The number of Italian seaside and lakeside resorts awarded the prestigious blue-flag designation for cleanliness and sustainability has risen by 11 to 257 this year, the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) said on Thursday.
    There were 14 Italian new entries, but three municipalities lost their flags.
    The number of lakeside blue-flag resorts was up by one to 23 and Italian blue flag marinas rose to 87.

The new entries include the Emilia-Romagna city of Rimini, which is hugely popular with Italian tourists, Locri, Limone sul Garda and Monte Argentario.
    Among those to lose their flag was San Felice Circeo, a town near Latina to the south of Rome that is situated in a spectacular natural park.
    Liguria again leads the way with 35 blue-flag resorts, followed by Puglia, which has 27, and Calabria, which has climbed to joint second with four new entries.

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