About Italy

Italy is a boot-shaped peninsula situated in the Mediterranean Sea at the bottom of Western Europe, with the Tyrrhenian Sea to the West, Ionian Sea to the South and Adriatic Sea to the East. Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world and contains more World Heritage Sites than any other country. Although Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence are the top tourist destinations in Italy, the country’s rich collections of art, culture and literature from many different periods and regions make it impossible to judge on where the most interesting location is. With around four thousand miles of coastline, with countless gulfs, inlets, and long sandy beaches, Italy is truly adapted to the vacation lovers every need. Coastal cities with their sea resorts and awesome beaches are easily reachable by car with a variety of ferries and vessels large and small ready to sail you there.

About Ustica Island

Ustica is a small Italian island within the volcanic Aeolian chain in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the north of Palermo, Sicily. Accented with bright pink hibiscus and green cacti, Ustica is a small, dark drop in the ocean, known affectionately as ‘the black pearl’. With a jagged coastline jewelled with sparkling grottoes, the surrounding waters are protected by marine area status, home to around half the Med’s fish and coral species. Italians frequent Ustica from July to August, so it’s best to sail here in the shoulder months, when the boat trips, enigmatic Roman ruins, picturesque piazzas and coastal footpaths are far less busy. Given the island’s popularity for short-excursions and weekend breaks, it is well linked with big Italian cities by ferry, including Palermo and Napoli, with regular routes to its port on the east coast.