Yacht Charter Itineraries in Sicily by Velasud Yachting

Palermo - Located north of Sicily can be reached:
• By plane from the airport "Falcone-Borsellino (Punta Raisi ex.) Served by many national and international companies, the marina (30 Km approx.) can be reached by booking our transfer service or by taxi, by bus or renting a car (Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Maggiore, Holiday and Sicily by car);
• By the ferry company Tirrenia, SNAV, Grimaldi, Siremar and Ustica Lines from Naples, Livorno and Genoa. We suggest you to book your tickets in advance;
• By train, arriving to Palermo Central Station.
• By car, after crossing the Strait of Messina by ferry, Palermo  can be reached via the A 20-Messina Palermo
or going through the A 18 (via Catania).

besides the archipelagoes of our island   , listed below are a lot of  nice excursions  along the coast  such as San Vito Lo Capo in the province of Trapani and Palermo for example, near the beautiful island of Ustica.

The island of Ustica is also called  the "black pearl" of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It i is the visible part of a large inactive  volcano, hence the name "usta" burned, which made the ground very fertile. The flora is the typical vegetation of sea cliffs,the  production of capers, lentils and prickly pears is very  important. Fauna is very interesting  especially for bird-watching and it's also a good base for many species of resident and migratory birds.  The island has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, as evidenced by recent excavations that have unearthed some prehistoric villages in the area of Colombaia , Omo  Morto , Spalmatore  and Faraglioni, where the Archaeological Museum at the Tower Santa Maria was built. The current population comes from  Aeolian Islands  originally and it preserves dialect and customs. Ustica offers a crystal clear sea and beautiful coastline, rugged cliffs and rich wildlife, caves and inlets, as the „Grotta Azzurra“, where some  remains of a Roman ship lie on the seabed. The island  includes a large marine reserve where  the depths offer a very exceptional variety of colors. With the use of a  particular boat that has a  transparent  keel you have the opporunity to see the submarine  seabed and  the archaeological remains., accessible with a particular vessel's keel transparent. We suggest you to visit  the Aquarium, the Marine Nature Exhibition and the Learning Center “Torre  Spalmatore “.the "International Festival of Underwater Activities" takes place every year since 1959 .The sicilian  coast landscape  can be observed from the tower of the Bourbon  Fort of „Capo Falconara.“

Naturalistic ways
Nature Reserve "Ustica"
Food and wine notes
Local production of excellent white wines, try it directly from the winery and in combination with fish specialties.

San Vito lo Capo is base of an ancient tonnara (tuna farm ) founded in the sixteenth century, in the small bay at the foot of “Monte Monaco” between Capo San Vito and “Punta di Solanto”, home of an ancient tuna trap. The town was a place frequented by pilgrims devoted to San Vito and here there is a  shrine  ,built in the thirteenth century,which is dedicated to him. Recently San Vito recorded an increase in tourism, thanks to its sandy beach and crystal clear sea that  concured to increase the local economy  making it a popular resort. In September the international festival of couscous takes place here.The North African dish  gets  here delicious varieties and it is consired a symbol of  union of different cultures. After that  we propose two routes:

San Vito – Riserva dello Zingaro
Following the road to Punta Solanto, circumnavigate  the  Monaco Monte  mountainside  on which you can have a  promenade and enjoy the wonderful views of the two gulfs,after you can reach Tonnarella dell'Uzzo where   there is the Museum of the Sea ,here starts the Zingaro nature reserve. This is a paradise for nature lovers who can find the uncontamined Mediterranean sea and landscapes. The small palms and Bonelli's eagle dominate the earth and sky, and beautiful caves like the spectacular Uzzo offer glimpses into prehistory. The reserve is well organized for the enjoyment ( indicated trails, shelters, water points, picnic areas, museums and parking areas) and it  can be visited only on foot, there are no  driveway. There are three main itineraries: the first  one runs entirely along the coast,from  the southeast coast (Scopello side) to the north coast ( San Vito side), the second  one is separated from the previous one and it concerns  one of the highest zone and finishes in  the sea and the third one ,very  challenging, moves both along the entire coastline and on the mountain ridge of the reserve.

San Vito - Custonaci - Monte Còfano - pianura di Castelluzzo - Monte Sparagio
From San Vito lo Capo proceed for the Coast way of the Gulf “Cofanò” and, passed Punta Lunga, you can reach the village of Castelluzzo. Continue through the countryside of Castelluzzo sloping towards the sea to reach, after about 10 km, Custonaci.
Short before reaching the village of Custonaci, from the small village of Purgatorio you can cross the internal road that climbs up to Monte Sparagio and continue on foot or by jeep up to the Castle of Baida near the town of Balata di Baida,  agricultural center known for the extraction and processing of marble, Custonaci has developed in the eighteenth century at the foot of Monte Bufara with an orthogonal base around the Madonna's shrine  of the fourteenth century. From Custonaci it is possible to make further trips to the cave in the village of Mangiapane near Scurati and the nearby coast. Inside the cave it takes place a live nativity set, the evolution of sacred representations which were held at the  Custonaci's Madonna Shrine . More challenging is the Monte Cofano's  climbing from where you can enjoy the view on the two bays below.

Naturalistic ways
Nature Reserve  "Monte Còfano". Nature Reserve  "Zingaro".
Food and wine notes
On the occasion of  the Cous Cous Fest it becomes a Mediterranean enogastronomy capital . You can try the wines of the Erice 's area  that have got the famous doc label.