Sailing in Italy: 11 sailing areas and where to start

Italy has sailing areas for every crew, from the short hops of La Maddalena and the Bay of Naples to the open crossings of the Pontine and Aeolian Islands. Charter yachts sail from marinas run by professional charter companies and are rented by the week, usually Saturday to Saturday. You can go bareboat if someone aboard holds a licence the charter company accepts, or hire a skipper or book a crewed yacht. For a first week, Elba, the Bay of Naples, La Maddalena and Villasimius have the easiest legs.

Italy's sailing areas at a glance

Each area has its own guide with a 7-day itinerary, distances and local rules. The "suits" column is our reading of those guides: leg lengths, open crossings and anchoring rules.

Sardinia

La Maddalena and the Costa Smeralda

North-east Sardinia combines the granite bays of the Costa Smeralda, the Tavolara marine reserve and the La Maddalena national park, with more than 60 islands and islets. Legs are short, often 10 to 20 nautical miles. You need the park ticket to sail or anchor within 300 m of the coast, from June to October you may anchor only by day and on sand, and a night in a bay is only allowed on a buoy with a holding tank. In settled weather you can cross to Bonifacio in Corsica, but not when the maestrale is forecast.

Full route: sailing La Maddalena and the Costa Smeralda. Bases: Sardinia.

South Sardinia: Villasimius to Carloforte

Cagliari gives you two coasts. East lies the Capo Carbonara marine reserve at Villasimius, where anchoring in zone C is only allowed in the marked Campulongu and Porto Giunco areas. West, the Costa del Sud leads past the Capo Teulada firing range (transit only, never when firing) to San Pietro and Carloforte. The full loop is about 185 nm with a longest leg of about 38 nm: the Villasimius side suits a first week, the maestrale-exposed west suits crews at ease in a fresh breeze.

Full route: sailing south Sardinia from Carloforte to Villasimius. Bases: yacht charter in Sardinia.

Sicily and the south

Aeolian Islands

Seven volcanic islands lie north of Sicily, from steaming Vulcano to Stromboli, which throws up glowing lava after dark. A loop from Capo d'Orlando or Portorosa covers about 110 nm, with an open crossing of about 20 nm each way. The sea off Stromboli's Sciara del Fuoco is a no-go zone set by Coast Guard ordinance and has been widened with volcanic activity, so check the current ordinance and alert level.

Full route: Aeolian Islands sailing week. Bases: Sicily.

Egadi Islands and western Sicily

Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo lie close to Trapani, inside what calls itself Europe's largest marine protected area. Legs are mostly 10 to 22 nm, nights are spent on reserve buoy fields or in small harbours, and buoys and anchoring need an authorisation with a fee. From 15 July to 15 September visitors may not anchor in the sensitive bays such as Cala Rossa, and Marettimo's west coast is zone A, closed to charter yachts. Crossings are open to maestrale and scirocco, so newcomers to the Mediterranean may want a skipper for the first days.

Full route: sailing the Egadi Islands and western Sicily. Bases: yacht charter in Sicily.

Tropea and the Costa degli Dei

The coast from Pizzo to Capo Vaticano is a regional marine park, sailed from Tropea or Vibo Marina, about 11 nm apart. Most legs are short, but the highlight is an open crossing of about 32 nm to Stromboli, which has no marina: only plan a night there if the current Coast Guard ordinance allows you to anchor or moor. An option south leads to Scilla at the mouth of the busy Strait of Messina.

Full route: Tropea and the Costa degli Dei by boat. Bases: Italy.

Campania and Lazio

Amalfi Coast and Capri

Amalfi, Positano, the Li Galli islets, the Punta Campanella marine reserve and Capri lie within about 25 nm, so legs from Salerno are short. Still, it is demanding: heavy ferry traffic, small harbours to book, and a reserve where anchoring is banned in zones A and B and allowed only from 08:00 to 20:00 in zone C. From June to September you must stay outside the Blue Grotto buoys.

Full route: sailing the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Bases: Amalfi Coast.

Procida, Ischia and the Bay of Naples

The gentlest week in Campania: legs are often under 7 nm, nights are mostly in marinas on Procida and Ischia, and day trips reach the sunken Roman town of Baia. The sea around Ischia, Procida and Vivara is the Regno di Nettuno marine protected area, where anchoring needs a park authorisation from the BlueDiscovery app and daily permits for visiting boats are capped from 1 June to 30 September. Cross the busy ferry and hydrofoil lanes at right angles.

Full route: Procida, Ischia and the Bay of Naples by boat. Bases: boat rental on the Amalfi Coast.

Pontine Islands

Ponza, Palmarola, Zannone and Ventotene are the closest remote-feeling islands to Rome, sailed from Marina di Nettuno. Open crossings of 20 to 35 nm with no shelter on the way make it an area for experienced crews. Around Ventotene and Santo Stefano, anchoring needs a marine-reserve permit and is only allowed on sand or pebbles. In the bathing season boats must stay out of the sea within 200 m of beaches and 50 m of rocky shores on Ponza and Ventotene.

Full route: the Pontine Islands by boat. Bases: yacht charter in Italy.

Tuscany and Liguria

Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago

Elba is the easiest big island in Italy to reach under sail: about 10 nm from Piombino and about 20 nm from San Vincenzo or Punta Ala, with sheltered town harbours on every side. Capraia adds a longer open leg of about 20 nm, and in settled weather Macinaggio on Corsica is about 18 nm beyond it. Pianosa and Montecristo are strict reserves: private yachts may not visit Pianosa, and Montecristo only with prior authorisation for a guided landing at Cala Maestra.

Full route: sailing Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago. Bases: Tuscany.

Cinque Terre and Portofino

From La Spezia, a loop of about 100 nm takes in Porto Venere, the five villages, San Fruttuoso and Portofino. The park buoys off the villages are for daytime stops up to force 2, so you sleep in Porto Venere, Santa Margherita Ligure or Portofino and book ahead. The Cinque Terre daily permit excludes rental and occasional charter, so ask your charter company whether your yacht may use the buoys. Two legs of about 30 nm make this a week for crews with some experience.

Full route: the Cinque Terre and Portofino by boat. Bases: Italian Riviera.

The Adriatic

Venice lagoon and Chioggia

From Chioggia you sail to marinas within walking distance of St Mark's Square and on to Murano, Burano and Torcello. Motor boats must stay inside channels marked by posts called briccole, speed limits are in km/h (20 km/h across the lagoon, 5 km/h in many canals), sailing is banned in Venice's canals and every night is spent in a marina. The MOSE barriers close the inlets when a tide above 110 cm is forecast, mostly between autumn and spring, and the one sea day to Caorle is best skipped in a strong bora or scirocco.

Full route: the Venice lagoon from Chioggia. Bases: boat rental in Italy.

What you need to know before a charter week in Italy

Licence. In Italy you may drive a boat without a licence only with an engine up to 30 kW (40.8 hp) and within 6 nm of the coast. Charter yachts have bigger engines, so the skipper needs a licence the charter company accepts; see our guides to the boat licence in Italy and the ICC certificate. Otherwise hire a skipper.

Marine protected areas. Most areas in this guide have a national park or marine protected area, and the pattern is similar:

• Zone A is closed, for example the Ma zones at La Maddalena, Marettimo's west coast and the Vervece rock off Sorrento.
• Anchor on sand or pebbles, never on Posidonia seagrass; several parks also ban anchoring over coralligenous reef.
• Anchoring or using park buoys usually needs a permit and a fee: the park ticket at La Maddalena, the BlueDiscovery app at Ischia, Procida, Ventotene and Punta Campanella, and online permits in the Egadi and the Cinque Terre. Check the fee on the park's own site.
• In buoy fields: one boat per buoy, no anchoring inside the field.
• Ask at check-in which park authorisations your yacht already holds.

Bathing zones in summer. Each coastal Guardia Costiera office issues a bathing-safety ordinance every season, usually from about the third week of May to the third week of September (in Sicily the regional season can run from May to October). In most ordinances cited in our guides (Salerno for the Amalfi Coast, Elba, Gaeta), the sea within 200 m of beaches and 100 m of steep cliffs is reserved for swimmers: no navigating, anchoring or stopping. Details vary: Ponza and Ventotene use 50 m off rocky shores, and Lipari bans stopping within 300 m of the coast. Reach the shore only through marked lanes at minimum speed, and read the local ordinance on the Guardia Costiera portal.

Packing and paperwork. See what to bring on a yacht charter, and fill in the yacht charter preference sheet before you arrive.

FAQ

Which area is best for a first charter week in Italy?

Elba, the Bay of Naples, La Maddalena and the Villasimius side of south Sardinia have the shortest legs. The Amalfi Coast and the Pontine Islands are more demanding.

When is the best time to sail in Italy?

The season runs roughly from May to October. June and September are quieter than July and August, when harbours such as Portofino, Capri and Porto Azzurro should be booked well ahead.

Can I combine Sardinia and Corsica in one week?

Yes, from La Maddalena: Bonifacio is about 12 to 13 nm from the northern islands. Book the berth ahead, check that your contract allows French waters and avoid maestrale days. See also our guide to the boat licence in France.

Can I sail a charter yacht in Italy without a licence?

Not bareboat. Charter yachts have engines bigger than 30 kW and most crossings go beyond 6 nm, so book a skipper or a crewed yacht.

Can I spend the night at anchor?

Often not. At Punta Campanella you may anchor only from 08:00 to 20:00, the La Maddalena park allows nights only on buoys, and in the Venice lagoon you may not stop in the channels. Plan most nights in harbours or on park buoys.