Simeri Mare: White Beach, Sand Art and History on the Ionian Sea

Simeri Mare between the Sea and the Hinterland

Simeri Mare is predominantly a holiday resort that developed in the 1980s. For you, the town combines a long coastal beach, activities on the water and historic sites in the hills of the hinterland near Simeri Mare. These different focal points make the town interesting if you want to plan your stay not only around the beach, but also around excursions and culture.

Beach, Bathing Water and Costa dei Gigli

Simeri Mare’s beach has fine, very white sand; the coastal beach stretches for 3 kilometres. At the Simeri Mare measuring point, bathing water quality was rated „EXCELLENT“ in 2024. This rating applied to a 513-metre section. The stretch of coast on the Ionian Sea near Simeri Mare is called Costa dei Gigli because of the rare sea lilies on the dunes.

Water Excursions from Simeri Mare

Sailing Dreams offers excursions by rubber dinghy from Simeri Mare along the Ionian coast. Sailing Dreams is based on the beach of the Villaggio Voi Floriana Resort in Simeri Mare. Excursions can be booked and enquiries made via WhatsApp, telephone or email. This allows you to add a maritime activity to your stay without choosing the beach as your sole travel focus.

History in the Hills

In the hills of the hinterland near Simeri Mare, a Byzantine castle recalls the medieval history of the municipality of Simeri Crichi. The Collegiata di Santa Maria d'Itria is also located there; it dates back to the 12th century. Anyone wishing to combine a coastal stay with historical impressions will find a clear contrast here to Simeri Mare, which was developed predominantly as a holiday resort.

Art, Sand and Shared Experiences

The Parco delle Installazioni Artistiche was opened in 2024 on Marincoli Beach in Simeri Mare. At the SandArtSimeri festival, the competitions include building sandcastles and creating sand sculptures; they are open to adults and children. One competition was open to teams of five to seven participants, with residents, tourists and interested visitors invited to take part. The public could also watch the creation of artworks modelled from sand live.

The third edition of the SandArtSimeri and SandSculpturesArt events was announced for Sunday, 16 August 2026, from 17:30 at the beach of Villaggio Eucaliptus. The Beach Boccia tournament at Lido Palmeiras in Simeri Mare also took place for the second consecutive year. Numerous adults, women and children took part, including people trying this sport for the first time.

Focal Points for Your Stay

When choosing your accommodation in Simeri Mare, you can tailor the focus of your stay to your interests: the long beach and its sandy landscape, a rubber dinghy excursion with Sailing Dreams, art and sand events, or the history in the hills of the hinterland. This allows you to decide which facets of the town should shape your personal travel plans.

For further travel planning, you can also explore Martirano Lombardo, Castagna, Montepaone, Copanello, Soverato Marina, Carlopoli, San Floro and Cropani.

To the higher-level travel overview: Catanzaro.