14 Best Beach Clubs in Italy: The Ultimate Guide

When I first saw the Corriere della Sera’s list of Italy’s top 14 beach clubs, I’ll admit my mind didn’t immediately jump to the shores of Lake Michigan or the concrete canyons of Chicago. But as someone who’s spent years tracking how global leisure trends ripple into local economies, I couldn’t help but wonder: what does a surge in premium beach club culture abroad mean for a city like ours, where summer means fighting for a patch of sand at 63rd Street Beach or navigating the weekend chaos at Oak Street? It’s not about replicating Riccione’s luxury cabanas on the South Side—it’s about recognizing how evolving expectations around leisure, design and hospitality are reshaping what Chicagoans demand from their own waterfront spaces, even if those spaces are freshwater rather than salt.

The Italian beach club model, as outlined in that Corriere guide, isn’t just about umbrellas and espresso. It’s a carefully calibrated ecosystem: design-forward architecture, locally sourced cuisine, curated music programming, and a tiered service structure signaled by those iconic ombrelloni—one for basic access, two for premium lounging, three for full cabana service with tableside mixology. What’s striking is how this model has evolved from postwar *stabilimenti balneari* into today’s experiential destinations, blending hospitality with cultural programming. Think of places like Phi Beach in Sardinia, not just as a spot to rent a chair, but as a venue hosting sunset DJ sets, art installations, and collaborations with regional chefs—all while maintaining strict environmental certifications for water quality and waste reduction. That duality—luxury meets stewardship—isn’t lost on urban planners here.

In Chicago, where the Lakefront Trail sees over 20 million annual users and the Chicago Park District manages 26 miles of shoreline, the pressure to upgrade aging infrastructure is mounting. The recent $60 million investment in the Navy Pier redevelopment, led by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), includes plans for expanded public plazas, improved accessibility, and latest food vendors—all echoing the Italian emphasis on integrated, high-quality public amenities. Meanwhile, groups like the Friends of the Parks have long advocated for better maintenance and equitable access across neighborhoods, pointing out that while North Side beaches often benefit from private conservancy funding, South and West Side shores frequently lag in amenities and programming. This disparity mirrors a second-order effect seen in Italy: as premium beach clubs flourish in places like Forte dei Marmi or Taormina, public beaches in less-touristed areas sometimes face reduced municipal investment, widening the experiential gap.

What’s emerging, then, isn’t a call to privatize Chicago’s lakefront but a chance to learn from how successful waterfront destinations balance exclusivity with accessibility. The Chicago Architecture Center has noted in recent exhibitions how cities like Copenhagen and Barcelona have used design competitions to elevate public bathhouses and swimming areas—think of Copenhagen’s Harbour Baths, where brutalist concrete meets swimmable harbor water, or Barcelona’s Forum bathing zones, which combine lifeguard services, showers, and cafes under a unified architectural language. Could similar design thinking apply here? Imagine a revitalized 31st Street Beach with a pavilion that offers not just restrooms and concessions but also a small café sourcing from Logan Square farmers, free yoga classes hosted by the Chicago Park District in partnership with local studios, and reservable shaded zones for families—all funded through a mix of public grants and modest, transparent concession fees, much like the Italian model’s blend of public access and premium upsells.

This isn’t just about aesthetics. There’s a socio-economic layer worth considering: as remote work becomes more entrenched, cities are rethinking how public spaces support not just recreation but also productivity and community cohesion. The Italian beach clubs that thrive aren’t just pretty—they offer reliable Wi-Fi, shaded workspaces, and flexible scheduling that accommodates both the 9-to-5er and the sunset crowd. For Chicago, where the Central Business District still sees fluctuating office occupancy, enhancing the lakefront as a viable “third place” could help retain talent and stimulate neighborhood economies. Picture a scenario where a software engineer in Pilsen logs off at 3 PM, walks to the newly upgraded 12th Street Beach, plugs into a solar-powered workstation under a shaded pergola, and joins a virtual meeting with a view of the skyline—all while supporting a local vendor selling elote and horchata from a Park District-licensed cart. That’s the kind of integrated, human-scaled vision that feels both globally informed and deeply local.

Given my background in urban journalism and community-driven storytelling, if this shift in waterfront expectations is impacting how you experience Chicago’s lakefront—or if you’re involved in local planning, hospitality, or neighborhood advocacy—here are three types of professionals you’ll desire to connect with, each bringing a specific lens to the table:

• Landscape Architects Specializing in Adaptive Reuse: Look for firms or individuals with proven experience transforming underutilized industrial or infrastructural spaces into vibrant public realms—think along the lines of those who’ve worked on the Bloomingdale Trail or the underutilized spaces beneath the Lake Shore Drive viaducts. Key criteria include a portfolio showing native plant integration, stormwater management expertise, and a track record of meaningful community engagement during design phases, not just perfunctory public meetings.
• Public-Private Partnership (PPD) Consultants Focused on Municipal Waterfronts: These aren’t generic PPD advisors; seek those who understand the unique regulatory framework of the Chicago Park District, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Army Corps of Engineers’ jurisdiction over the lakefront. They should be able to articulate models where private investment enhances public access—like kiosk concessions that fund lifeguard programs or amenity upgrades—without compromising equity or open-space mandates.
• Experiential Design Strategists for Civic Spaces: This is a niche but growing field. Ideal candidates come from backgrounds in museum exhibit design, festival programming, or urban wayfinding, with a demonstrated ability to layer cultural narrative into functional spaces. Ask for examples of how they’ve used lighting, material choices, or seasonal programming to create distinct “moods” across different times of day or year—similar to how Italian beach clubs shift from family-friendly mornings to aperitivo-centric evenings—and ensure they prioritize accessibility and multilingual signage from the outset.

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