6-day Sailing Itinerary from Salerno
Salerno is ideally located for the Amalfi coastline, which is known for its remarkable beauty throughout the world. From a boat, you'll be able to enjoy all the views, but without having to worry about winding narrow roads or over-crowded streets, and there’s something cool about being able to say that you have sailed in to Sorrento, Amalfi or Positano.
Out in the bay of Naples there’s the famously extravagant Capri, plus the fine beaches and crystal-clear waters of Procida and Ischia, and, of course, Naples itself, with the world’s best pizza. You’ll be able to see brooding volcanic Vesuvius throughout, and history lovers will enjoy visiting Pompeii or Herculaneum, which were both destroyed by volcanic activity in AD 79.
Our six-day itinerary covers 97 nM and takes in as many of the highlights of the area as possible in such a short timeframe. It’s only covers six days because you’ll normally only be able to board the boat in the late afternoon on the first Saturday, and will have to be back in the marina for Friday night (but you can sleep in the marina for the night, before disembarking first thing on Saturday morning). This sailing distance also means that you can go at a leisurely pace for the week – you’ll likely be sailing for 4-5 hours a day, so you can take your time to explore your start and end points.
Day 1. Salerno to Capri – 26 nM
Buon giorno, Signor Skipper! Get the crew and all your supplies on board, fire up the engines, and let’s get out of here – we have the beautiful Amalfi coast to explore! Nose out of the marina, and then we’re heading West, following the coast to our destination for the night, Capri. Assuming the weather is clear and sunny like it is for most of the year, you should be able to see Capri in the distance on the nose of the boat. It’s worth pre-booking a berth if you’re planning to stay in the Marina Grande on the north of Capri, or getting there as early as possible if you the weather allows you to anchor in Marina Piccola on the south, which also gives you the chance to sail through the Faraglioni sea-stacks.
Today is the longest leg of sailing, to get us out to the islands before everyone else gets there, and you’ll be likely tacking up in the prevailing summer winds. Looking out for Amalfi and Positano on your way past – both are crazy famous with land-lubbing tourists (which you can visit on the way back later this week).
Capri is famous for being a bolt-hole for the rich and famous, and it has been attracting A-list Hollywood celebrities for decades. As a result, it boasts extravagant upmarket hotels and shops (Did you need to buy any new Gucci shoes?), a certain je ne sais qua, and is a decadent (but expensive) place to spend the evening.
Day 2. Capri to Ischia – 17 nM
Capri is an island that people come from literally all over the world to see – whereas Ischia, our next port of call, is an island where the local Italians go for their holidays. Many say it is better than Capri, and it is certainly less crowded, more natural, and less overpriced. It’s particularly popular with ‘wellness’ tourists, who enjoy rejuvenating themselves in the thermal baths and volcanic muds - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a regular visitor.
The crew can relax a bit today as, in the prevailing summer winds, it’s possible to make the journey across the bay of Naples in a single close-hauled tack. You’ll get a spectacular view of the volcano Vesuvius on the mainland throughout – it last erupted in AD 79 and they do expect it to erupt again at some point – though hopefully not this week!
Most of the marinas are on the North of Ischia, which means that you can sail past the islands’ most famous landmark – the Aragonese castle, just off the east coast, which was originally built in 474 BC and was strong enough to keep the Romans at bay for 150 years!
Day 3. Ischia to Napoli – 12 nM
The famed Roman poet Virgil coined the phrase ‘See Naples and die’ to mean that you simply must go and visit the stupendous and beautiful city. That was in 30 BC, and the city is still an exciting place to go. Incidentally, the same phrase was also ironically popular in the 1400’s - Naples was rife with Syphilis and thus, if you went to see Naples, there was a chance that it might literally be the last thing you did.
Nowadays, the city is most famous for inventing Pizza (which is something that you simply must try), for being lucky enough to have Maradona playing (and winning things) for the local football team, and for Vesuvius and the accompanying ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum).
It’s just a short hop from Ischia back to the mainland with a following wind, which means there is time to stop at the neighbouring island of Procida. Corricella, with a hillside of colourful harbourside houses on the south of the island is worth a quick visit or a sail-by.
Day 4. Napoli to Sorrento – 15 nM
It’s unusual to head to a big city on a sailing holiday, but there are plenty of other places to sail if you fancied a nature retreat. This itinerary is unashamedly based on the assumption that you’re most likely to want to sail from Salerno if you really want to get out and see the Amalfi coast from the freedom of a boat – so the itinerary is practically chosen for us!
From Naples, we’re traversing the bay of Naples - still under the watchful eye of Vesuvius, which seems incredibly close to such a big city. The Roman city of Herculaneum, which was destroyed in 79AD, was actually a sea-side town, complete with boat-houses, but coast has built up in the meantime and it is now 400m inland.
There’s a marina at the foot of the cliffs in Sorrento, and from there it’s just a short (but steep) walk up to the beloved narrow market streets of one of Italy’s biggest tourist attractions. Sorrento was visited by Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, and Keats (amongst others), and is also where they invented Limoncello...
Day 5. Sorrento to Amalfi – 19 nM
It doesn’t really matter what the wind is doing today - from Sorrento we’re sailing in pretty much every direction as we wheel north and west, then south and east to sail along the Amalfi coast: a steep cliff-lined coastline with a winding road, crazy buildings, and stunning views, and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It’s worth setting off early to allow time to check out Positano (just nose the boat towards the town and someone will come and offer you a mooring buoy and a boat-taxi to the town). Positano, like Amalfi, is a very cute hill-side village packed with ancient villas, and swarming with tourists (in a nice way).
Then it’s onwards to Amalfi, where one of the local ormeggiatori will board your boat to help moor it up in the impossibly narrow berths (and help you get it out again in the morning – don’t worry!)
Day 6. Amalfi to Salerno – 10 nM
And all of a sudden it’s our final day. Take one last stroll out to Amalfi – it’s one of the reasons you chose this itinerary – to grab a gelato or some fried fish before the tourists start to descend on the town. Then it’s only a short journey running with the prevailing summer wind to get back to Salerno. Be sure to refill the fuel tanks on your way back into the marina, and then moor your boat up in a similar space to where you first found her. You can stay on-board for the night, and then disembark early tomorrow morning.
If you’ve not yet been to Salerno, it’s an ancient city with roots which pre-date the ancient Greeks. More recently, it played host to both the Italian King and Government when it was designated the temporary capital city of Italy for a short spell during the second world war, and is now famous for its thriving port, pleasing ‘lungomare’ coastal walkway, and the architecturally stunning cathedral (with a crypt holding the remains of Saint Matthew and Pope Gregory VII). It’s also a University town, so there should be a reasonably lively nightlife on a Friday night!
And then it’s time for your fellowship of crewmates to part ways. Hopefully you’ve had a fantastic week of sunshine, sailing and exhilarating exploring of the famous Amalfi coast and bay of Naples, and you’re leaving the holiday with even better friends than you started with. Have a safe flight home, and head to PlainSailing.com when you’re ready to start planning your next adventure!
