Sailing Italy: Sardinia, Sicily, and the Amalfi Coast

Dinner changes everything

You are anchored off a granite cove in northern Sardinia, the engine silent for hours, and someone onboard is stirring a pot of pasta alle vongole made with clams bought from a fisherman in La Maddalena two hours ago. The garlic hits the olive oil and the smell drifts across the cockpit. You pour a cold glass of Vermentino di Gallura, its mineral bite cutting through the salt air, and the sun drops behind Caprera island in a wash of copper and pink. This is sailing in Italy.

Italy is not the cheapest place to charter a yacht. It is not always the easiest, either, with its marine reserve permits and harbour bureaucracy. But no other Mediterranean country rewards you so thoroughly at every single stop, with food, wine, history, and coastline that makes you put your phone down and just look. If you have sailed Croatia or Greece and want something that feels like a step up, Italy is where you go next.

Three Italys by sea

Italy's coastline stretches over 4,700 NM, but for charter sailing, three regions dominate. Each has a completely different personality, and choosing the right one matters more than choosing the right boat.

Sardinia: polished and turquoise

Sardinia is where Milan goes on holiday. The Costa Smeralda glitters with superyachts, but sail 5 NM north into the La Maddalena archipelago and you find anchorages so clear you can read the brand on your anchor from the cockpit. The water is Caribbean-turquoise, 26°C in August, lapping against pink granite boulders. Everything here is beautiful, and everything costs a bit more than you expect.

Sicily and the Aeolians: volcanic and wild

The Aeolian Islands feel like a different country entirely. Stromboli erupts every 15 minutes, throwing orange sparks into the night sky, visible from your cockpit 2 NM offshore. Vulcano smells of sulphur and hot mud. Lipari's streets are narrow and loud with Vespas. This is raw, dramatic, slightly chaotic Italy, and it costs about 30% less than Sardinia.

Amalfi Coast: iconic but intense

Everyone knows the postcard: Positano's pastel houses tumbling down a cliff face toward the sea. From the water, it is even more striking, the whole village reflected in the dark blue below. But this is not relaxed sailing. Anchorages are few, marinas are expensive, and in July and August the sea is thick with tour boats, their wakes making every mooring uncomfortable. Come in May or September, or not at all.

Sardinia: the clear-water jewel

Most charters start from Olbia or Portisco on the northeast coast, where you will find the largest concentration of charter companies. From Portisco, the La Maddalena archipelago sits just 15 NM north, a cluster of seven main islands and dozens of granite islets with protected anchorages. Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli island, named for its faint pink sand, is a marine reserve where anchoring is prohibited, but you can drift past and see the colour shift beneath the surface.

Cala Coticcio on Caprera is often called Sardinia's most beautiful beach. Arrive before 10:00 to grab one of the handful of mooring buoys, priced at EUR 25 per night. The water is transparent to about 10 metres, and the snorkelling over the Posidonia meadows is some of the best in the Mediterranean.

South of La Maddalena, the Costa Smeralda stretches from Porto Cervo to Cala di Volpe. Porto Cervo's marina charges EUR 150 to 500 per night depending on your boat's length, and a cappuccino on the quay costs EUR 6. Worth one evening for the people-watching. Skip it after that. The best of Sardinia is away from the marinas, in the coves between Baja Sardinia and the Isola di Tavolara, a massive limestone slab rising 560 metres straight from the sea.

A one-week Sardinia circuit typically covers 80 to 120 NM. Short daily hops of 10 to 15 NM leave plenty of time for swimming, long lunches, and afternoon naps in the cockpit shade.

Sicily and the Aeolians

Charter bases for the Aeolian Islands are Milazzo and Portorosa, both on Sicily's northeast coast. From Milazzo, Vulcano is just 12 NM northwest, and you can smell the sulphur before you see the yellow-stained rocks at Porto di Levante. The hot mud baths on shore cost nothing and leave your skin feeling like silk, though the smell stays with you for hours.

From Vulcano, a 10 NM sail brings you to Lipari, the archipelago's largest island and its social hub. Tie up in Marina Corta, EUR 60 to 80 per night for a 40-footer, and walk the cobbled streets past volcanic stone buildings to find granita di mandorla, the almond slush that Sicilians eat for breakfast. It tastes like marzipan melted into ice.

Stromboli at night

The highlight of any Aeolian charter is Stromboli. The volcano erupts constantly, small explosions of red lava visible from the Sciara del Fuoco slope on the northwest side. Sail there in the late afternoon, anchor in the roadstead off Ginostra or the main village, and wait for darkness. The glow appears first, then the sound: a deep, percussive thump that carries across the water. You will not sleep much. You will not mind.

Salina, 8 NM west of Lipari, is the greenest island in the chain, famous for capers and Malvasia wine, a sweet amber dessert wine you can taste at cantinas overlooking the harbour. A full Aeolian loop from Milazzo, visiting all seven islands, covers about 110 NM over a week.

Amalfi Coast and Capri

The Amalfi Coast is best sailed from Naples or Salerno. From Naples, Capri is 17 NM south, and the approach to Marina Grande reveals why painters have been obsessed with this island since the Romans. Limestone cliffs rise vertically, the famous Blue Grotto glows electric blue at its entrance, and the harbour smells of lemon trees and diesel in roughly equal measure.

Marina fees on Capri run EUR 100 to 200 per night in season. An alternative is anchoring in the bay at Marina Piccola on the south side, where you rock gently in the swell and dinghy ashore. From Capri, Positano is 10 NM east, and you approach with the entire Amalfi Coast unfolding like a watercolour: Praiano, Furore, Amalfi, each village stacked impossibly up the cliff.

Here is the honest truth about this coast. Anchoring is restricted in many spots, the sea bed is deep and drops off sharply, and in peak summer the wakes from hydrofoils and tour boats make anchorages genuinely uncomfortable. This is a region better suited to a motor yacht or a crewed charter where someone else handles the logistics. If you are a first-time charterer, consider hiring a skipper who knows the coast.

When to go

Region	Best months	Water temp	Wind	Crowds
Sardinia	June to September	22 to 26°C	Mistral (NW) 15-25 kn common	High in Aug, moderate otherwise
Sicily / Aeolians	May to October	20 to 27°C	Variable, light thermal winds	Moderate, peaks in Aug
Amalfi / Capri	May to June, September	20 to 25°C	Light SW to W, calm mornings	Extreme Jul-Aug, manageable otherwise

Sardinia's Mistral can blow hard for 2 to 3 days at a stretch, funnelling through the Strait of Bonifacio at Force 6 or more. Check forecasts carefully and have shelter options planned. If you are prone to seasickness, the Aeolians in summer are your gentlest option, with lighter winds and shorter passages.

What it costs

Italy is a premium destination. Charter prices run roughly 20 to 40% higher than Croatia or Greece for comparable boats. Here is a realistic breakdown.

Cost item	Sardinia	Sicily / Aeolians	Amalfi
36-ft yacht, per week	EUR 2,800 to 4,200	EUR 2,200 to 3,500	EUR 2,500 to 4,000
44-ft catamaran, per week	EUR 5,500 to 8,000	EUR 4,500 to 6,500	EUR 5,000 to 7,500
Marina per night (40-ft)	EUR 80 to 200	EUR 40 to 80	EUR 80 to 200
Diesel per litre	EUR 1.80 to 2.10	EUR 1.70 to 2.00	EUR 1.80 to 2.10
Restaurant meal per person	EUR 20 to 35	EUR 15 to 25	EUR 20 to 35
Provisioning per person/day	EUR 25 to 40	EUR 20 to 30	EUR 25 to 40

The food compensates for the higher costs. In Sicily, a plate of pasta con le sarde at a harbour-front trattoria in Lipari runs about EUR 12, and it is better than most EUR 40 plates you have eaten elsewhere. Wine by the glass starts at EUR 4. For a group of friends splitting a 40-footer in the Aeolians, the all-in daily cost per person comes to roughly EUR 80 to 120, including food, fuel, and marinas.

Compare that to a hotel holiday on the Amalfi Coast, where a mid-range room alone costs EUR 200 per night, and the value becomes clear.

Practical tips for sailing Italy

• Licence required: Italy requires a valid sailing licence for bareboat charter. An RYA Day Skipper or ICC is accepted. No licence? Book a skippered charter.
• VHF Channel 16: Monitor it at all times. The Guardia Costiera is active and professional. Hail harbour masters on channel 09 before entering.
• Marine reserves: La Maddalena, Ustica, and several Aeolian marine parks require permits. Your charter company usually arranges these, but confirm in advance. Fines start at EUR 500.
• Bureaucracy: Italian port authorities may inspect your papers, charter contract, crew list, and safety equipment. Keep everything accessible in a waterproof folder. It takes 10 minutes and a smile.
• Diesel: Roughly EUR 0.30 per litre more than Greece. Fill up at larger harbours where prices are lower.
• Provisioning: Visit local markets, not marina minimarkets. In Olbia, the Mercato Civico sells local pecorino, dried sausage, and bread still warm from the oven. In Lipari, the fish market near Marina Corta opens at 07:00.
• Wine on board: Vermentino di Gallura for Sardinia, crisp and saline, perfect with seafood. Nero d'Avola for Sicily, bold and dark, good with grilled anything. Both cost EUR 8 to 12 at a supermarket.

If you are new to chartering, read our 10 tips for first-time charter guests and our packing guide before you go. Italy's marinas tend to be Med-mooring (stern-to), which takes practice. Your skipper or charter briefing will cover it, but knowing the basics of sailing terminology helps.

Which Italy is right for you?

Turquoise water, easy anchorages, and a polished feel: choose Sardinia. Drama, volcanoes, and better prices: choose Sicily. The iconic coastline, with harder work to match: choose the Amalfi Coast. All three reward you with food and wine that make every other sailing destination taste a little bland by comparison.

For couples, a week in the Aeolians on a 36-footer feels intimate and adventurous. For families with kids, Sardinia's calm, shallow bays and sandy beaches are hard to beat. For a bigger group wanting a catamaran with space to spread out, any of the three works beautifully.

Italy charges more. It gives more back. Every harbour smells of garlic and fresh bread, every sunset comes with a glass of something local, and every morning you wake up wondering how you ever holidayed on land.