Guide · Marine protected area

Capo Gallo – Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area: the rules for boaters

The sea between Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine is a marine protected area. Here the rules are different from the rest of the Palermo coast: no anchoring, low speeds, and you can stop only at the buoys.

By Salpe · checked against the official sources on October 16, 2026

Where it is, who manages it, which rules apply

The “Capo Gallo – Isola delle Femmine” marine protected area (in Italian area marina protetta, or AMP) covers the sea off the coast of the municipalities of Palermo and Isola delle Femmine: about 2,170 hectares and 16 kilometers of coastline. It was established in 2002 (decree of the Minister of the Environment of July 24, 2002).

Since 2019 it has been managed, on a provisional basis, by the Palermo Harbor Office. The area’s permanent regulations (regolamento) have not been adopted yet. The following apply:

the 2002 decree, which sets the zones and what is allowed in each;
the provisional 2026 management rules, approved by the Harbor Office on March 17, 2026 (decree no. 37/2026), which are valid until December 31, 2026 unless extended;
the Harbor Office’s ordinances: no. 87/2022 on navigation in the area, no. 59/2026 on jet skis and, in summer, the beach safety ordinance (ordinanza di sicurezza balneare).

The management rules are reissued every year and are usually published between February and May: we review this page during those months.

The three zones

Zone A, strict reserve (riserva integrale): two stretches, west of Capo Gallo between La Puntazza and the lighthouse, and northwest and northeast of the islet of Isola delle Femmine.
Zone B, general reserve (riserva generale): around Capo Gallo, around the islet, and between Punta della Catena and Punta Matese.
Zone C, partial reserve (riserva parziale): all the rest of the area. The harbors of Isola delle Femmine, Sferracavallo and Fossa del Gallo are in Zone C.

The yellow buoys mark the boundaries: you can’t moor to them. The official map of the zones is in the 2002 decree; a zone map is also on the marine protected area’s website.

What you can do, zone by zone

The rules of the 2002 decree and of the 2026 management rules
Activity	Zone A	Zone B	Zone C
Sailing or rowing	No	Yes	Yes
Motoring (under power)	No	Only small craft (natanti, up to 10 m), without planing, at most 5 knots, to reach the buoys	Boats up to 24 m (natanti and imbarcazioni), at most 10 knots; within 500 m of the coast, harbors and mooring points, at most 8 knots
Anchoring	No	No	No
Mooring	No	Only at the buoys of the mooring buoy fields	Only at the buoys of the mooring buoy fields, or in harbors
Swimming and snorkeling	No	Yes	Yes
Diving (scuba or freediving)	No	With authorization, at the designated sites	With authorization, at the designated sites
Recreational fishing	No	Authorized residents only	Authorized residents only
Jet skis and water skiing	No	No	No

The texts don’t say the same thing about motoring in Zone B. The 2002 decree lets only small craft motor, to reach the buoys by the shortest route and at no more than 5 knots; the Harbor Office’s ordinance no. 87/2022 allows motoring only in two stretches (between Barcarello and La Puntazza, and between Punta della Catena and Punta Matese), and there you must stay at least 200 meters from the coast; the 2026 management rules also mention 10 knots between 300 and 600 meters from the coast. Follow the strictest rule. And throughout the area, within 500 meters of the coast, harbors and mooring points, the national limit of 8 knots also applies (Boating Regulations, art. 91-bis).

In summer the rules of the beach safety ordinance also apply (see the guide on Palermo). Watch out: the boundary of the swimming zone is marked with red buoys too; unlike the red mooring buoys, these must not be used for mooring. If in doubt, the strictest limit applies.
Snorkeling with mask, snorkel and fins counts as swimming. Freediving counts as diving: you need authorization from the managing body (ente gestore) and a diving certification (brevetto). Never dive alone, freediving included.
Recreational fishing is also prohibited within 150 meters of the Zone A boundary, and during the seasonal fishing ban (fermo pesca); spearfishing is always prohibited.
On land, the islet of Isola delle Femmine is a regional nature reserve with its own rules.

The mooring buoy fields: how to stop

In Zones B and C you may moor only to the mooring buoys (gavitelli) of the buoy fields (2026 management rules, art. 10). The management rules provide for 7 fields, with 45 buoys: Isola Ovest (9), Isola Sud (9), Punta Matese (2), Punta Barcarello (3), Fossa del Gallo – ex Cassina (4, on the west side of Capo Gallo), Motomar (8, toward Mondello) and the Barcarello extension (10). In July 2026 the managing body announced that it had put the red mooring buoys back at Isolotto Sud, Isolotto Ovest, Punta Matese, Barcarello and Fossa del Gallo.

You book online on the marine protected area’s website: you choose the day and the buoy, fill in a self-declaration with the boat’s details and download the permit, on your phone too, to show during inspections. It is valid for the whole day.
In 2026 it is free. In 2025 it cost €10, €15 or €20 depending on the length of the boat.
At most 3 boats on each buoy; only one if a boat is 15 meters long or more. 15% of the buoys are reserved for sailboats.
Mooring is prohibited when the wind is above force 2 or the sea above state 2. Wind force 2 is a light breeze, about 4–6 knots; sea state 2 is a smooth sea with only small wavelets: with the afternoon breeze, mooring may already be prohibited.
You approach and leave the buoy at no more than 3 knots, perpendicular to the coast.
Within 50 meters of each buoy: no scuba diving or freediving, no anchoring, no fishing, no passing through and no stopping without mooring. Swimming is allowed, keeping clear of moving boats.
Mooring to the yellow boundary buoys and to the “Sea Sentinel” scientific buoy near the islet is prohibited.
Buoy bookings are open in the summer season: in mid-October 2026 the booking calendar was closed.

If you’re on a rented boat or with a skipper

The 2026 management rules say nothing about chartered boats (noleggio, with crew) or bareboat rentals (locazione). In 2022 the managing body had written that buoy permits were reserved for pleasure boats used purely for leisure, explicitly excluding any for-profit use, such as bareboat rental or occasional charter (noleggio occasionale). For 2026 we found neither a confirmation nor a denial: before counting on a buoy, ask the operator or the managing body.

For passenger transport (fixed routes and timetables) and guided tours (with tour guides), the management rules require two authorizations: first the managing body’s, then the Harbor Office’s. The Harbor Office is also the managing body, but both are required. Authorizations are given for at most 10 boats, and at most 2 per resident owner (art. 11). The rules allow boats used for these authorized activities, if owned by residents, to enter the caves at dead slow.

From Bagheria to Carini, and on Ustica, anyone who rents out boats up to 10 meters or jet skis must give the customer the beach safety ordinance and inform them about the marine protected areas and their rules (Harbor Office ordinance no. 70/2026).

Anchoring and Posidonia seagrass

Anchoring is prohibited throughout the area, except for patrol, rescue and authorized research vessels, support boats of authorized diving centers (where there are no buoys) and emergencies (2026 management rules, art. 10). This protects the seabed and the Posidonia seagrass meadows, which here also grow on rock. Moving or uprooting Posidonia without authorization is subject to penalties.

Other rules

Discharging bilge water, sewage and waste into the sea is prohibited.
No unnecessary use of loudspeakers or sound signals.
Night dives only with authorization; dives must be notified to the managing body by email at least 24 hours in advance.
The managing body can close individual stretches of sea to navigation: it announces this on its website and in the marinas.

Fines

The schedule of fines in the 2026 management rules punishes almost every violation with a fine from €26 to €1,032, or €51 if you pay within 60 days of the on-the-spot notice or of the formal notification. Anchoring, mooring without a permit, speeding and jet skis are all on the list.
The schedule says these fines are in addition to the penalties of the law on protected areas (Law 394/1991, art. 30): for the most serious prohibitions, such as motoring where it is not allowed, the law provides for detention of up to 6 months or a criminal fine of about €103 to €12,911.

Contacts

Palermo Harbor Office (Capitaneria di porto di Palermo), managing body of the marine protected area: via Francesco Crispi 153, Palermo · phone +39 091 6043111 · cppalermo@mit.gov.it · website ampcapogallo-isola.it. For emergencies at sea: 1530 (Coast Guard) or 112 (works from any phone), or VHF radio channel 16.

Sources

Checked on October 16, 2026.

This guide summarizes the rules in force on October 16, 2026. It does not replace the official texts or the ordinances of the Harbor Office (Capitaneria di porto) for the area where you are boating. If in doubt, ask the Harbor Office; for emergencies at sea call 1530 (or 112).