Sailing in Italy, Sicily ancient and modern

Yacht charter Sicily

Sicily extends far to the south and east. This means that as in Turkey and the Greek Dodecanese season starts early and ends late. This destination is on our list of best areas where early in the season and late in the season you can enjoy sun, sea and sailing. The sea is warm enough to swim from mid-May to late October.

Dramatic sailing among the volcanic Aeolian islands off the northeast coast of Sicily.

Sailing in Sicily is always an attractive option, but it excels as a destination for a combi holiday. Relax after a wonderful week sailing and enjoy an exciting week ashore. The temples in Agrigento in the south of the island are spectacular, like Etna, and the chic cities of Taormina and Cefalu. Palermo requires more than a quick visit and then there are the medieval towns inland.

As elsewhere in Italy, you should avoid going into August. It is overcrowded and very expensive. It is now easily accessible with several budget airlines that offer flights to Palermo and Catania.

Aeolie Islands

The Aeolian archipelago consists of seven islands of volcanic origin, mostly rocky, the most impressive of them is Stromboli with almost 1000 meters altitude. Originally there were nine volcanoes in the Greek mythology where living gods: Volcano and Eolo. Their names comes from the mythical figure Aeolus. According to Homer, Aeolus kept the winds bottled in a cave. When Odysseus came along on his long journey home, he received a favourable wind, but it was accidentally released from his pocket and as he was blown off course. All winds from around the world seem to come together, but in summer it is just as likely calm and warm as wild and stormy.
The difficulties of life on these islands resulted in the majority of the population emigrated a century ago to the U.S. and nowadays you will find a sparsely populated island. Come to the Aeolian Islands to view the extensive Greek ruins on Lipari, but especially for swimming and diving in the crystal clear sea and sunbathing on the beaches and rocky shores.
Currently, there are only two active volcanoes: Stromboli and Volcano. It is interesting at night to climb to the top of Stromboli and the watch the continuous eruptions of the volcano that repeat approximately every 20 minutes. Although these islands are close to each other they are very different in mood, personality and lifestyle.

The rest of Filicudi and Alicudi islands is dominated by centuries-old traditions and ancient rhythms. The exclusive nightlife of Panarea, the splendour of Stromboli, Salina is famous for its green Malvasia wine.

Lipari

Lipari: the main island offers the widest selection of accommodations, restaurants, shops and things to do. The people are warm and friendly. The Aeolian islands are volcanic, all extinct except one, and each island has beaches with a unique character. Lipari is the oldest island and is covered with the finest white sand, the end product of black lava. The natural beauty and various geological aspects, along with thousands of years of history whose traces are still present in the prehistoric villages and in the archaeological museum of Lipari, make this archipelago very interesting to visit. Pignataro was the only port in the summer period. Opposite Marina Lunga some pontoons are installed in order to receive more yachts on the island. There are other possibilities to anchor depending on the wind. Special on the north-east side of the island, Punta Castagna is the presence of pumice caves with white sand and water turquoise.

Vulcano

The "younger" extinct volcano inhabited by 400 islanders, is studded with fantastic lava formations, both above and below water.

Stromboli

The tragic island famous in Roberto Rossellini's film of the same name (with Ingrid Bergman), has two small towns on either side of a mildly active volcano. This island is the "baby", and therefore has the blackest beaches.

Salina

the garden island. The slopes are covered with deep green vineyards that accommodate a heady Malvasia, its waters are populated with fish and squid. Take home some of the local capers packed in salt, before you've tasted it this way, you never really knew what a caper is supposed to taste.

The Coast of the Gods, a 40 km long and beautiful coastline, is unique in Italy. It's great to be sailing along the coast of Sicily.

The romantic town of Tropea with its historic centre full of life, at the coast of Capo Vaticano offers the most diverse tropical underwater flora and fauna of Italy.

The Egadi Islands

Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo.

Marettimo, Favignana and Levanzo are the centre of the Egadi islands, while Formica, Porcelli, and Maraone Asinelli are only large rocks. But at the same time, these rocks also archaeological and a natural jewellery and for this reason the Egadi Islands are an interesting new charter destination in Italy.

Favignana is the largest island and is a nature reserve. Full of rich vegetation, beautiful hidden gardens, which can not be seen from the streets and are interesting to explore. But from the sea the pearl comes alive. The deep waters are a museum where you can see everything from the Roman to the Arab ship from the 10th century. On the island there are many scuba divers who can help you when you visit this underwater kingdom. The most beautiful coasts: Cala Rossa, accessible with the southerly wind, Cala Azzurra and Lido Burrone, accessible with the north wind; Stornello, Cala Rotonda, Cala Grande and accessible to the west. A tip to visit the caves on the northeast side of the island, especially the Grotta del Blue Marino. It is also worth visiting the small islands Galera, and Galeotta Prevedo.

Marettimo is the second island of the archipelago and is the furthest from Sicily. It lies 20 miles by 13.5 miles away from Marsala and Favignana. Marettimo is the oldest of the Egadi Islands. It can be described as a natural botanical garden, in fact the island is an impressive mountain with plants and paths. But from the sea is Marettimo at its best: a paradise for diving and for those who like to explore caves. In fact Marettimo is the island of the caves. Sailing to the north you will pass a strange rock that has the shape of a camel.

Levanzo is the smallest of the three islands, only 10 km in area. It is 6.5 miles by 2.2 miles away of Favignana and Marsala. Its depths are rich in archaeological remains of Roman and Punic times. Levanzo has one of the most fascinating caves in Europe: Grotta del Genovese. The walls of this cave are filled with graffiti from 15,000 years ago.

Lampedusa is the point where Europe begins and ends. It is 9 km long and lies 61 km from the Tunisian coast. Lampedusa and the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione are the Pelagie archipelago. Lampedusa is mostly desert. The coast of Lampedusa is dotted with caves and banks to explore from the sea.

Pantelleria is the nearest to Africa, 46 miles from Capo Bon (Tunisia). Known as the black pearl of the Mediterranean by the colour of its coast. The magic of this island is the life of the sea caves, crystal clear water and hot steam. Here the wildlife is associated with the typical human buildings of Pantelleria "Dammuso" named. These are thick walls made of lava to stay cool inside in summer. Over the sea, you can start a trip around the island from the port of Pantelleria Centro with sailing into the direction of the sun to the San Leonardo lighthouse.