Sicily is the biggest island of
the Mediterranean and makes the biggest Italian region along with the surrounding smaller islands. The center of the region is
Palermo, where most of Sicilians live.
When planning a
sailing trip on a charter yacht in Sicily, it is of crucial importance to decide which part of Sicily you want to sail from and which part of Sicily you would like to see. Since
Sicily is the biggest Mediterranean island, it is quite impossible to see all of it in one week.
Furthermore,
Sicily is famous for some of the most important cultural, historical, natural and tourist sites in Italy which are not all situated on the coast, so a
detailed plan is required in order to use the time in the best possible way.
On the
northern side of the Sicilian coast lies the
Tyrrhenian Sea with
Aeolian or Lipari Islands, which are a very popular sailing destination when chartering a yacht in Sicily, especially if you choose
Portorosa as your starting point.
Aegadian Islands are located around the
western cape of Sicily and make a popular sailing route when sailing from
Trapani or
Marsala. Aegadian Islands consist of
Favignana, Marettimo and
Levanzo, while
Pantelleria and
Pelagian Islands Lampedusa, Lampione and
Linosa are located between the southern shores of Sicily and Tunis.
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Levanzo[/caption]
The ports of Sicily are among the most important ports of the Mediterranean, as they were throughout the history. The biggest and the most important of them is
Messina, situated on the northeast corner of Sicily, at the
Messina Strait. Not only an important logistic and commercial port,
Messina also refers to the
center of nautical tourism as well.
Extra care has to be taken when sailing
Messina Strait due to the
busy traffic and
special regulations, along with the strong current. Important ports at the
east and southeast of Sicily are in
Catania and
Syracuse, while
Ragusa and
Agrigento would be recommended places for yachtsmen on the
southern Sicilian coast.
The climate of Sicily is characterized by
warm springs and autumns,
hot summers and
mild winters. The
prevailing winds from June to September are
northwesterly ranging between
8 to 15 knots. The highest temperatures
up to 40° C are possible during the summer when
scirocco, a hot wind blowing from the south, brings the hot air (along with sand particles) from the
Sahara desert in Africa.
Sicily along with the surrounding islands is under a great influence of
volcanic activities. The most famous volcanoes are on the island of
Stromboli and
Vulcano in
the Aeolian Islands, while
Etna is located in
Sicily.
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Stromboli, Aeolian Islands[/caption]
Some 17 NM southwest from Agrigento, there is a
submerged volcanic island called the
Ferdinandea or the
Graham Island (Graham Bank), which was discovered when it last appeared in
1831.
Despite volcanic activities, Sicily has a lot to offer, both
at the seaside and
in its interior, so it takes more than once to experience the essence of Sicily, often called
‘the connector of the continents’.
Visit
Cruise Italy Yachts to find out more about Italy as a sailing destination. If you have any dilemmas about where or when to sail or charter a yacht, I am sure this website will help you make up your mind or maybe even persuade you to pick Italy as your sailing destination.
I wish you a calm sea, a fair wind and a strong mast!
The two biggest islands of the Mediterranean: Sicily (right) and Sardinia (top left), which are both part of Italy .