ITALY'S TALL SHIP AMERIGO VESPUCCI WORLD TOUR
Italy's iconic full-rigged sailing ship, the “Amerigo Vespucci” set sail from Genoa on the 1st July 2023 on a world tour to promote research and protection of the marine eco system. The 20-month planned itinerary touches 31 ports in the five continents and will terminate in February 2025.
The “Amerigo Vespucci” was built in the shipyards of Castelammare di Stabia, Naples, in 1931 and was named after the 15th century Florentine explorer who was the first, after Cristopher Columbus, to reach the “New World” and to realise that it was, in fact, an entire continent. A gilded statue of him features as the ship's figurehead.
The three-masted tall ship is used as a training ship for Italian naval cadets and has often participated in promotional and eco-sustainable activities, promoted by world organizations like UNESCO and UNICEF.
The Genoa send-off ceremony included a spectacular flyover by the Frecce Tricolori (the Italian Air Force acrobatic team).
Info: www.navalnews.com