The 10 best marinas and tourist ports in Italy

Overlooking the west coast of Sardinia, just below the bastions of the ancient city, is one of Italy's most fascinating marinas: the Marina di Sant'Elmo in Alghero. The proximity of the Marina di Sant'Elmo to the city walls, makes it an extremely suggestive landing place, immersed in nature and a stone's throw from one of Italy's most beautiful maritime cities.

For centuries, the port of Alghero was a central trade in the Mediterranean: Genoese ships passed through here on their voyage’s westwards, and for the other way Spanish and Maghrebi ships used that as a reference point as they sailed up the coast. From the 12th century, the famous Genoese family Doria decided to fortify it: they knew that such a strategic port grab the eye of some maritime power. And so, it did. In 1354, after months of siege, Alghero fell into the hands of the Aragonese Crown, which made it one of its outposts in the centre of the Mediterranean. For centuries, Sardinian and Catalan cultures merged, giving rise to a new and unique city, with architecture, language, and traditions as original as any in the world. When you dock at the port of Alghero, you will immediately realise that you arrived in a magical place, where history and culture have created a truly spectacular city.

The Marina di Sant'Elmo is an ideal place to dock for several reasons. The first is its value as a port: it can accommodate up to 100 boats and superyachts of up to 70 metres. Privacy, discretion and security are the watchwords, and you will receive 5-star service and excellent technical assistance. Another undisputed asset of the Marina di Sant'Elmo is its location: from here you can visit some of the most interesting places in Sardinia.

Heading north along the Coral Riviera, just 10 km from Marina Sant'Elmo, you will find the Nuragic Village of Palmavera dating back to the Bronze Age; a little further on, near the enchanting Mugoni beach, you will find the Nuragic complex of Sant'Imbenia. Continuing along the coast, after about 8km, you will reach the famous Grotte di Nettuno (Neptune's Caves): amazing karst caves, rich in stalactites and stalagmites, which seem to have been embroidered by nature itself. At this point, we recommend that you go about thirty kilometres inland to visit the pre-Nuragic necropolis of Angelu Ruju and taste the wine prepared using ancient methods that have made this site famous throughout the world. Continuing south, you will find yourself in the presence of the Domus de Janas S'Incantu, underground tombs of great visual impact. At this point, if you feel homesick for the sea, you can return to the coast south of Alghero and visit the beautiful Parco Archeologico Nuraghe Appiu and the Necropolis of Puttu Codinu, which are no more than 30km from the city of Alghero.

And here we are in Sicily. Among all the magnificent ports of the island, today we want to talk about those of Syracuse. This is a port on the Ionian coast of Sicily made up of three distinct units: the Grand Port and the Marmoreal Port on the island of Ortigia and Porto Rifugio, located in the northern part of the city and used for petrochemical activities.

From the tourist point of view, the two ports of Ortigia are undoubtedly the most fascinating: gateways to one of UNESCO's world heritage sites, the ports of Ortigia are the most attractive for tourists.

Ortigia is located right at the centre of the Mediterranean, so there is no need to dwell on the strategic value that its port has had over the centuries.

To date, the ports of Syracuse were opened to cruise ships at the beginning of the new millennium: since then, various economic interventions have followed to improve the entire marina area. The two harbours also host numerous pleasure and sailing ships. Several famous regattas, such as the international Syracuse-Malta regatta, the Rotta del Vino (Marzamemi-Siracusa-Riposto) and the Odyssail regatta on the Ulysses route, which starts in Sardinia, crosses the Mediterranean touching Syracuse and ending in Athens, also depart from here.

There are two ports in Crotone: the Old Port and the New Port.

The Porto Vecchio in the south is mainly used by fishing boats, berths and ships in transit. Here you can find technical assistance and the seabed is up to 5 metres deep, the crosswinds are sirocco and libeccio.

In the northern area lies the New Port, characterised by large expanses of water and long quays equipped for tourist purposes. Here you will find pleasure boats, yachts, moorings, refuelling and storage stations. At Porto Nuovo, there is also loading and unloading of goods, while the seabed in the area of the Forche beach is up to 9 metres deep. Here the crosswinds are the tramontane and the mistral.

The ports of Crotone were founded as early as the 7th century and belonged to Magna Graecia. For centuries Crotone was an important port of call in the Mediterranean, but the real boom came in the early decades of the 20th century when Calabria was industrialised.

This is the only port located on the island of the same name, the largest of the Egadi Islands. It is located in the inlet called Cala Principale, a strip of land between Punta del Faraglione and Punta di S. Nicola. The pier extends almost 90 metres southwards from the main wharf and plunges into the cove. In the southern part, a well-protected dock houses quays and yards for tourist use.

At the port of Favignana, you can see many different types of boats: pleasure boats, fishing boats, tuna boats, ferries and hydrofoils. Numerous nautical services can be hired in the town.

Just over an hour's drive from Rome is the beautiful marina of Nettuno, a place suspended between the past and the future. Embellished by the nearby ancient village, the marina's technical efficiency and natural beauty make it a top ten choice.

The marina was inaugurated in 1986 and just a few years of life has managed to take its place among the best Italian marinas in the opinion not only of locals but also of international customers. Since the first year of its establishment, the port of Nettuno has been awarded the Blue Flag every year by the Foundation for Environmental. Major sailing regattas are held in its Gulf every year. It is also perfect for pleasure boating thanks to its 3 km of quays, 14 piers, 800 berths and the constant assistance of the control tower for manoeuvres in and out of the port.

The Old Port of Naples is a true gateway to one of Italy's most beautiful cities, a crossroads of people and goods, and a reference point for the entire region. Its foundation dates back to the 8th century by the Greeks: later, with the advent of the Angevins, it was enlarged along with the city. The Angevin wharf was built at the behest of Charles II at the beginning of the 14th century; in 1487 Ferrante of Aragon had the lighthouse called the 'Lanterna del Molo' built. Finally, under the Bourbons, the Port of Naples became one of the best equipped in Europe, hosting Venetian, Danish, English, Genoese and Turkish military and merchant fleets.

Later, the Old Port of Naples became a great naval arsenal, which gave birth to legendary ships such as the Real Ferdinando I, the first steamship in the Mediterranean. Today, the Port of Naples is a preferred access point to the Neapolitan city as a dock for cruise ships as well as a merchant port. The city centre is within walking distance

In the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, is located Porto Sant'Ercole, a port with a very ancient history: its foundation dates back to Etruscan times and its transformation into a port in Roman times. The bastion of Santa Barbara, which can still be seen today, was built in the Byzantine era, testifying to the continuous use of Porto Sant'Ercole over the centuries. The fortress, on the other hand, was founded at the end of the 1200s by the Countess of Savoy, Margherita Aldobrandeschi. In the following century, the Torre di Terra, the nucleus of the fortress, was inherited by the famous Orsini family, who decided to expand the village by adding, among other things, the church of Sant'Erasmo.

Porto Ercole flourished, however, in the 15th century under the rule of the Republic of Siena, which made it a point of reference for the entire Argentario coast. Porto Ercole was the scene of famous battles such as the one that saw Siena and France lined up on opposite sides against Florence, an ally of the Spanish: the Battle of Porto Ercole was immortalised by Vasari in the Sala del Cinquecento.

With the Peace of Chateau-Cambrésis, Porto Ercole came under Spanish rule and experienced a new European boom. In 1610 Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio died here.

In the 18th century, Porto Ercole experienced a slow decline until, in the post-Napoleonic era, it acquired a new dignity as a tourist port thanks to the excellent publicity it received from Juliana, Queen of Holland, who was on holiday in the region. We recommend that you follow in the Queen's footsteps and visit the four forts, the churches of Sant'Erasmo and San Rocco and the village. If you are travelling by boat, a short distance from the port you will find Cala Galera, where numerous boats and VIP yachts moor.

Portovenere is an ancient village at the western end of the Ligurian Gulf, one of the most idyllic villages on the coast. Looking at the houses in Portovenere you can still identify the typical architecture of the colonies of the Maritime Republic of Genoa, which wanted the houses both as places to live and as defensive structures in case of attack from the sea.

In Portovenere, you can also visit the walls strengthened by towers, the Castle and other medieval structures that have contributed to making this town a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Set in the splendid setting of the City of Flowers and Music, the port of Sanremo is one of the most picturesque harbours in the whole of Liguria. Portosole has over 800 berths and is one of the largest tourist marinas in the whole Mediterranean basin. In Sanremo, you can see boats up to 90 metres long, luxury charters and high-profile private yachts.

Many VIPs come to Sanremo on their luxury yachts, especially during the summer and the Sanremo Festival week. In the marina area, you will find everything you need for your boating holiday: ship chandler, assistance with onboard electronics, nautical upholstery and specialised boat laundry.

Trieste's Porto Vecchio (Old Harbour) is a fascinating port architecture from the Italian industrial era and 19th century Europe. The Porto Vecchio was built in the 13th century but was only enlarged in 1869 when the Suez Canal was opened. What makes the Old Port of Trieste unique and unmissable is its difference from all the other marinas in the Mediterranean: the construction and organisation of its buildings are based on the model of northern European cities where the port area of the city was built according to the circulation of goods. In particular, the port of Trieste is reminiscent of Hamburg's Speicherstadt.

In the Porto Vecchio of Trieste, you can still admire the five original piers, the breakwater of 1875, the hydrodynamic power station (a unique structure in the world, still equipped with all the original machinery), the electric station, the warehouses, and the original construction patents. You will still find the remains of the picturesque grass-roofed harbour inn and the old hangars.

You can park directly in the streets adjacent to the Port and discover the wonders of this relic of the industrial age on foot. The harbour is in the beautiful city of Trieste, the most important city in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, capital of science 2020, city of sea, wind, coffee and writers.