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Tuscany (Gulf of Follonica) · Follonica · Grosseto

Follonica

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Perelli 12 km · Marina di Grosseto Fiumara 27 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMar to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy10-20mixed LaunchSpacious for launching and landing at Follonica; at Puntone you park at the beach itself.access rules on record, below Waterchoppy open-sea water over sand; Puntone area can be flatter25°C in summer · 5 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport90 minPisa International Airport (PSA)

When it fills in

midday to afternoon for the thermal component

Follonica sits on the Gulf of Follonica, and most of the kiting that gets called Follonica actually happens at Puntone di Scarlino, just south of town. The town beach is shallow sand and choppy; Puntone is the flatter of the two and shallow enough that a beginner can stand up and sort themselves out.

Wind is a mix of western-sector synoptic days and summer thermal, and it arrives around midday and builds through the afternoon, so mornings are for coffee. Puntone is also the launch with the clearest legal position, a private watersports beach that keeps a launch corridor open in high season.

Central Follonica is murkier: in bathing season the technical prescriptions for kite corridors sit with the maritime authority rather than the town, so ask the school before you rig. Freeride and freestyle riders get the most out of it, and nobody comes here for waves.

Off the water it is the Maremma, with Cala Violina, Baratti and Populonia inside an easy drive.

The wind

locals call it Maestrale / Mistral, Ponente, Libeccio, summer thermal breeze

Direction

onshoreNW

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: midday to afternoon for the thermal component

Typical strength

10-20

Thermal and usually constant at Puntone, with the same character at Follonica itself.

Wind at Follonica is thermal and steady, arriving around midday and running into the afternoon. Puntone's best months are March through October, with constant wind from NW, W, SW and S. Puntone Beach itself gets moderate wind and summer breezes over a gently shelving bottom, which is why it is used for teaching windsurfing and other sailing sports.

Also on record

10-20

The quiver, in words

7-12m

Direction to shore

side-shore to onshore depending on exact launch and wind direction

Dominant direction

NW, W, SW, S

Forecast

Month by month

Jan19
Feb25
Mar, riders' month31
Apr, riders' month17
May, riders' month8
Jun, riders' month5
Jul, riders' month10
Aug, riders' month8
Sep, riders' month13
Oct, riders' month24
Nov25
Dec13

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

19%Jan14°
25%Feb14°
31%Mar15°
17%Apr16°
8%May20°
5%Jun24°
10%Jul27°
8%Aug28°
13%Sep25°
24%Oct22°
25%Nov19°
13%Dec16°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	19%	31%	23%	9.1 kt	ENE	12:00	8.4°C	14.4°C	62
Feb	25%	37%	32%	9.9 kt	ENE	15:00	9.3°C	13.8°C	57
Mar	31%	45%	39%	11.6 kt	SSE	14:00	11.2°C	14.8°C	62
Apr	17%	37%	30%	10 kt	S	15:00	13.3°C	16.4°C	60
May	8%	23%	16%	8.9 kt	SW	14:00	18.2°C	19.6°C	62
Jun	5%	17%	12%	8.7 kt	WSW	15:00	23°C	23.8°C	60
Jul	10%	10%	10%	8.6 kt	SW	15:00	26.9°C	27°C	62
Aug	8%	15%	11%	8.6 kt	SW	15:00	26.5°C	27.6°C	62
Sep	13%	27%	22%	9.2 kt	SSW	15:00	21.6°C	24.7°C	60
Oct	24%	34%	29%	9.9 kt	SSE	15:00	18.8°C	22.2°C	62
Nov	25%	38%	33%	10.8 kt	ENE	13:00	13.1°C	18.7°C	60
Dec	13%	21%	19%	8.5 kt	ENE	14:00	9.6°C	15.6°C	62

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

choppy open-sea water over sand; Puntone area can be flatter

Standing depth

Follonica's town beach is shallow sand. Puntone shelves gently over sand and holds low water, which is why that beach is used for teaching windsurf and first lessons. How far out you can actually stand has no published figure.

Tides

The tide is not a factor. Through a normal day the water sits within roughly 0.2 m of mean, and about 0.7 m separates the year's highest predicted high from its lowest low, so neither the launch nor the shallows change with the clock. Indicative from tide prediction; there is no gauge at the spot.

Temperature

25°C summer · 13°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts, swimsuit or shorty can work in the warmest months; a full wetsuit is typically needed in cooler spring, autumn and winter months.

14–28°C water

Follonica is shallow, sandy and choppy. Puntone, just south at Scarlino, holds low water over a sand bottom and runs a private watersports beach with a launch corridor kept open in high season.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Sand, shallow water and mellow conditions make Follonica workable for a first season, and it is ridden by everyone up to professional level. Puntone is the better place to learn: low water, constant wind and little bathing traffic.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginnerfreeridefreestylehydrofoilwakestyle

Resort coast in summer. Puntone takes less bathing traffic than the ordinary resort beaches.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Spacious for launching and landing at Follonica; at Puntone you park at the beach itself.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Perelli, 12 km

Perelli Marina di Grosseto Fiumara

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

There is a rescue service and toilets at the Follonica kite spot. The 2023 Follonica beach ordinance requires the beach facilities to keep a lifesaving service running through the bathing season.

Launch

Sandy beach launch at Follonica; Puntone/Scarlino is a private watersports beach with a launch corridor, including in high season.

Space

Spacious for launching and landing at Follonica; at Puntone you park at the beach itself.

Rules & access

Beach use in Follonica is regulated by Ordinanza Dirigenziale n. 190 del 6 aprile 2023 (Comune di Follonica). The 2023 ordinance defines the bathing season as 01 June-15 September, refers kite surf to maritime authority rules, requires nautical beach concessions to install launch corridors following maritime-authority prescriptions, and places the technical prescriptions for kite-surf corridors under the exclusive maritime authority.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Pack a long wetsuit for the cooler months and a short one for summer.
Kites of 7-12m cover most days here.
Rent a car; the nearest airports are Pisa and Florence.
Confirm the active kite corridor and the beach rules with the local school before rigging in bathing season.
If you are learning, or riding in summer, go to the Puntone/Scarlino kite beach rather than guessing at a central Follonica launch.
Turn up in the afternoon, because the thermal is not an early-morning wind.
Puntone Beach at Puntone Vecchio (Scarlino) rents kite, hydrofoil, wingfoil, windsurf, SUP and canoe gear and has showers and a bar; +39 320 4476238 if you want the launch situation confirmed before you drive.
Do not plan around the tide. It moves a couple of decimetres and decides nothing.

Getting there

Airport

Pisa International Airport (PSA); Florence Airport (FLR) is another option

Route

A car gives you the most freedom, though public transport works. Direct Pisa Centrale-Follonica trains run, the fastest around 59 minutes.

Transfer

90 min

Cost level

mid

Staying

Resort, apartment and bungalow accommodation is available near the coast; PKS Golfo del Sole is based within the Golfo del Sole resort area.

No-wind days

Beach time, Cala Violina, Baratti and Populonia, Tuscan Maremma food and wine, SUP, canoe, sailing, wingfoil and windsurf.

FAQ

Is Follonica suitable for beginners?

Yes, especially at Puntone di Scarlino, described as ideal for learning because of shallow water, constant wind and limited bathing traffic.

What is the wind like at Follonica?

Wind runs about 10-20 knots from NW, W, SW or S, mixing synoptic systems with a midday-to-afternoon thermal component.

Are there rules or launch corridors?

A 2023 Comune di Follonica ordinance sets the bathing season from 1 June to 15 September and requires beach concessions to install launch corridors under maritime-authority prescriptions.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Puntone Beach/Surf Relax and PKS Golfo del Sole operate in the area.

Last updated: August 2026