Arriving in Sicily by ship
Sicily, being an island, can obviously be reached by ferry or, from the Calabrian coast, even by hydrofoil. But even when traveling by train, once you arrive at Villa San Giovanni, you will necessarily have to cross the Strait of Messina by ship: the wagons will inevitably have to be ferried to the Sicilian shore. The largest island in Italy and the entire Mediterranean is certainly not without airports, nevertheless we must never underestimate the beauty and comfort of sea crossings, nor forget why it is convenient to travel by ship rather than by plane. And if there is a need to travel with a vehicle in tow, embarking on it saves a good piece of highway, which is not very easy in this case.
Ferries to Sicily from the Italian peninsula
It is clear below which routes are carried out by the ships that reach the Sicilian Region from the rest of Italy.
Ferries to Messina
Among the sea connections, the shortest route to reach Sicily from the Italian peninsula is undoubtedly that of the ferry from Villa San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria): the crossing of the Strait takes a few tens of minutes, whether you disembark in the Rada San Francesco than in the main port of Messina. At this point, an alternative for those who do not come from Calabria, with or without a vehicle in tow, arises spontaneously: instead of going to the Calabrian side, it is possible to take the Salerno Messina ferry. As long as your final destination is in the Messina area, otherwise you can consider the possibility of disembarking in the ports of Catania or Palermo.
Ferries to Palermo
Another solution to get to Sicily from the rest of the Stivale can be that of the ferries to Palermo departing from Livorno, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples or Salerno, traveling with a vehicle or not. Especially if your final destination is the metropolitan city of Palermo or the territories of the free municipal consortia (corresponding to the former provinces) of Trapani, Agrigento or Caltanissetta. In the following list there are the maritime connections for the port of Palermo from the ports of the continent:
Ferries to Termini Imerese
The port of Termini Imerese, in the metropolitan city of Palermo, not far from the capital, is served by the ships that cross the routes Civitavecchia ➜ Termini Imerese e Napoli ➜ Termini Imerese.
Ferries to Catania
The port of Catania, a perfect landing place to reach the metropolitan city of Catania from the mainland or the territories of the free municipal consortia of Syracuse, Ragusa and part of those of Enna and Caltanissetta, is active for the Salerno-Catania ferry route.
Ferries to the Aeolian Islands
Even the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands can be reached directly from the Italian peninsula, specifically from Naples and, only in summer, by hydrofoil, both from the province of Salerno, departing from the Cilento coast (the Sapri ➜ Stromboli race then continues to Panarea , Salina, Vulcano and Lipari), from Reggio Calabria or from Vibo Valentia. Ferries to the Aeolian Islands from Naples cover the route all year round, with stopovers in Stromboli (Pier of Scari and Ginostra), Panarea, Salina (Rinella or Santa Marina), Lipari and Vulcano. From May to October, however, the ban on landing on the Aeolian islands with a vehicle does not allow the influx of cars, motorcycles and mopeds; the dates on which the restriction is in effect vary depending on the specific island.
