Some yachts are available. Some yachts are wanted. Gladiator — a 44.6-metre Feadship built in 2010 and comprehensively refitted in 2022 — sits firmly in the second category. She is, frankly, one of the most consistently booked luxury yacht charters in the Western Mediterranean, and right now there are only a handful of high-season weeks remaining. If you've been deliberating, this is the moment to stop.
Why Feadship Still Sets the Standard
There's a reason the Feadship name carries such weight in charter circles. Dutch engineering, obsessive build quality, and a hull form that ages extraordinarily well — Gladiator embodies all of it. She is the beloved F45 model, a platform that has earned its reputation across decades of blue-water miles. The 2022 refit brought her interior and systems firmly into the present, but the bones — and the presence — are unmistakably Feadship. Step aboard and you feel it immediately: the solidity underfoot, the hush of the main saloon, the sense that every centimetre has been considered.
Her warm, neutral interior design keeps things relaxed rather than formal — which, for a summer Italy yacht charter, is exactly the right call. Five guest staterooms sit on the main deck, all of them. That's a layout detail that sounds minor until you've slept on a yacht where the cabins are below the waterline and the swell finds you at 3am. On Gladiator, you wake to light and sea views.
A Crew That Genuinely Makes the Difference
Eleven crew for ten guests. Do the arithmetic — it's a ratio that most charter yachts can only aspire to. But what sets Gladiator's crew apart isn't just the numbers; it's the tenure. This team has worked together for years, and it shows in the seamless rhythm of a day aboard. Preferences are remembered without being asked twice. Sundowners appear at the right moment. The captain knows these waters — the hidden anchorages off the Amalfi Coast, the quieter coves of the Aeolian Islands, the best approach into Portofino on a busy July afternoon. That kind of local, accumulated knowledge is genuinely irreplaceable on a private yacht charter.
Marcus Aurelius and the Toy Chest
The chase boat alone deserves its own paragraph. Marcus Aurelius — Gladiator's 14.6-metre Anvera48 tender — is a serious piece of kit: upgraded engines, Starlink connectivity, and a top speed of 40 knots. She's not a tender; she's a day yacht in her own right. Use her to zip across to lunch in Positano while Gladiator holds anchor in the bay, or to explore the sea caves of Sardinia's Costa Smeralda at pace.
Beyond Marcus Aurelius, the water toys list reads like a charter guest's wishlist given unlimited budget: two F5 Seabobs, two e-foil boards (including a brand-new 2026 Fliteboard Icon Carbon), wave runners, kayaks, wakeboards, a wakesurf, waterskis, and a nine-metre waterslide available on request. There's also a gym, a steam room, snorkelling gear, and — brilliantly — a full fishing setup with trawling and spinning rods for those who'd rather trail a line than a wake. Honestly, the challenge isn't finding something to do; it's deciding what to leave for tomorrow.
Italy by Superyacht — The Itinerary Possibilities
Gladiator operates across the Western Mediterranean, and Italy yacht charter is where she truly shines. The itinerary options are, frankly, unmatched anywhere in the world. Base yourself in the Tyrrhenian Sea and you have the Amalfi Coast — Capri, Positano, Ravello — within effortless reach. Push south and the volcanic drama of the Aeolian Islands opens up: Stromboli smoking at dusk, the sulphurous crater pools of Vulcano, the unspoiled beaches of Filicudi. Head north and the Ligurian coast delivers Portofino, the Cinque Terre villages, and the marble cliffs above Carrara. Sardinia's Costa Smeralda is its own world entirely — glamorous, staggeringly beautiful, and best explored at 40 knots aboard Marcus Aurelius.
Each of these coastlines rewards slow exploration and the freedom of a private yacht charter in a way that no hotel or cruise ship ever could. You anchor where you want, leave when you want, and eat dinner somewhere that has no address. That's the point.
The Availability Window — Act Now
Peak season runs from 9 July through 16 August 2026, with further availability from 3 September onwards. The summer weeks are going fast — Gladiator's repeat booking rate tells you everything you need to know about how quickly her calendar fills. This is not the kind of luxury charter holiday you want to miss because you waited a fortnight too long.
Our team at Exclusive Gulets would love to talk you through the itinerary options and help you secure your preferred dates. Reach out — and let's get Gladiator on your horizon.
