An arch leading to blue waters of San Nicola Arcella
View from the inside of the Arch of Aeneas.

Inspiring Destinations – San Nicola Arcella, Italy

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San Nicola Arcella, Italy

San Nicola Arcella is a small coastal town in the Italian province of Cosenza.

But it is not the town that you would visit, it is for the spectacular beaches and especially the archways that lead to the sparkling clear blue waters.

Looking down on waters and and arch San Nicola ArcellaSan Nicola Arcella
The view of the Arch of Aeneas from the top of the stairway.

The archways are Arcomagno (Great Arch) and Arco di Enea (Arch of Aeneas). The arches are the former entryways to caves where the roof has collapsed.

A person in silhouette in the water
In the water in front of Arcomagno

To find these arches you need to climb a rugged stairway leading from the north end of San Nicola Arcella beach.

A view down on to a beach and blue water
The stairway leading from San Nicola Arcella beach can be seen at the right hand side of this photo

The crystal clear water in the area is lovely to swim in. We visited in October, the weather was warm and the water refreshing. Surprisingly there was only one other couple sharing the arches area with us.

Having a ‘bath’ in a rock formation

See if you can find the secret entrance to the ‘Blue Cave’. You can only access it by going for a swim and via a tunnel a few metres in length, but it is worth it.

Inside a cave with luminescent blue water at San Nicola Arcella
There is a secret entrance to a ‘Blue Cave’

Check out our full article on our visit here – Arcomagno – a little piece of Italian Paradise.