Ever been to an Italian beach in high summer? You might only be 1,000 miles from the south coast of England, but you could just as well be on another planet. Forget kicking back in flip-flops and an old pair of shorts; this is la dolce vita with added self-assurance and SPF20 – think bronzed men in budgie-smugglers, salon-groomed women in white string bikinis, and children straight out of an Armani Junior ad.
So it makes perfect sense that, amid such a display of bodies and designer swimwear, the beaches are going to be a vision of ordered perfection, too. These shots, which have been shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards, were taken between Ravenna and Rimini, on Italy’s Adriatic coast, in August last