The beach at Sant'Andrea Marina stretches for around five kilometres along the Ionian coast directly below the town, a long arc of dark volcanic sand meeting water that is a startling shade of clear blue-green. This is one of the least developed stretches of coast on the eastern Calabrian shore: no beach clubs dominating every metre, no jet-ski rental concessions, no souvenir kiosks. In July and August a handful of seasonal lido bars set up rows of loungers and umbrellas and sell cold drinks, but most of the beach remains free and open, and outside those two peak months you can have long stretches entirely to yourself.
The sea floor drops away steeply close to shore, which makes for good swimming but is worth knowing about if you are bringing young children. The water temperature climbs into the high twenties by mid-summer and stays warm well into September. In the morning the Sila mountains are visible behind the town above you; in the afternoon the light on the water is something else. Getting down from the town involves a short drive or a twenty-minute walk on a steep road — bring everything you need, since the lido bars are the only facilities and they close entirely outside summer.