Sailing the Amalfi Coast: A Private Charter Guide

The SS163 — the corniche road that hugs the Amalfi Coast — is famous, photographed, and in summer months, impossibly congested. The real Amalfi, the one the fishermen and the privileged few have always known, is accessed by water.

A private sailing charter (or motorboat, depending on your pace preference) transforms the coast completely. Coves and sea grottos inaccessible from land open up. Anchorages beneath villages perched improbably on cliffs allow swimming in water of impossible blueness. The Fiordo di Furore — a tiny fjord carved between sheer limestone walls — is reachable only by boat, and is arguably the most dramatic swimming spot on the Italian mainland.

**Chartering**: The best charters on the Amalfi Coast are operated by Flotta Navigando (flottanavigando.it) and Amalfi Charter (amalfi-charter.com). A well-appointed sailing yacht for a week, with skipper and provision for a group of six to eight, ranges from €8,000 to €25,000 depending on vessel size and season. The skipper — always hire a local — provides irreplaceable knowledge of the best anchorages, the hidden restaurants, and the weather.

**Itinerary**: Begin in Salerno and work west: Positano for provisioning and a lunch at Il Ritrovo (ilritrovo.com), Praiano for a sunset swim, Amalfi town for an early morning espresso before the tourists arrive, Ravello for the views from Villa Rufolo (villarufolo.it) — then south to Capri for the final nights.

**Onboard**: A well-stocked boat should include local wines, fresh produce from morning markets, and — naturally — the ingredients for a simple Italian mimosa: chilled Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, freshly squeezed blood orange juice, and a Sicilian blood orange half for garnish.