Not just expensive flights. In the summer months, reaching the Italian islands by ferry is increasingly a drain on familieswith connection costs that can reach the monthly salary of an average worker. This is stated by Adiconsum Sardegna, which has carried out a study on the rates of some typical summer routes. Assuming to leave on the evening of August 16, arriving at your destination the following morning, and returning on Saturday August 24, the most expensive connection is without a doubt the Civitavecchia-Olbia. – explains Adiconsum -. If you choose an armchair on the outward journey and a free seat on the return journey, a family with two children and a car in tow must count on a minimum expense of 1,324 euros, which rises to 1,640 euros if you opt for an internal cabin.
Ferries to Sicily are also very expensive: for the same period considered, from Livorno to Palermo (one way in cabin, return free seat) the ticket starts from 1,099 euros; from Genoa to Palermo 1,210 euros (one way in internal cabin, return free seat); from Naples to Palermo (return in internal cabin) 922 euros. For the Aeolian Islands, without the possibility of booking a cabin, the cost is 934 euros for the Naples-Lipari route, 887 euros for the Naples-Stromboli route.
Federalberghi Isole di Sicilia has been reporting since June 2022 a price increase on routes (ships and hydrofoils) operated under a state agreement, which has now reached 56% compared to the original rates. The increase has been the subject of repeated reports both to Minister Matteo Salvini and to the President of the Region Renato Schifani and to the councilor Alessandro Aricò. “It is unthinkable to have a fixed amount for 12 years of agreement without this being adjusted to the increased management costs, with the only ‘solution’ of reducing the trips or increasing the rates,” complains Christian Del Bono, president of Federalberghi Isole di Sicilia. “Added to this are the rate increases and the insufficiency of ships and trips provided for by the regional agreement, whose tenders have often gone unsold. This represents yet another sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the inhabitants and tourism operators of the Sicilian islands.”