La Spezia has a naval and maritime history that gives it a particular gravitas among Italian sailing destinations. The gulf was Byron’s last Italian home before Greece, and the waters between Porto Venere and Lerici were where Shelley’s boat, the Ariel, went down in a summer squall in 1822. The sailing conditions that drew the Romantics remain: thermal breezes that build through the afternoon, dramatic headlands and an enclosed gulf that gives beginning sailors confidence and experienced sailors satisfaction.nnSailing yachts available for Italian charter range from bluewater performance sloops to large schooners and traditional ketch-rigged vessels, most with crews selected for offshore experience and the ability to deliver a genuinely sailed itinerary. The Ligurian coast rewards a crew who know how to use the morning calm for a push north and the afternoon Tramontane for a broad reach southward.nnWeekly charter rates for sailing yachts begin at around 79,000 euros and can reach 250,000 euros for the larger bluewater charter ketches. The advance provisioning allowance of around 30 percent covers fuel, provisions, berthing and crew gratuity; sailing yachts use considerably less fuel than motor vessels, which benefits the effective APA spend. June and September are excellent sailing months at this latitude, with settled northwesterly winds and uncrowded anchorages.nnFrom La Spezia, the natural sailing itinerary runs west to Porto Venere on the first morning, then up the Cinque Terre coast catching the afternoon sea breeze. Vernazza’s harbour cove makes the best overnight anchorage on this stretch, sheltered from the northwest and accessible by a short tender run to the stone steps. Monterosso, Sestri Levante and Portofino follow, with the return south on the Tramontane making for fast, reaching passages back to base.
