The name on the hull of the boat is likely familiar to you. It is actually that of the famous Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. He was the first, in the 14th century, to understand that the lands of the New World were not those of Asia, as Christopher Columbus believed.
More than 400 years after the discovery of America, the construction of the “Amerigo Vespucci” began. In 1930, Benito Mussolini asked Lieutenant Colonel of the Maritime Engineering, Francesco Rotundi, to draw up the plans for the ship. However, it was only in February 1931 that the full-rigged ship was launched from the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in Naples.
This sailboat, now belonging to the Naval Academy of Livorno, has its home port in La Spezia, Italy. Its main mission is to train young officers of the Italian Navy. The boat, with a length of 101 meters and a width of 15.60 meters, has a draft of 7.50 meters and a sail area of 3,000 square meters. The crew, under the command of Captain Clodio Confalonieri, consists of 244 men including 15 officers.
After its stopover at the Quai du Commerce in the Port of Nice, the sailboat “Amerigo Vespucci” will head to Villefranche-sur-Mer. Until July 12, you can admire it there. One more stop before continuing its journey to Tunisia, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Greece.
