Portovenere is a UNESCO World Heritage medieval village at the tip of the promontory guarding La Spezia’s gulf, where the Ligurian Riviera meets the Cinque Terre coastline. Its striped marble church of San Pietro, the tall coloured houses of the Calata Doria, and Byron’s Grotto carved into the rock below make it one of the most architecturally distinctive destinations on the Ligurian coast. A motor yacht gives access to both the village’s atmospheric harbour and the outer coast toward the Cinque Terre, where the cliffs drop sheer to clear water best approached by tender from the anchorage.
Italy’s fleet includes approximately 36 motor yachts suitable for a Ligurian charter, from 30-metre day yachts with all-exterior design to 80-metre superyachts with full crew complements and beach clubs. Portovenere’s harbour can accommodate mid-size vessels; larger yachts anchor in the gulf or use the La Spezia marina as a base. The tender is important here: the approach to the Cinque Terre villages from the sea, and to the outer coast caves including Byron’s Grotto, is best done in a small, manoeuvrable RIB.
Weekly motor charter rates in Italy run from approximately 50,000 euros for a 30-metre vessel to 250,000 euros or more for a flagship superyacht. The advance provisioning allowance of around 30% covers fuel, berthing in Portovenere or La Spezia, provisions, and wine. September is a popular choice for guests who know the region: the summer crowds clear, the water remains warm, and the light on Portovenere’s houses in the late afternoon justifies every photograph taken.
From Portovenere, a motor yacht covers Portofino in two hours, the entire Cinque Terre coast in a long morning, and the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago in an overnight passage south. The gulf of La Spezia, known historically as the Gulf of Poets for Byron, Shelley, and Lawrence, offers sheltered sailing and easy anchorages at Lerici and Tellaro.
