On Saturday we went to La Lecciona, a beach between Viareggio and Torre del Lago. It's a very nice beach, of white (-ish) sand. It was pretty crowded, despite the fact that you have to walk accross the forest for a good 15 minutes to get there. Every single Lucchese who we talked to complained that the water wasn't clear there, but it looked OK to me, probably because I am used to the Ocean water. Of course it was not as clear as in Cinqueterre, but that's a small price to pay to lay on sand instead of on rocks!

Note:Naturism is permitted at La Lecciona, which means that you might see a few naked people on the beach, not that you have to be naked yourself. It is actually considered a gay beach. It is also a favorite of a lot of straight (as far as I know!) Lucchese.

How to get to La Lecciona

It's a 20 minute drive from Lucca, plus a 15/20mn walk:
take the higway towards Genova, and exit at Viareggio,
go into Viareggio, then follow the signs for Torre del Lago,
turn right when you see the sign for Viale de le Tigli,
turn left (on Viale de le Tigli) at the next intersection,
after about a mile, you will see cars parked under the trees along the road, and a pizzeria "La Lecciona" on the right.
Park there.
Take the path on the right side of the pizzeria,
follow the path until you get to a T,
take right, then left at the next fork, and soon you should see the beach.