The country is divided into 6 regions, each with as much history, culture and sightseeing opportunities as the next. These regions include:
• Northwest Italy: including the Italian Rivier, Cinque Terre and the Alps. The largest port being in Genoa.
• North East Italy: From Bologna to the Ski resorts of Cortina d'Ampezzo to the canals of Venice.
• Central Italy: Home to the capital of Roma (Rome), Cultural Capital of Florence along with Pisa, Siena and Luca.
• Southern Italy: Think Napoli (Naples), the romantic Amalfi Coast, Capri and Calabria.
• Sicily: A famous island off the south coast of Italy's mainland, renown to have some of the best Italian food on offer.
• Sardinia: Another Island 250 km's to the west of Italy - a Major tourist destination and perfect scenery.
Home to one of the most popular world-wide choices in Cuisine, Italy is a prominent destination for tourists worldwide. The abundance of historical attractions, art, fashion and culture and the home of Catholicism, Italy attracts over 46 million tourists per year. The country has the most World Heritage listed sites worldwide.
The varied landscape of Italy is also listed amongst the top reasons for visiting Italy – ranging from the beautiful coastline and beaches, to mountains and priceless ancient monuments - the Italian authorities do their best to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure of their cities and coastal downs.
As a result of their popularity and beautiful beaches and climate, sailing has become an ever-increasing form of touring Italy and therefore a lot of money is being invested in the Sailing infrastructure of Italy. It is an ideal way to discover the parts of Italy that are lesser travelled under the Mediterranean Sun with the ability to swim in the warm waters any time you please.
Those interested in food, wine, culture and traditional lifestyles will find chartering a boat a magical experience as you will discover the intricacies that are so often missed on a regular land tour. Dine in small marinas and enjoy local Italian seafood, which in Sicily is quoted to be some of the best in the world. Alternatively, sail to Naples and sample the world’s best Home-made Italian pizza. Discover the best Gelato in Rome and delight in the fresh olives and salads standard for many of the beautiful towns under the Tuscan sun. If you are looking for a way to enjoy your Summer or even escape the cold, winter months – hiring a boat in Italy is definitely a must!
There are many sailing areas around Italy. You can charter all around the coastline of this beautiful country and experience the unique quality of life that is loved by the Italian locals. Popular sailing areas in the North west for charter holidays such as the romantic Cinque Terre are favourites amongst couples. You can also sail off the lesser-travelled east coast of Italy and sail from Ancona to explore famous Italian cities such as Venice via dinghy.
Yachtico.com would like to extend a number of route suggestions for the more frequently sailed charter areas as listed below for you to use at your leisure:
Sailing season is between April and October/ November. Italy has a typical Mediterranean climate along the coastline and there is an exceptional amount of sunshine. The coastal regions of Italy have mild winters and hot, dry summers. Typically speaking the length and intensity of the summer months increases the further south on the coastline you are. Subject to strong winds across the Adriatic, particularly at the north of Italy in Pescara, the sailing conditions can be challenging for sailors with lesser experience. The warmest months in Italy are July and August with some locations reaching an average of 30°C per day, particularly in the south. The water temperature ranges between 13 °C in February and 24 °C in August.