Gardone, Sirmione and Toscolano: Blue Flags confirmed

20 May 2024

Garda once again makes it a trio. Gardone Riviera (Lido Beach, Casino Beach) has been confirmed as a FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) Blue Flag winner for the 14th consecutive year, and this year, as in 2023, it is joined by two other Garda municipalities, Sirmione (Lido delle Grotte) and Toscolano Maderno (Lido Azzurro).
The Blue Flag award ceremony took place this morning, Tuesday 14 May, at the CNR headquarters in Rome, in the presence of the mayors, the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies, Nello Musumeci, and the president of the Fee Italia Foundation, Claudio Mazza.

Ambrosini: ‘The quality of the services provided is growing’

Stefano Ambrosini, town councillor with responsibility for the environment at Gardone Riviera: ‘The work, which began three terms of office ago, in 2009, has led to an increase in the quality of services provided for tourists and users of the “garden city”, such as energy saving and the use of LED public lighting, or the expansion of electric recharging stations for sustainable mobility (for the 2024 season the installation of 4 Fast + 3 Quick columns and the modernisation of the Gardauno station is planned). It has also meant maintaining the high standards of public services provided to tourists, but also the constant improvement of the quality of the tourist offer perceived by our tourists, thanks to the work of the tour operators’.
Ambrosini thanks all those involved, citizenship, traders and hoteliers, museums, municipal employees, service managers, and bodies in charge of constantly checking the bathing water: ‘Everyone's work makes it possible every year to maintain the previous quality standards, but with a constant search for improvement of this little paradise of ours.

Lavelli: ‘award that enhances our tourist destination’

Luisa Lavelli, mayor of Sirmione, the pearl of Lake Garda: ‘We are very proud to have obtained the reconfirmation of the Blue Flag, an important recognition of our commitment to the concrete realisation of sustainable tourism.
It is - continues Lavelli - a prestigious attestation of the correct policies for the protection and management of the territory, a further element of enhancement of our tourist destination. Environmental education, accessibility, inclusiveness, and water quality fly our flag’.

Tononi: ‘Sustainability is the way to go’

Luca Tononi, councillor for tourism in Toscolano Maderno: ‘It is with great pride that we inform you that Toscolano Maderno has been awarded the Blue Flag for the second consecutive year, a certificate to be shared with all the citizens, tour operators, and shopkeepers of our town who contribute with their work and commitment to obtaining these results.
We leave this meeting aware that sustainability will be the path to follow in the coming years
Sustainable tourism and sustainable trade will be the only possible guarantee of a future for the new generations to come’.

Gelmini: ‘Three Blue Flags, heritage to protect’

‘Lake Garda confirms its three Blue Flags, namely Gardone Riviera, Sirmione and Toscolano Maderno. This is an important recognition for the whole Garda area and a strong encouragement for all its economic operators who work, every day, to protect and enhance the most important freshwater basin our country has. A heritage of inestimable value for Italy and Europe’.
Thus Mariastella Gelmini, President of the Garda Community.

What is the Blue Flag?

The Blue Flag is an international recognition, established in 1987 European Year of the Environment, which is awarded annually in 49 countries, initially only European, more recently also non-European, with the support and participation of the two UN agencies: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation) with which FEE has signed a Global Partnership Protocol and recognised by UNESCO as a world leader in the field of environmental education and education for sustainable development.
The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to seaside resorts that comply with criteria on sustainable land management.
The main objective of this programme is to steer the local management policy of many coastal resorts towards a process of environmental sustainability.

Blue Flags in Italy rise to 236, top lidos are 485

The number of coastal resorts that can boast the Blue Flag 2024 award rises to 236, ten more than last year.
This year, for the 38th edition, the flag will fly on 485 beaches with excellent sea or lake for four consecutive years (27 more than in 2023), corresponding to approximately 11.5% of those awarded worldwide (click here for the list of Blue Flag municipalities; here for the list of Blue Flag beaches).
On the other hand, the number of marinas (click here for the list) that have obtained international recognition from the Fee (Foundation for Environmental Education) on the basis of 32 Programme criteria has dropped from 84 to 81.
Always first on the podium is Liguria, which has 2 new entries but loses two Flags, thus confirming 34 locations; Puglia rises to 24 with 3 new municipalities and one exit, while Campania and Calabria follow in a tie with 20 Flags, with one more award each. With one new entry, Marche receives 19 Blue Flags, while Tuscany drops to 18 with the loss of one municipality. Sardinia confirms its 15 resorts, Abruzzo also rises to 15 with a new entry, Sicily reaches 14 Flags with three new entries, Trentino Alto Adige rises to 12 with two more municipalities, and Lazio remains at 10. In Emilia Romagna 9 localities were awarded and Veneto's 9 Flags reconfirmed. Basilicata confirms its 5 localities, and there are also 5 municipalities in Piedmont that have been awarded Flags.
Lombardy confirms 3 municipalities (all from Lake Garda), Friuli Venezia Giulia maintains its 2, as does Molise. On the lakes this year there are 23 Blue Flags, with 2 new ones.



Read the full article on: https://www.gardapost.it/2024/05/14/gardone-sirmione-e-toscolano-confermate-le-bandiere-blu/