Adriatic Coast of Italy

The Adriatic coast of Italy is less cruised than other parts of the country, few yachts tackling the 500 miles plus from Otranto round to Po Delta and then Venice to Trieste. Of those which do, many choose to cross the Adriatic from Bari or Trani to Croatia, thus missing out on an attractive cruising ground that has seen considerable yachting development in recent years.

Leaving Otranto at the ‘gateway’ to the Adriatic, a yacht cruising north passes the harbours of Brindisi, Mola di Bari, Bari, Trani, and Vieste, before arriving at the ‘spur’ of Italy. The coast from there northwards contains numerous small harbours, many of them canal ports, as well as the major harbours of Ancona and Ravenna. The coast continues along the Po Delta which is a mini cruising ground all of its own, with several shallow harbours and anchorages in its sea channels, and then finishes at the mouth of the river Adige.

The part of the coast from Vieste up to Venice has two main hazards for cruisers to contend with: firstly it is mostly shallow and many of the harbours have depths at the entrance of between 3.0 and 5.0 metres, which means they cannot be entered or exited in strong onshore winds; secondly, the Italian appetite for seafood means that large stretches of the coast are littered with lobster pots and mussel rafts. A night passage along this coast - especially under motor - would be courting disaster unless at least five miles offshore. At this distance, one then has the numerous oil and gas rigs to contend with, although at least these are lit.

Nevertheless, the coast here is well supplied with harbours and marinas, especially for yachts of moderate draft, and it is possible to day sail the entire coast without any passage longer than 40 miles.