Seven days · April · May · September · October · Palermo
Ustica, San Vito and the Egadi
The other Sicily. Fewer boats, clearer water, and a coastline that most charter itineraries never reach.
Check these dates →- Days
- 7
- Marine reserves
- Two
- Guests
- 9
- Crew
- 2
- Boarding
- Palermo
- Season
- Spring · autumn
This is the shoulder-season route from Palermo, run in spring and autumn when the light is long, the sea is quiet and the islands belong to the people who live on them.
Ustica is a marine reserve with visibility divers cross continents for. The Egadi hold the largest protected marine area in Europe. Between them sits a stretch of coast — Capo Gallo, Scopello, San Vito Lo Capo, the Zingaro reserve — that is difficult to see properly from land and effortless from a boat.
Why west
Everyone sails the Aeolians
Fewer people go west, which is the reason to go west. You spend more time under way here than in the Aeolians, and that is the trade: a few more hours at sea, in exchange for water with nobody else on it.
On board, at dusk
Seven days
-
Day 1
Palermo · Mondello and Capo Gallo
You board in Palermo, cross the bay, and come to rest under Capo Gallo. The city is behind you within the hour. First evening on board, first swim, dinner at anchor with Monte Pellegrino going pink.
-
Day 2
Ustica
North, out of sight of land for a while, to a black volcanic island in the middle of nothing. Ustica was Italy's first marine protected area and it is still the reference point: caves, arches, and water that goes down further than you expect it to.
A day spent in it. Ashore, a single small village that takes twenty minutes to walk across.
-
Day 3
Ustica · San Vito Lo Capo
A proper day at sea, south-west towards the corner of the island. San Vito Lo Capo has the beach everyone photographs — a long pale crescent under a limestone headland — and it is best seen from the water, arriving.
Evening ashore if you want it.
-
Day 4
Zingaro and Scopello
Down the east side of the peninsula, along the Riserva dello Zingaro: seven kilometres of protected coast with no road, only a footpath and a string of coves. Cala Marinella, Cala dell'Uzzo, Cala Berretta.
Then Scopello, where the old tuna fishery sits at the foot of the cliff and the faraglioni stand offshore. Lunch on board. This is the best swimming day of the week.
-
Day 5
Levanzo and Favignana
South to the Egadi. Levanzo first: the smallest, a single white village, and the Grotta del Genovese with its prehistoric paintings.
Then Favignana, shaped like a butterfly, quarried for tufa stone for centuries until the whole island was cut through with sunken gardens and stepped rock pools. Cala Rossa and Cala Azzurra are the two stops worth arranging your day around.
-
Day 6
Marettimo
The far one, and the best. Marettimo is mountainous, has almost no cars, and is ringed by sea caves — del Cammello, del Tuono, Perciata — that you take in from the water, one after another.
Last night at anchor.
-
Day 7
Back to Palermo
The long run home along the north coast. Breakfast under way, one last swim if the morning allows, disembarkation in the afternoon.
This route also works one way, ending at Trapani or Marsala. Ask when you write.
Practical
- Season
- April, May, September and October · boarding at Palermo
- Guests
- 9, in four en-suite cabins
- Crew
- Captain (who cooks) and hostess
- Included
- Yacht, crew, water toys
- Not included
- Fuel, provisioning, mooring fees, harbour dues
Spring and autumn are the quiet months here. Water temperature in April and October is honest rather than warm — bring a shortie if you plan to spend the day in it.
Bianca II sails a limited number of weeks each season.
Check these dates →June — August · Capo d'Orlando
The Aeolian Islands
Seven islands, seven nights, one boat. From Capo d'Orlando, Vulcano is forty-five minutes away — which means you board in the late afternoon and have dinner at anchor under a volcano.
The other route → How a charter works →