Sailing Holidays from Sicily | BareboatSailingHolidays.com

Sailing Holidays in Sicily Italy

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Welcome to the home of Sailing in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands

“Without Sicily, Italy leaves no image in the soul. Sicily is the key to everything."*

Sicily has a profound effect on all that visit her, with a rich, unique culture, especially in regards to the arts, cuisine, architecture and even language. It is said that Sicily is Europe's most historically cosmopolitan region, having been ruled by Asians, Africans and Europeans. You can see the strong influence of all that have come before in the cuisine of Sicily, which is as rich and varied as its history (see below).

Sailing Sicily is an adventure in discovering this history.

Bareboat Sailing Holidays has four primary bases in Sicily; Palermo, Sant Agata, Marsala and Portorosa. Starting your cruise from Palermo, the capital of Sicily and a city of numerous monuments, you can sail East to Cefalu, a bustling tourist resort built about the original picturesque fishing village. Sant Agata and Portorosa are situated almost right in front of the Aeolian Islands, the most direct route to visit this most magical area.

The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. Rugged and beautiful, the Aeolian Islands are actually an example of volcanic island building and destruction, with two volcanoes (Stromboli and Volcano) still active. The islands' shoreline formations are made of volcanically created beaches and caves, making the transition from land to sea simply spectacular. While these natural phenomenon make amazing viewing both from land and sea, the full splendour of the islands is best experienced from the comfort of your bareboat yacht.

Sailing the Aeolian Islands means navigating Seven little volcanic islands surrounded by a warm and deep sea in an ‘out-of-time’ atmosphere recalling a history of sea-adventures going back 5000 years. A sailing holiday in the Aeolian Islands offers the chance of an extraordinary range of ideas in a natural and largely untouched environment: the main island Lipari, the green landscapes of Salina, the wild nature of Alicudi and Filicudi, the sophisticated Panarea, Stromboli and the ‘active’ Vulcano.

Cuisine

Sicily is sometimes nicknamed God’s Kitchen because of its full, vibrant cuisine. The island has had a variety of culinary influences because of its location, with each ruling culture bringing with it a range of tastes and dishes. The influence of the Greeks can be found here: Dionysus has been said to have introduced wine to the region. The Romans later conquered the island, introducing lavish dishes based upon goose.

The Byzantines introduced sweet and sour flavours while during the 10th and 11th centuries the Arabs brought apricots, sugar, citrus, sweet melons, rice, saffron, raisins, nutmeg, clove, pepper, and cinnamon which are all still seen in the cuisine today. The Normans and Hohenstaufen introduced a fondness for meat dishes. The Spanish introduced numerous items from the New World including cocoa, maize, turkey, tomatoes and other produce items. Tuna, sea bream, sea bass, cuttlefish, swordfish and other seafood available off the coastline is an integral part of the modern cuisine.

Our Bases

We have three primary bases in Sicily; Palermo, Sant Agata and Portorosa. Portorosa and Sant Agata are the primary bases for accessing the Aeolian Islands, while Palermo is an ideal 'half way house' where you can almost decide where to sail when you get there! Do be aware that Sant Agata and Portorosa have longer transfers (90 mins), but this enables you skip long sailing legs at the start and finish of your holiday.

Getting there

For Palermo, Sant Agata there are regular direct flights by the likes of easyJet to Palermo from numerous locations across the UK. Portorosa's closet airport is Catania, which is approximately 90 minutes from the base. Again, numerous airlines fly there including low-cost carriers and BA.

To get to Sant Agata it will cost €20pp and take 90 minutes on the train.

Winds and Weather

During summer the winds and weather on the Northern and western side of Sicily is typically Mediterranean. The prevailing winds are north-west with an average wind speed of 3-4 Beaufort (8-12 knots). During summer you should expect dry conditions with temperatures in the 30s in peak and mid 20s during the start and end of season.