The Aeolian Islands have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000, and they earned it by being studied: these are the volcanoes that gave science the words Strombolian and Vulcanian. Seven islands, each one different, and from your own yacht you see them free of ferry timetables.

For the day, Dea Tuda is yours alone. She is a Pegasus 24 Super, built in 1974 by Cantieri di Pisa and for many years that famous shipyard's flagship; Sophia Loren is said to have stayed aboard her, years ago. She is 24 metres, with room for up to 12 guests: four cabins, four bathrooms with shower, a 20 m² saloon with a dining table and a lounge, a large shaded cockpit, air conditioning in every room and a flybridge for the view. A crew of two, a skipper and a hostess, sails her and looks after you, and an outdoor shower is waiting after every swim.

You leave Marina di Portorosa at eleven. Vulcano lies 14 to 22 miles out: here you swim where the sea is warmed from below by the volcano, and walk up towards the crater if you'd like to. Then comes Lipari, three miles on, the largest of the islands, with its old town above the harbour and beaches of pale pumice, before cruising back to Portorosa by six.

The yacht is private to your group, with the skipper, the hostess and the fuel included. Your captain tells you the stories of the islands as you cruise, and shapes the day around the sea, so the order of the stops may change for safety or comfort.