Verona, Valpoliella and Soave, Italy There is so much to see and do in Venice, that it was difficult to venture beyond the magical city, but we thought we should see some of the surrounding, less traveled area. We ran into some cruisers who had recently been to Verona and they were unenthusiastic about their […]

Venice Italy Sailors go wherever the wind will take them. For cruisers, sailing is wonderful, but it usually is all about the destination. And iconic destinations are on every cruiser’s list. New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Venice, we all want to sail our boats into legendary harbors. Motoring along the inland sea to Venice was […]

Chioggia, Italy We decided to travel up the East coast of Italy because we wanted to take Berkeley East to Venice. It was a good decision, as we had many great experiences there. With just a few miles to go, we stopped in Fano, Ravenna and Chioggia before cruising up the inland sea to Venezia. […]

Ancona, Italy We know how crazy it sounds that we would need a break from sailing around the Med. But sometimes a little land time, away from the boat, is a good change of pace. We have always wanted to see Umbria, the central region of Italy, some call it “the green heart of Italy,” […]

43 36.68’N:13 28.95’E May is considered a “fringe” month for cruising. It can still be a little cool and windy, but sometimes that beats the summer heat and dead calm conditions that require motoring. The crowds are less in May, which leaves plenty of space to anchor or dock. But towns and marinas are often […]

Bari, Italy With weather becoming a problem again, we pulled Berkeley East into a marina, rented a car and did a few daytrips around Puglia. Unlike much of Italy, the terrain in Puglia is nearly flat, which made for easier driving in our nifty little Fiat 500. Most of our driving in Italy has been […]

Otranto, Italy As we were preparing to leave Siracusa, we were exchanging some emails with friends about our upcoming plan: a two-day/overnight passage across the Straight of Messina to the heel of Italy. One friend wrote back and said, “Have fun tomorrow.” We could only chuckle at that, as overnight passages are seldom fun. Sailing […]

Siracusa, Sicily Italy A cruiser’s life is all about the weather. We often have to wait for a better weather window in order to get where we want to go. Since we have no real schedule, a day here, two days there, is really no big deal. But when days become a week or more, […]