LADY LARISA
SANLORENZO SX88 Built by Sanlorenzo in 2018, LADY LARISA combines contemporary Italian design with versatile living spaces and a seamless connection to the water. Exterior
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Italy
Check the yacht's paperwork, proposed base and Portofino operating rules before arranging the trial and handover.
Approaching buying a boat Liguria means checking how the yacht fits your intended base and cruising plans, alongside the purchase itself. Viewings near Genoa, La Spezia and Portofino need title, technical-paper and operational checks before handover. This guide combines the national paperwork framework with a specific local example: Portofino's protected-area navigation and buoy-field rules. It uses current official material rather than inventing regional prices, berth vacancy rates or typical registry delays.
The guide is for private buyers preparing seller enquiries, survey arrangements and a delivery plan. Local tariff and booking examples apply to the named protected area, not every Ligurian harbour. Your own marina offer, tax position, survey scope and flag choice need confirmation for the yacht you are considering. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Portofino's Regolamento di Esecuzione e di Organizzazione, articles 16 and 18 as reproduced by the authority, prohibits free navigation in zone A and anchoring or hauling out in zones A and B.
Portofino Marine Protected Area, navigation rules ·Portofino's article 16 limits permitted motor navigation to no more than 5 knots and always in displacement mode, respecting the maritime office's provisions.
Portofino Marine Protected Area, navigation rules ·Codice della nautica da diporto, article 17, requires registered-unit ownership transactions to be recorded in ATCN and annotated on the navigation licence within 60 days of the deed, or 120 days when the interested party resides abroad.
Normattiva, Codice della nautica da diporto, article 17, updated 10 May 2026 ·Portofino's published 2026 tariff lists a consumo authorisation at €95.00 for combustion-propelled units with overall length greater than 10 m and no more than 13.99 m.
Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffs ·Portofino's 2026 supplementary rules require units over 10 m overall length to contact assigned staff on VHF channel 69 before entering the buoy field and wait outside for clearance and assistance.
Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 mooring rules, updated 8 Apr 2026 ·Section 1
A yacht offered near Genoa, La Spezia or Portofino should be assessed against its proposed use as well as its condition. Ask where you will keep it and where the trial and first cruise will take place. A written marina offer is a practical base check; local protected-area access is a separate question. This guide uses Portofino's official provisions as a concrete Ligurian example without claiming that every harbour in the region has the same navigation rules or berth availability.
The Portofino Marine Protected Area divides navigation into zones with different restrictions. Its official regulation extract prohibits free navigation in the strict zone and places conditions on motor navigation elsewhere. Recreational ships, personal watercraft and waterskiing have express restrictions. A seller's account of an enjoyable previous cruise is not a substitute for checking the particular yacht, intended route and current permission. Ask the trial skipper to identify the zone boundaries before agreeing to a route around the promontory.
For motor access, check the yacht's relevant environmental documentation rather than relying on a label such as modern engine. The official extract identifies alternative compatibility criteria and treats boats that cannot establish them differently. It also regulates speed and anchoring separately. Keep those operating questions in the purchase discussion if access to these waters is part of the boat's appeal. A locally qualified adviser or the protected-area office can address an uncertain case; do not assume that buying locally proves the equipment satisfies it.
Broker tip: Tell the trial skipper exactly which waters you want to visit. Ask the protected-area office about any uncertain yacht or engine classification before allowing the proposed cruising route to become part of your purchase assumptions. Readers often go on to our guide on how to buy a boat in Italy.
Boat on a marina berth being prepared for sale.
Matching boat and waters
Section 2
The national purchase paperwork does not become a separate Ligurian regime because a yacht is viewed in the region. Collect ownership evidence, current navigation papers and technical documents from the seller before assessing the boat as ready for completion. The Codice della nautica da diporto, Legislative Decree 171/2005, article 19, describes documents for Italian registration. Ask the administrative desk to identify the correct route for the yacht's existing flag and history instead of treating the document checklist for a new Italian entry as every resale procedure.
If the yacht comes from another European Union register and is to enter the Italian system, the foreign cancellation evidence matters. Article 19 provides a particular route for CE-marked craft and an owner declaration where the foreign country does not register the relevant unit. CE is the European conformity mark. Give the handling office the existing certificate and conformity papers before asking it to confirm the file is complete. A broker can organise the documents, but should not resolve an uncertain technical or ownership issue through a sales description.
For a registered Italian ownership transaction, article 17 requires recording in the central telematic archive, the Archivio telematico centrale delle unità da diporto (ATCN), and annotation on the navigation licence. The Sportello telematico del diportista (STED) is the boating administrative desk handling the submission. Agree who will lodge the signed documents and retain the receipt. The legislation's deadline is not a promised local processing time, so arrange the handover around the actual submission and documentary position rather than an invented regional turnaround.
Broker tip: Before signing, ask the handling desk to confirm the yacht's paperwork route and who submits the sale documents. Keep the filing receipt and handover record together, and obtain locally qualified advice where title or liabilities are unclear. Our guide on whether you need a boat survey in Italy covers a related point.
Mooring line and fenders on a marina berth.
Title and recording
Looking at a boat in Liguria and want a second opinion before you commit? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
Portofino's published mooring authorisation tariff differentiates overall length and propulsion. It has consumption-based and flat-rate products, described in Italian as a consumo and a forfait. These are protected-area buoy-field authorisations, not a quotation for a permanent marina berth in Genoa or La Spezia. Match the yacht to the actual row and ask what use the product allows before buying it. Keep the tariff version with the quotation so an older price sheet is not mistaken for the current offer.
The published row covering the illustrative yacht in this guide has different consumption-based amounts for combustion propulsion and the sailing, rowing or electric grouping. The worked comparison below totals separate authorisations for two illustrative boats in that row; each owner pays for their own vessel. It demonstrates the arithmetic from published charges without inventing a boat sale price, tax or discount. A buyer planning a single yacht purchase should still ask the operator for that yacht's actual payable product and use conditions.
An operating-season notice can make a published tariff irrelevant to an immediate trip. On the checking date, the authority's live notice says the buoy-field season has ended and mooring is no longer possible there. Do not purchase an authorisation assuming a printed tariff proves autumn availability. For the overall purchase budget, obtain individual written prices for a survey, any haul-out, insurance and a suitable base. The protected-area charge is one local operating item, not a substitute for those purchase and ownership costs. Regional market prices, marina vacancies, haul-out and survey prices, delays, and berth prices and facilities at Genoa and La Spezia are not covered here: email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Ask for the exact authorisation product and confirmed operating dates before paying. Put the protected-area charge on a separate line from the marina offer and purchase services so its limited scope stays visible. A related question is answered in our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Italy.
Boat keys and documents handed over on a chart table.
Local mooring tariffs
Portofino's published 2026 tariff lists a consumo authorisation at €95.00 for combustion-propelled units with overall length greater than 10 m and no more than 13.99 m.
Source: Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffsPortofino's published 2026 tariff lists a consumo authorisation at €90.00 for sail, rowing or electric units with overall length greater than 10 m and no more than 13.99 m.
Source: Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffsPortofino's published 2026 tariff lists a forfait authorisation at €2,340.00 for combustion-propelled units with overall length greater than 10 m and no more than 13.99 m.
Source: Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffsIllustrative arithmetic for separate qualifying authorisations: one 12 m combustion boat at €95.00 plus one 12 m sailing boat at €90.00 totals €185.00; each owner pays their own authorisation, and separate marina charges are excluded.
Source: Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffsSection 4
The live Portofino notice is a concrete seasonal constraint, not a claim about the whole Ligurian boating market. It records the end of the Punta Chiappa and San Fruttuoso buoy-field season, with buoys being removed. Check that notice again before a later visit because the operational position changes. A buyer should arrange the trial or delivery around a confirmed suitable place, rather than treating a buoy seen in summer photographs as an available overnight base after the published season ends.
The authority's supplementary mooring rules were approved in the current season, even though the document's website address retains an older year. They prescribe the booking window, cancellation position and no-show treatment. Read the actual document instead of rejecting or trusting it solely from its URL. If using a buoy authorisation in an operating season, coordinate the arrival time with the skipper and keep the confirmation accessible. A delayed survey or handover can affect a booking, so discuss those arrangements before fixing the voyage.
Larger boats have a specific radio approach instruction in the current supplementary rules. The skipper must contact the assigned staff before entering, remain outside and await clearance and assistance. Very high frequency radio is abbreviated VHF. Plan that communication as part of the approach rather than assuming an app booking alone permits immediate entry. The rules also govern use of the field, so it should not be treated as an unattended storage place while you leave the yacht to complete purchase errands ashore.
Broker tip: Before the trial or delivery, check the live seasonal notice and coordinate any authorised buoy arrival with the skipper. Keep the radio instruction and booking conditions beside the confirmation so a delay is handled before departure. See also our guide on how to register a boat in Italy.
Boat registration at a marina office.
Closures and approach
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not an Italian lawyer: for Italian law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the purchase, put the right questions to the seller and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are buying or selling a boat in Italy, tell us the type of boat, your budget and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
No: the authority's official extract prohibits anchoring in zones A and B and sets further restrictions in zone C. Navigation, mooring and anchoring are separate questions. Ask the skipper to check the intended stopping place against the protected-area rules rather than treating the yacht's local viewing location or a previous owner's cruise as permission. (Portofino Marine Protected Area, navigation rules)
No separate Ligurian process is asserted here: the cited national provisions set the registration-document and recording rules. The yacht's current flag, conformity status and transaction determine the applicable route. Ask the handling STED to identify the correct paperwork before signing, and distinguish the statutory recording deadline from a promise about local processing time. (Normattiva, Codice della nautica da diporto, articles 17 and 19)
The notice checked on 3 October 2026 says it is no longer available for mooring: the Punta Chiappa and San Fruttuoso season ended on 27 September and buoys are being removed. That is a dated local operational notice, not a permanent ban. Check the live notice before a future trip and arrange an alternative confirmed place when needed. (Portofino Marine Protected Area, current notices)
No: it is a protected-area mooring authorisation tariff. The published products distinguish overall length, propulsion and consumption-based versus flat-rate authorisations. Keep this charge separate from a written marina offer and the survey, insurance and other ownership costs. A printed authorisation tariff also does not establish that the buoy field is currently operating or has an available place. (Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 tariffs; Portofino Marine Protected Area, current notices)
No: the supplementary rules require units over 10 m overall length to contact assigned staff on VHF channel 69 before entry and wait outside for clearance and assistance. A booking does not replace that approach instruction. Coordinate the skipper's arrival with the reservation and keep the confirmation, radio requirement and no-show conditions available aboard. (Portofino Marine Protected Area, 2026 mooring rules)
This guide does not set regional boat prices or berth prices, because none were verified. Email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask each marina for a written tariff for your own boat and dates.
Ready when you are
SANLORENZO SX88 Built by Sanlorenzo in 2018, LADY LARISA combines contemporary Italian design with versatile living spaces and a seamless connection to the water. Exterior
RIVA FOLGORE MAYAR represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the newest yachts in her class, combining iconic Italian styling with impressive performance and
We are delighted to introduce an exceptional market opportunity: the outstanding Pershing 8X, offered at an asking price of €4,690,000 + VAT. This superb 2024
Check it yourself
Official extracts of navigation, mooring and anchoring provisions.
National registration and foreign-flag document routes.
Current recording deadlines and STED receipt.
Published mooring authorisation rates by overall length and propulsion.
Live 2026 notice: Punta Chiappa and San Fruttuoso mooring season ended 27 September.
Despite its old URL, opened document is the supplementary rules approved 8 April 2026, including booking and radio instructions.
Keep reading
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
Similar guides
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
Talk to European Yacht Brokers
Looking for a boat in Italy? Tell us what you need
Tell us the type of boat, budget and area and a broker will reply.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.