Between the pastel cliffs of Positano and the island glamour of Capri, three small rocky islets sit alone in the blue. The ancient Greeks called them the Sirenusae — the islands of the Sirens — and believed this was the very stretch of sea where Odysseus lashed himself to the mast to hear the song that lured sailors to their deaths. Today it’s one of the most beautiful coastlines on Earth. Part of our In the Wake of the Odyssey series.
The Myth: The Song of the Sirens
Warned by Circe, Odysseus plugs his crew’s ears with beeswax and has himself bound to the mast so that he alone can hear the Sirens’ irresistible song and survive it. The ancients located this deadly serenade at Li Galli, the islets off the Sorrento Peninsula. The geographer Strabo recorded a sanctuary of the Sirens on the nearby headland, and the Greek name Sirenusae preserved the connection for centuries.
The islands sit within the Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. In modern times Li Galli became the private retreat of the ballet dancers Léonide Massine and, later, Rudolf Nureyev — a fittingly seductive afterlife for the Sirens’ rocks.
You can’t land on Li Galli, but sailing past them with Capri shimmering ahead and Positano tumbling down the cliffs behind you is enchantment enough.
What to See on the Sirens’ Coast
- Li Galli (the Sirenusae) — the three privately owned islets, best seen from the water on a boat tour.
- Positano — the vertiginous, photogenic jewel of the Amalfi Coast.
- Capri — the Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks and clifftop gardens.
- Punta Campanella — the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula, site of the ancient Sirens’ sanctuary.
Best Amalfi Coast & Capri Boat Tours
Li Galli & Capri Small-Group Boat Tour from Amalfi — Best Overall
Sail past the Sirens’ islands of Li Galli to Capri and Positano, with stops to swim and snorkel in hidden coves — the definitive way to trace this leg of the Odyssey.
Capri & Positano Private Boat Day from Sorrento — Best Private Option
Your own boat and skipper for the day, cruising the Sorrento coast, Li Galli and Capri at your own pace — ideal for couples and small groups.
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Where to Stay
Sorrento makes the most convenient and best-value base; Positano and Amalfi are more romantic (and pricier).
Browse hotels and places to stay nearby →
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Sirens’ islands from the Odyssey?
They are traditionally identified with Li Galli, a group of three islets off the Sorrento Peninsula on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, which the ancient Greeks called the Sirenusae.
Can you visit Li Galli?
The islands are privately owned, so you can’t land, but boat tours from Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento sail right past them on the way to Capri.
What is the best way to see the Amalfi Coast’s Odyssey sites?
By boat. A day tour past Li Galli to Capri and Positano is the most rewarding — and the closest you’ll get to Odysseus’s own view.
Details Most Visitors Never Learn
- The islets have names. Li Galli comprises Gallo Lungo (the largest, dolphin-shaped, about 400 m long), La Rotonda and La Castelluccia — plus the satellites Isca and Vetara.
- “I Galli” means “the roosters.” The name preserves the fact that Sirens were originally imagined as part bird, not as mermaids — the fish-tailed version is a much later medieval invention.
- Strabo recorded the shrine. Writing in the 1st century BC, he places a sanctuary on the Athenaeum promontory — modern Punta Campanella — and says a temple of Athena there was founded by Odysseus himself. The cape was later called Promontorium Minervae.
- Gallo Lungo has Roman ruins, having served as an ancient anchorage.
- Two of the 20th century’s greatest dancers owned the Sirens’ islands. The Russian choreographer Léonide Massine bought them in 1924 and built a villa over the Roman ruins; Le Corbusier reworked it in 1937; and Rudolf Nureyev bought the archipelago in the 1980s, keeping it as his retreat until his death in 1993.
- The Amalfi Coast was UNESCO-listed in 1997 as a Mediterranean cultural landscape.
Seeing Them Properly
- You cannot land, and this is not negotiable. The islets are private and sit inside the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area — docking and even mooring offshore are prohibited. Any tour promising to put you ashore is misleading you.
- Positano is the closest departure (roughly 15–30 minutes by boat), with trips also from Amalfi and Sorrento; boats leave from Spiaggia Grande.
- Walk to the Sirens’ sanctuary instead. The Punta Campanella trail from Termini (Massa Lubrense) is about an hour each way — roughly 7 km round trip with ~340 m of climb — ending at the ruins of the Athena sanctuary and a watchtower, with Capri directly ahead and Li Galli in view. It is exposed with almost no shade: take water and sun cover.
- Best season: May–June or September — warm water, workable boat schedules, and none of the July–August crush.
Sources & Further Reading
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Costiera Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast)
- Britannica — Siren (Greek mythology)
