Palermo - Long
Day 1
Palermo - Mondello
Day 2
Mondello - Cefalù
Day 3
Cefalù - Lipari
Day 4
Lipari - Salina
Day 5
Salina - Panarea
Day 6
Panarea - Ustica
Day 7
Ustica - Palermo
Detailed Itinerary by days
Day 1Palermo - Mondello
From the disorderly symphony of Palermo—honking Vespas, street vendors selling panelle—into Mondello's Belle Époque embrace. Anchor where the turquoise licks of the Tyrrhenians cover a crescent of fine sand. Walk the Art Nouveau pier as gelato drizes down your wrist; dive directly off the boat into water so clean it stings with beauty. Claim a plastic table at Antica Focacceria San Francesco for pasta con le sarde, the sweet punch of wild fennel mixing with salt air at evening.
Day 2Mondello - Cefalù
Follow the golden hour of dawn east across the crumpled coast of Sicily. Dock under Norman cathedral of Cefalù; mosaics there shine like a gem box. Climb the serpentine road to ancient ruins, perspiration rewarded with views of your boat bobbing like a toy underneath. Cool yourself at the secret of the locals, Spiaggia di Mazzaforno, where waves polish smooth stones into marbles. Dine at Bastione amid falling stars—the lanterns of fisherman dotting the horizon.
Day 3Cefalù - Lipari
For the Aeolians, hoist sails from volcanic sentinels rising from mythological seas. Get in Lipari and Stromboli puffs its smokey hello. Discover the Greek graves and Roman relics in the castle; afterward, kayak to Pumice Quarries, where rocks radiate e-thereal white. Join the passeggiata along Marina Corta at sunset as old men dispute soccer over briny totani rings while drinking Malvasia wine.
Day 4Lipari - Salina
Go to Salina, the green goddess of the archipelago. Moor on the pastel harbor of Santa Marina, where caper vines cascade over stone walls. Trekkers into cloud forests to Monte Fossa delle Felci; then, at Da Alfredo, treat yourself with granita di gelsi, mulberry ice. Eat spaghetti al nero di seppia at a vineyard lit by fireflies as evening colors the sea lavender.
Day 5Salina - Panarea
Sail to Panarea, playground of bronze jetsetters and old ghosts. Anchor off Basiluzzo, snorkel around sapphire-drenched Roman columns. Ashore, search for Neolithic engravings at Capo Milazzesi, then slink into Black Sand of Spiaggia della Zimmari—volcanic exfoliation at its best. Dance barefoot under a star-flecked sky while DJ beats pulse at Raya Bar.
Day 6Panarea - Ustica
Chart course for Ustica, the Galápagos' counterpart in Sicily. Dive the Grotta dei Gamberi to see shrimp light in underwater cavernues. Ashore, cycle to the lighthouse of Punta Spalmatore, wild capers crunching under wheels. Eat at Trattoria da Umberto—their lenticchia di Ustica, small island lentils, taste of sun-baked earth and sea spray.
Day 7Ustica - Palermo
Past Isola delle Femmine, its watchtower guarding tales of pirate queens, sail homeward. Before Palermo's skyline rises—golden domes, laundry-strung balconies, the aroma of arancine fried—take one more plunge in Cala Sidoti's glassy embrace. Disembark with salt in your hair and Sicilian fire coursed through you.
