Sailboat charter in Liguria and Tuscany: Dea dei Mari among Italy’s best charter companies

April 2026. Il Giornale della Vela – the bible of Italian sailing, on newsstands for over fifty years – chose Dea dei Mari for its “The Best” column. It’s not an award you can buy, it’s an editorial selection. And for us, who have been turning wind into emotions for twenty years, it confirms that we have been on the right course.

Download your copy here: Il Giornale della Vela

In this article we tell you everything the magazine wrote about us – with a few first-hand additions that only those who live the sea every day can give.

Dea dei Mari was founded in 2006 with an idea as simple as it is ambitious: to bring anyone who wants to experience the Mediterranean in freedom aboard a sailboat, with no compromise on quality. Since 2010, Ivo Chiodi and Valter Tono have run the company together, with a shared vision that Il Giornale della Vela captured well.

“People who choose a charter today are looking for a mix of freedom and professional rigour,” Ivo Chiodi told the magazine. “We don’t just offer boats, but the certainty that every technical detail is perfect, so that our guests’ only concern is enjoying the wind.”

Put like that, it sounds simple. Behind it are twenty years of checks, maintenance, fleet choices, relationships with harbours and – above all – thousands of guests who came on board and never wanted to leave.

For the 2026 season, our fleet is renewed with two standout newcomers.

The first is the Lagoon 400 S2 catamaran: space, stability, light. Ideal for families and groups who want to enjoy the sea without giving up the comforts of home – in fact, with something extra. A generous galley, airy interiors, huge outdoor spaces!! A dream platform for exploring the Tuscan Archipelago or pointing the bow towards Corsica.

The second is the Sun Odyssey 419: an almost perfect balance between speed and liveability. For those who really want to feel the wind, who love handling the boat, who aren’t content to float but want to sail.

Alongside the new arrivals, our trusted Bavaria 38, 45, 46 and 50 continue to guarantee reliability and sailing pleasure on every route. As Il Giornale della Vela wrote, every boat is a gem of technology and design, ready to sail the Mediterranean with grace.

One of the things that sets us apart most is our choice of operating bases. We’re not everywhere – we’re exactly where the sea is most beautiful.

Porto Mirabello, La Spezia, is our new Ligurian base. A modern, prestigious harbour set in the Gulf of Poets. From here you cast off towards Portovenere, the villages of the Cinque Terre and the nameless coves that only sailors can find. “Porto Mirabello is the gateway to the Ligurian paradise,” Ivo Chiodi told the magazine – and we couldn’t agree more.

This year our Tuscan base will be the new D-Marin in Livorno, a perfect springboard for the Tuscan Archipelago. Elba, Capraia, Giglio: three islands, three different characters, all within sailing distance. And for those with a few more days – and a little spirit of adventure – Corsica is right there, less than a night’s sail away, with its crystal-clear waters and seabeds that look painted.

There is another side of Dea dei Mari that Il Giornale della Vela described precisely: sailing as a way to bring people together.

We have been organising corporate team-building events and group holidays for years. On a sailboat there’s nowhere to hide: hierarchies flatten, manoeuvres require coordination, and living together reveals people as they really are. The result, almost always, is a more cohesive, more authentic group.

“Watching a company team coordinate to tack or hoist a sail is extraordinary,” says Valter Tono. “Sailing levels hierarchies and builds a harmony that lasts long after the holiday ends.”

If you’re looking for an alternative to the usual corporate events, write to us. We have the right boat, the right routes and the experience to make it all work.

Il Giornale della Vela chose us among the best. But the real confirmation doesn’t come from magazines – it comes from those who come aboard, hoist the sails and never want to return to shore.

If you’re also planning your summer 2026, the summer is still yours to write. And we have the boat, the route and the right wind to do it together.