Beach Clubs in Rome {V Lounge Club + Ostia}

I am still here in the states where it is Labor Day weekend. We are usually back in Italy by now, so it has been a long time since I have had the chance for this traditional American farewell to summer. For the next few days we are in my hometown in Tennessee were we will be attending my high school reunion that includes a a tailgate party with BBQ and a Friday night football game. Noah is on his way back to Boston to start his second year at Berklee. Mark and I will spend a few days on the Martha's Vineyard before we eventually head back to Rome for our "rientro."  Rientro is the Italian version of the end of summer. Life slowly returns to the shuttered shops and quiet streets but it is not quite so definitive as specifically named weekend.

If we were back in Rome we would be spending the day at a nearby beach with a long lunch of spaghetti all vongole and a nap under the umbrella. We have a regular place, but right before I left for the states, in the throes of the wretched Roman heatwave, my pal Rick took me to his beach club in Ostia. It is pretty fabulous.

An easy train ride from the Ostiense/Piramide station the V Lounge Club is a short walk from the last stop on the Ostia Lido line.

I walked about ten minutes from the Cristofo Columbo station along the Lungomare past the beach clubs for military families, post office workers and public transport workers (Now I understand the Friday strike schedule) until I came to a beautifully landscaped club. Lush green lawn, lots of white, a pool, a deck with a restaurant, white curtained cabanas, a beach bar and a client to staff ration of about 3 to 1.

We were led straight past the bikini and sunglass shops to the juice bar where we ordered up a refreshing, healthy start to our long and lazy day. Rick of course is a Black Card holder so we had chairs waiting for us in the roped off VIP area on cool green grass with misters pointed towards our white cushioned loungers. We had cold water in ice buckets delivered to us all day long. 

For lunch we sauntered up to a breezy deck with an ocean view and drank cold Vermentino and had delicious fried calamari and artfully plated pasta dishes. Mine was served inside a stone crab shell! 

We stayed until sunset swimming in the ocean, drinking gin and tonics and enjoying the ocean breeze that was a very welcome respite from the heat back in the city.

Summer lingers in Rome well into September. I recommend celebrating the slow transition with an indulgent day by the sea. 

V Lounge Club
Lungomare Amerigo Vespucci, 62