Summer is here! If you want to take your dog to the beach you might want to know Tuscany has around 56 beaches where your dogs are allowed in. 15 of these beaches are “public” and completely free and 41 are “private”. What does “free/public and private beach” mean? “Free beaches” are coasts where dogs of all sizes and breeds are allowed in and can run and swim in the sea, at any time and without a leash. Regulation varies between municipalities, but generally each person can bring up to 2 dogs, which should be either registered in the canine registry or up to date with vaccinations. Aggressive dogs are not allowed as well as female dogs in heat. Keep in mind also you must clean after your dog, as usual. Free beaches are located between the province of Grosseto (3 beaches) and Livorno (12 beaches, 3 of them are in the Island of Elba and 9 in the Livorno area).

Private pet-friendly beaches in Tuscany accept dogs of all sizes and usually offer showers, bowls, food, drinking fountains and shaded areas, and the possibility to let your dogs swim in the sea.

The most “equipped” province is Lucca, where there are 30 pet-friendly beaches. 28 of these beaches belong to the municipality of Camaiore that in 2012 signed an agreement with “ASL 12″, the Local Health Authority of Versilia, and the “Associazione Lido di Camaiore” establishing a minimum of two umbrellas per beach should be reserved to people with dogs.

We also would like to highlight the beach of San Vincenzo (Livorno) which offers a number of interesting pet-friendly services such as “dog-cots”, veterinary and dog-sitting services, agility areas and the possibility to organize events for dogs.