Sicily Luxury Yachting Guide

Blessed with a rich cultural history, captivating beaches, bustling harbours and amiable people, the landscape of this richly endowed island flows easily from rugged mountains to rolling hills scattered with lemon groves and cornfields as they sweep towards the sea.

“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything.” These are the words of the philosopher Goethe, which epitomize the feeling of those who know the true Sicily. Too often this idiosyncratic island is glossed over when it comes to travel plans, due to fears of violence or crime. The Sicily of today plays host to a multitude of gorgeous and ancient landscapes, coupled with a stable economy and inhabited by a gregarious and joyful people.

Landscape
The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is home to 1000 kilometers of stunning coastline, an idyllic climate and Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. Blessed with a rich cultural history, lovely beaches, bustling harbors and friendly people, the landscape of this richly endowed island flows easily from rugged mountains to rolling hills scattered with lemon groves and cornfields as they sweep towards the sea. Home to the requisite sandy beaches that bless the Mediterranean coast, Sicily is a yachting paradise with its abundance of glorious secluded bays and a cluster of volcanic islands within easy reach.

Culture
Coming from the Italian mainland, it becomes immediately apparent that Sicily is a world of its own and far removed from Europe, both socially and culturally. Each village and town has its own unique flavor: From the Greek temples of Agrigento to the ancient mountain defenses of Enna, the sophisticated sheen of Taormina to the thriving fishing port of Trapani. Sicily’s more heavily populated areas are replete with charm and beauty as well.

Palermo
Palermo is Sicily’s largest city and is a bustling, noisy place packed with medieval warrens of streets and markets. This is a city composed of the Classical and Baroque, along with a milieu of flavors from a hundred other centuries. An eclectic crossroads of the Mediterranean, this busy city is full of nightlife and adventure. Palermo has a main commercial port with no length limit, however the more secluded Marina Villa Igiea offers a more genial atmosphere and has 456 moorings, accommodating yachts up to 70m.

Catania
Sitting at the foothills of Etna, the lava-built city of Catania has often been subject to the volcano’s uneasy temperament. As Sicily’s second-largest city, Catania offers an abundance of historic treasures and is often over-looked by mainstream travelers, which allows for a medieval experience without the usual crowds.

Marinas
The Marina di Riposto Dell’Etna sits just outside the city center and boasts 366 berths accommodating yachts up to 60m. There are two other small marinas around the bend from Catania: Riposto with 400 berths allowing a maximum of 50m and Milazzo Porto Santa Maria Maggine with 230 berths with a maximum length of 50m.

Accommodation
Sicilian accommodations offer a patchwork experience of culture and history: alongside vacant Renaissance palazzi and villas awaiting new visitors, there are also agriturismi, farm stay accommodations, which allow the discerning traveler the chance to explore hidden rural treasures.