‘The Most Beautiful Ship in the World!’

The Italian Navy’s historic and iconic Training Ship, Ambassador of UNESCO, UNICEF and Italy is once again sailing around the world, visiting over 30 ports, 28 countries, 5 continents. On its incredible voyage, for the first time, it will combine the traditional training activities of Officer Cadets with the promotion of Made in Italy excellence in an extraordinary global tour from 2023 to 2025.

The tall ship “Amerigo Vespucci” is the oldest active military vessel in the Italian Navy. Its motto, “Not who begins, but he who perseveres,” was inspired by the words of Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian polymath of the Renaissance, and emphasizes the importance of seeing projects through to completion. 

Designed and launched by the royal shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia on 22 February 1931, the Amerigo Vespucci was commissioned as a training ship in June of that year. Her home port is La Spezia, Italy, where it is in use as a training ship. It embarked on its first training voyage through Northern Europe in July 1931 and is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the 15th century explorer and navigator who lent his name to the “New World”.

The Italian merchant and explorer is remembered not only for his voyages that altered the course of history but for bestowing the New World with the name “America.” Vespucci’s mapping of coastlines and constellations, cultural observations and identification of equatorial ocean currents led to the realization that his travels had taken him to a new continent, challenging the previously held belief that Christopher Columbus had reached the uncharted eastern edge of Asia.

The classic sailing ship bears a striking resemblance to the vessels of a British naval commander Lord Nelson’s era and boasts of three main decks (upper, middle, and tween) and two superstructures (the forecastle and the aft castle). At the bow, a gilded bronze figurehead depicts Amerigo Vespucci. 

With a displacement of around 3,500-3,800 tons and a draft of approximately 8 meters, this magnificent vessel has circumnavigated the globe several times. The ship is equipped with three masts, with the fore and main masts primarily used for propulsion. The mizzen mast, or the third mast, serves as a rudder to steer the ship. Historically, the Amerigo Vespucci was armed with hundreds of cannons, but these have since been replaced. While the ship is primarily powered by sails, it also has a modern engine for use in confined waters or when maneuvering in ports.

Other than during World War II, the Amerigo Vespucci has been continually active. Most of her training cruises are in European waters, but she has also sailed to North and South America, and navigated the Pacific. Its fame has grown over the years thanks also to the legendary exploits of its great commanders, such as when Admiral Agostino Starulino in 1965, refusing tugs, made a triumphal entry sailing under full sail along the Thames or, once he reached the port of Portsmouth, moored, always under sail, between a cruiser and an aircraft carrier with imperturbable aplomb (imagine what it means to sail a ship 100 meters long and weighing 4000 tons). 

In 1960, Vespucci carried the Olympic torch from Piraeus to Syracuse for the Summer Olympics in Rome and in 2002, she undertook a voyage around the world.

How her reputation came about!

Rumour has it that while sailing the Mediterranean Sea in 1962, the American aircraft carrier USS Independence flashed the Amerigo Vespucci with the light signal asking: “Who are you?” The full-rigged ship answered: “Training ship Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Navy.” 

The Independence replied: “You are the most beautiful ship in the world.” Then, in 2022, the Amerigo Vespucci sailed by the American aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which saluted the ship and commented: “You are still, after 60 years, the most beautiful ship in the world.” The majestic Italian sailing ship has captivated the hearts of many others since then. 

The ship’s interior is a testament to Italian craftsmanship and cultural heritage, with intricate designs and ornate decorations adorning every corner. “The interior: a 1930s design jewel”, writes Lavinia Colonna Preti in an article published in Veneto Secrets. “Her elegant hull enchants for the black and white color of the sides with white bands interspersed with portholes that recall the lines of the cannon batteries of nineteenth-century vessels. The golden details, including the figurehead at the bow, which represents Amerigo Vespucci, and the beautiful friezes on the prow and the stern arabesque in wood covered with pure gold leaf complete the magic of a sailing ship that knows a thousand legends of the sea.”

Iconic Italian sailboat docked in Phuket

Amerigo Vespucci visited Phuket for the first time November 6-10 2024, as part of its world 22-month World Tour visiting 31 countries across five continents, reported Asia Pacific Superyachts co-founder Gordon Fernandes. Noting the Italian Navy sailboat docked at the Deep Sea Cruise Terminal, he said, “The tours filled up quickly as it was a unique opportunity for the public to step aboard and experience a vessel rich with history, craftsmanship and timeless elegance”.

The Italian-Thai Chamber of Commerce said the tours provided a rare chance for the public to explore this magnificent ship up close, her history and stunning design representing a true floating museum of naval heritage, “It was truly a wonderful opportunity to witness this majestic symbol of Italy’s maritime tradition and to experience firsthand the beauty and legacy of a ship that has captured imaginations around the world.”

Vespucci’s motto is “Not who starts but who perseveres” and the successes collected over the years by the training ship suggest that this is precisely the secret of an all-Italian prestige, destined to last for eternity.