- Amerigo Vespucci, the “world’s most beautiful ship,” has set a course for Darwin in an Australian first.
- It’ll be open to public visitors completely free of charge from October 4th to October 7th.
- The floating cultural relic is accompanied by catamaran Villaggio Italia, which itself carries a travelling festival celebrating Italy’s “expressions.”
Amerigo Vespucci is sailing from Genoa to our sunburnt shores as part of a global voyage.
This historic training ship — which is a 93-year-old emblem of the Italian Navy, ‘Made in Italy’ ambassador, and yes, reputedly the “world’s most beautiful ship” — docks in Darwin later this week (October 3rd, 2024).
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Anybody keen on stepping aboard for a tour of the vessel will be able to do so completely free of charge from October 4th through to October 7th.
“Nave Amerigo Vespucci’s stop in Darwin represents not only a unique opportunity to promote Italian excellence, but also a symbolic moment to share a message of solidarity and inclusion,” said Guido Crosetto, Italian Minister of Defence.
“The crews of the Vespucci and the ‘Spirito di Stella’ are driven by the same passion and sail the same seas with determination, proudly carrying the tri-colour and our values around the world.”
The cultural juggernaut is also to be flanked by the fully accessible catamaran Villaggio Italia: essentially a roaming multi-year showcase of Italian excellence, offering the realms beyond Bel Paese a taste of the country’s soul and beauty through art, music, cinema, food, and more.
And its arrival promises to be quite the elaborate affair.
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There’ll be an opening ceremony with everyone from Deputy Minister for Enterprise & Made in Italy Valentino Valentini; and Italian Ambassador to Australia Paolo Crudele; to the Italian Navy’s Admiral Chief Inspector Pietro Covino in attendance.
As for the spectacle of it all, paratroopers from the Italian Army Sports Group are scheduled to stretch the Italian and Australian flags across the sky; along with performances from the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the “Garibaldi” Bersaglieri Brigade on each day of the stopover.
The festival’s grand welcoming goes down on October 5th from 10:30 AM at Darwin’s Fort Hill Wharf, Port Cruise Ship Terminal. After the fun’s been had, Amerigo Vespucci and Villaggio Italia will embark upon their 25th stop of the world tour on October 7th.
Find out more below.
