Li Galli Islands Boat Trip
Three kilometres offshore from Positano lie the Li Galli archipelago — three small islands known in antiquity as the Sirenuse, the rocks where Homer's Sirens lured sailors to their doom. For most of the 20th century they were a private estate owned first by Russian ballet impresario Léonide Massine, then by Rudolf Nureyev, who died there in 1993. Today you can circle them by boat and, in calm weat
Getting There
No ferry serves Li Galli — access is by private boat hire or organised day-trip. Several operators along Positano's Spiaggia Grande rent small motorboats (no licence required for vessels under 40hp) for around €120–180 per half-day, enough to reach the islands, anchor in the sheltered cove on the eastern side of Gallo Lungo, and snorkel the rocky walls before returning.
Alternatively, local fisherman-turned-guide Antonio Cinque runs small-group morning excursions from the beach that include a stop at the islands, a swim at the sea caves of Arienzo, and a return via the emerald grottos near Praiano. His boat, the Stella Maris, is a beautifully kept traditional gozzo sorrentino.
What Makes It Special
Gallo Lungo, the largest island, still bears the watchtower and low white villa where Nureyev choreographed and recuperated. The building is privately owned and closed to visitors, but circling it slowly by boat — the bougainvillea spilling over ancient stone, the sea an impossible shade of green — is one of those travel moments that stays with you.
The snorkelling around the rocky base of the smallest island, La Rotonda, is among the best accessible without scuba gear on the coast: posidonia meadows, octopus, and schools of salpa drift past in crystal-clear water that rarely exceeds 6 metres in depth at the anchorage.
More of Positano
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Positano →
