CRUISING GUIDE WEST MEDITERRANEAN
IMPERIAL C H A RT E R D I R E C T O RY 2 017
THE LIGURIAN HIGH-LIFE ... Like its French equivalent, the Italian Riviera features narrow waterfront strips against an Alpine backdrop, with high-end shopping and first-rate cuisine. Here, however, the shore is littered with fishing villages, some of which (like Portofino) have achieved super-chic status; and others (like those around La Spezia) that retain an authentic salt crust on their tumbling technicolour buildings. There are plenty of extraordinary coastal walks, sheltered bays, secluded beaches and lofty cliffs, but what makes the Italian charter experience so special is that it fuses maritime tradition with 21st century luxury to better effect than anywhere else in the world. SUGGESTED ITINE RA RY
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Region Italian Riviera • Start Port San Remo • End Port Porto Ercole • Distance < 255 Nm • Destinations 7 Alternative route Tuscan Archipelago • Peak yachting season April to September • Time zone UTC + 2 hours 1 SAN R EMO
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5 VIA R EGGIO
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As a historical refuge for the pampered elite, the balmy Ligurian resort of San Remo is arguably the showiest destination on the Riviera. This Roman settlement is a hotbed of ritzy, casino-style nightlife, the enormous harbour is a renowned superyacht hub and the bars, shops and cafés ooze with appropriate cosmopolitanism.
The fabled Italian fishing village of Portofino nestles between herb-strewn hillsides in a protected reserve at the apex of a turquoise inlet. Its pristine loveliness is deeply affecting but don’t discount the nearby port towns of Santa Margherita and Rapallo. They might be less gentrified, but for the charter yacht explorer, they’re every bit as memorable.
The promenade and the high-spec marina sit right at the heart of this traditional seaside resort – and while the town’s shipbuilding roots have largely given way to tourism, the youthful energy of the upmarket beach scene is extremely attractive. Viareggio also makes an ideal stopover for a daytrip to Pisa or Florence.
The Tuscan seaside resort of Porto Ercole wraps itself around a natural deepwater harbour with an expansive and entertaining marina at its heart. Up on the hill, various 16th century fortifications keep watch over the town’s pastille-coloured streets and the seasonal effervescence in and around the long promenade is brilliantly infectious.
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6 ELBA
Regional capital, Genoa, is the worldly counterpoint to the compact elegance of the outlying towns and villages. In addition to a buzzing arts scene, a plentiful supply of high-class dive sites and a beautiful old harbour, it offers several classical districts, where the manic mishmash of multicoloured villas plunges steeply to the sea.
The impossibly lovely headland settlement of Portovenere is a wonderful place to sit among the waterfront villas and revel in the quiet prestige, the rustic elegance and the maritime gentility of it all. From here, Cinque Terre is also within reach – a mountainous shoreline encompassing five famously unspoiled fishing villages.
The Isle of Elba feels like a Caribbean paradise in the middle of the Med. Its shores are blessed with lofty headlands, sandy bays and protected rural landscapes. Its clear, richly stocked waters are great for diving and Portoferraio, the historic centre, is at once an authentic fishing town and a sophisticated leisure destination.
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7 PORTO ERCOLE
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Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport
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Nice Cote d’Azur Airport
Pisa International Airport
Siena-Ampugnano Airport R AN G E Approximate nautical miles
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San Remo – Genoa 65 Nm Genoa – Portofino 17 Nm Portofino – Portovenere 32 Nm Portovenere – Viareggio 22 Nm Viareggio – Elba 65 Nm Elba – Porto Ercole 50 Nm
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