Alimini, Beach in Otranto, Italy

Alimini is a beach along the Adriatic coast near Otranto, featuring fine golden sand and clear waters backed by low Mediterranean shrubs and natural dunes. The shoreline curves gently across a bay, with limestone cliffs framing the edges and creating varied sections.

Alimini lies in the Salento near Otranto, a stretch of coast the Messapians and later the Romans used. In 1480 an Ottoman fleet under Gedik Ahmed Pasha took Otranto after a siege, and the coast became part of the defensive line of watchtowers the Kingdom of Naples built against raids from the sea.

Alimini takes its name from the two coastal lakes behind the sand, Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo, separated from the sea by dunes. The area lies within the Parco Naturale Regionale Costa Otranto–Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase, and the lakes are a stopping point on bird migration routes. Local use centres on the beach and the pine woods between the lakes and the shore.

The beach has multiple access points and parking facilities within easy walking distance from the sand. Equipment rental services for sun umbrellas and loungers are available on-site, especially during summer months.

Behind the beach sit two connected lakes, Alimini Grande and Alimini Piccolo, which form a significant nature reserve. These shallow waters attract numerous bird species and offer visitors a quieter retreat away from the sand.