a seaside town near Cinque Terre, a string of coastal towns comprising the Cinque Terre National Park on the Italian Riviera. However, the town’s crescent-shaped beach has been an under-the-radar surf spot since the 1980s. Among the places to surf in northern Italy, Levanto is second to Varazze, but stands out for being so close to the Cinque Terre. Surfers should note: mainland waves are best during winter and tend to flatten out during summer.

One of Sicily’s first surf schools is located in Isola delle Femmine, a small town near Palermo across the water from the island of the same name. However, some surfers say the best breaks sit on the other sides of the island. Popular spots include Playa di Catania, Cefalu, and beaches along the shoreline south of Syracuse. But there are surf spots all over the island, from secret launch points near Giardini Naxos to San Leone Beach near Agrigento.

Surfing in Venice’s canals is, sadly, illegal. However, surfers can try Punta Sabbioni Beach, a few miles from the city on the east coast of Cavallino-Treporti, a small town on a peninsula straddling the Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. Ferries reach Punta Sabbioni from Venice in roughly 30 minutes.

Just northwest of Genoa on the Italian Riviera—the Riviera di Ponente, to be exact—a few hours from France, the small town of Varazze draws surfers from all over Europe and beyond during the windy winter season. The beach and small harbor can get crowded during the day, but some surfers beat the crowds by hitting the water during the evening or even at night, aided by giant beach floodlights.

For surfing on the mainland, the Maremma region is your best bet. Surfers head to the coastal area in droves, hitting the Tyrrhenian Sea waters from the Etruscan Coast down to upper Lazio—with some even heading out to the Island of Elba in the Tuscan Archipelago. From north to south along the coast, the best surf spots are Castiglione della Pescaia, Castiglioncello, San Vincenzo, and Baratti, among others.