On board Nave Amerigo Vespucci, during the stay in New York for the two hundred and fifty years of American independence, we met Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth. With him we talked about the candidacy of Italy at Euro 2032, new stadiums, the legacy of Milan-Cortina and the basic sport, between great events and peripheries

Minister, the Euro 2032 dossier enters a decisive phase. Beyond the respect of UEFA deadlines, what occasion is this candidacy to really change the face of Italian sports facilities and strengthen the image of the country abroad?

Euro 2032 is an opportunity more than a challenge: the possibility of changing face to our stadiums. This circumstance shows that sometimes we need a stimulus or an expiration to do what is necessary to do, but I wish to change the paradigm regarding infrastructure, trusting that in the future there is no need for an event to make investments necessary to modernize them. That is why I believe it is very important that in 2026 a ‘institutional authority’ is fully operational for the benefit of what must happen in 2032. For the first time, in fact, the Italian Government has put together a package of solutions of an administrative and financial nature, precisely to remove every alibi, to remove any resistance and any bond to the improvement of the system. It is no coincidence that we have ten stadium projects that are developing, starting from Rome and Milan, and this is the signal that we have undertaken the right direction. They are stadiums with international characteristics, thanks also to investments of foreign property, often American matrix. Milan and Inter in Milan and Rome have exactly these characteristics, and the hope is that culture, know-how and international marketing can contribute to the evolution of the football system as a whole. From the most purely sporting point of view we are winning and convincing in many disciplines, it is football to have remained a step back, testify to the eternal absence of Italy to the World Championship and the difficulty with which our teams go ahead also at European level.

Among the stages that could enter the dossier there is also the future plant of Rome in Pietralata. What will be the decisive elements in the final choice and what idea of stage has in mind for Italy of the next decades?

The stage of Rome is having an acceleration of the administrative process, so today we can say with reasonable certainty that it will be realized, also thanks to the work of the Commissioner of Government, the engineer Massimo Sessa, who has the tools to reduce and compress the times of the procedures. It will be a fantastic stage, also of new conformation, an asymmetric stage in which the curve of the fans of the house will be even more monumental than the rest of the system, demonstrating the will to make the presence and passion of the public, that is the motor of football. In general, the new stages we are making will be characterized by functionality, accessibility and economic and environmental sustainability. Most of them will have a positive energy balance, because I am convinced that the roofing of the stadiums should provide a photovoltaic system. Nothing particularly extraordinary, but for us in Italy it is a novelty that I hope will be an example for the realization of other sports infrastructures and that can be a good example also for civil society, optimizing the relationship between production and energy consumption.

A few days ago he also met the new president of FIGC Giovanni Malagò. You also talked about the completion of the work of Milan-Cortina and the Youth Olympic Games of 2028. What is the legacy that these great events should leave the territories and citizens once the spotlight is turned off?

There are three important inheritances. The first is that of the material infrastructure, the permanent ones, because they continue to live even after the Games and do not become, as sometimes happened in the past, abandoned places. The second element is the promotion of Olympic values, practice and sports culture, factors that help make society better. The five circles are not only the symbol of sport, but also the symbol of coexistence, confrontation, sociality and respect. It is a legacy that we must and can continue to feed also thanks to the 2028 youth Olympics, which will allow us to work very much, especially within schools, for the wider diffusion and the consequent rooting of these values. The third is that of the economic and tourist relapse on the territory. The enormous global visibility has allowed the whole world to know less well-known but beautiful places in our country, and I am convinced that this will determine over time a different way of conceiving tourism, more seasonally adjusted and distributed on the territory. Then there is another inheritance that we must manage, the financial one, because Milan-Cortina was a planetary success, recognized by all, but it made necessary investments not entirely covered by revenues. Together with President Malagò and the Fondazione Milano-Cortina we will also have to manage this aspect, which is not secondary. And when we talk about public resources, we are used to doing it with great respect.

From the Olympics to the Europeans, great events are increasingly opportunities for comparison between countries, but also diplomacy. Can Italy play a leading role in promoting sport as a language of peace, cooperation and dialogue among peoples?

That’s what we’re already doing. The government is totally aligned to do its part, respecting the roles and autonomy of sport, to give every support to this diplomatic component. The second part of the twentieth century was also marked by the ability of individual sports disciplines to be a factor of cultural mediation, and we are convinced that a phase like this, even more widely conflicted, needs a sport dialogue that produces its effectiveness, along with political diplomacy.

Alongside the great international events, the challenge of basic sport remains. How can you make sure that investments for events such as Euro 2032 and Milan-Cortina also produce benefits for amateur sports companies, schools and young people who practice sports every day?

From the moment of our settlement, we have changed method to affirm our vision that we are transforming into a model, following also the indications of paragraph seven of article 33 of our Constitution which provides for the recognition of the value of sport as an educational, social and promotion of psychophysical well-being. This is for us a very strong reference that relates the great competitions and the great performance with the social dimension of sport. Thanks to this government chaired by Giorgia Meloni the Italian sports model is consecrating itself on the balance between the two souls, as never before: the one that promotes the competitive dimension up to the highest level and the one that develops the offer of the basic sport to which we are giving increasing financial support in favor of the socially more exposed dimension: the urban peripheries, the internal areas, the people with disabilities and the poorer families, with contributions. This inevitably goes through schools, which, contrary to Anglo-Saxon culture, are not a place where sport has consecrated itself. We are investing a lot of resources to improve the school’s sports facilities and have reorganized after ten years the Youth Games, the competition between schools and Italian students that symbolically represents the political agenda of the relationship between school and sport. A model that we are also expanding to the university system, which is certainly not like the American one, where the NCAA culture is rooted and very strong, but is nevertheless aimed at enhancing sports practice in the university, also strengthening the tools of the ‘double career’. The goal of this pillar: to make the sports base strong, to contrast the sedentary and to contribute to the physical and mental well-being of people.

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On board Nave Amerigo Vespucci, during his stop in New York, there was also an event signed Vespa, a meeting between two symbols of Made in Italy, the ship school of the Navy and the most famous scooter in the world. From here we started for a conversation with Andrea Gucciardi, president and managing director of Piaggio Group Americas, the branch that brings beyond ocean the brands Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi, on the future of the group in the United States.

Leading Piaggio Group Americas is a manager who grew up in the world of engines and passionately before he was a leader. Gucciardi told us his idea of business, the value of representing Italian excellence in New York and the strategy with which Piaggio looks to the next years on the US market.

Let’s go to you. What was the path that led you to lead Piaggio Group Americas and what were the decisive moments of your career?

I spent my entire career in an industry of which I am first of all a great fan, working both in the four and in the two wheels. And I was lucky to live it on both sides, on the side of the manufacturer, then the wholesale, and on the retail side. There are two things that have always guided my way of working, customer and processes. I deeply believe that a company, in order to function and grow, must have clear, solid and measurable processes, but at the same time I believe that we cannot build an effective process without looking at it from the perspective of the customer. The question I often ask my teams is very simple, when you go to buy a product you really love, how would you like to be treated? That is the experience you have to offer to your customers. A decisive moment for me was when I drove BMW’s retail branch in Rome. I moved my office from the back office directly to the showroom, to a glazed office from which I saw customers enter and I could talk to them. That’s where I realized even more that you can’t manage a business by being closed behind a desk, you have to go out, stay in the field, among people. I think it’s the only way to really understand the market and succeed. Every time I had the recordings of customer satisfaction interviews, I always spent at least two hours a week listening directly to them, and I asked my teams to do the same. Listening to the customer’s voice you understand where you’re wrong and what you need to change, but also what you’re doing well and how you can maximize it.

What responsibility do you feel in representing a group symbol of Made in Italy in the United States?

It is first of all a great reason for pride. Representing an Italian group in the United States gives me the opportunity to be, somehow, an amplifier of culture, passion and Italian spirit in a market where Made in Italy is recognized as an excellence and has an extraordinary value. It is a message I try to transmit to our network. When I talk to dealers, I always remind them that we are not simply selling a product, we represent an Italian excellence and we operate in the high and premium range of the market. This spirit is already very present in our network, but my role is also to emphasize it and make it even stronger. For me, therefore, to represent Made in Italy is certainly a responsibility, but above all a huge plus, and I try to exploit to the maximum strength, transforming the values and culture that we represent in a concrete element of our communication and our positioning on the market.

Piaggio is a group with very different brands and a long tradition. What is your vision for Piaggio Group Americas over the next five years?

My vision for the next five years starts with a very simple goal, being closer to the customer. We are a mainly commercial organization and our role is to bring our brands and products to the market, building the best possible experience for the customer. When I arrived in the United States last year, one of the first things I noticed is that our network was not sufficiently capillary, and in our industry proximity to the customer is fundamental. If you buy a motorcycle or scooter and then you have to travel hundreds of miles to find a dealer or do a service, you are not offering a positive experience, you are creating a problem to the customer. This is why we are investing in the sustainable development of our network and, in parallel, in the after-sales, which we have strengthened not only in the United States but also in Latin America, where we have introduced dedicated resources that previously did not exist. The third element is training. I believe in the training of people working in our dealers, and we are working to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to develop new training paths for the network. Because, in the end, we do not speak directly with the customer every day, we speak mainly through our dealers. My vision is to build a more capillary network, more prepared and able to offer an ever better experience.

In recent years you have invested to strengthen the presence of Piaggio in the United States. What results make you more proud and what are the main challenges that remain open?

Starting from the central role of dealers, one of the most proud results is the change in the quality of the relationship with our network. We want dealers satisfied, profitable and able to convey to customers the values and passion of our brands, and I believe that the best way to build this kind of relationship is to talk to them and, above all, listen to them. For this reason, in the last year, we have greatly intensified the moments of contact with the network. In Anaheim, during AIMExpo, I met personally about fifty dealers in three days, devoting them real time in one-to-one meetings. Then the COTA, the product training in Sardinia, the eighth anniversary of Vespa in Rome and, in the coming months, the great event Moto Guzzi in Mandello del Lario and EICMA. They are very different moments, but they all have a common goal, increase engagement, share the vision of our brands and build a stronger relationship with dealers. Because if the network understands and embraces the vision of the brand, then you can succeed. The results are coming, we are increasing the capillarity of the network and improving the quality of the relationship with the dealers, and this results in a better experience for the customer and, until today, also in an increase of our sales and our market share. Of course many challenges remain, and there are external factors, from the market to duties, which we cannot control. My approach is simple, focusing energies on what I can control and try to have the maximum impact on what I can affect. The rest must be able to adapt quickly.

Are there any new projects, investments or initiatives you are focusing on particularly in the United States and that, according to you, will be decisive for the future of Piaggio Group Americas?

I see three great directors, three of our brands. The first is Vespa. We have already begun a journey of evolution and repositioning of the brand, going more and more beyond the concept of simple mobility. Vespa is style, elegance, Italian culture, and we want to further strengthen its position as a premium brand, bringing it closer to the world of fashion and lifestyle. It’s a path we’re investing a lot in the United States. And we also have some surprises in store. In New York, for example, towards the end of 2027 we will have to change our offices, and I would like our new house not simply an office on the ninth floor, but something that physically brings us closer to our customers. For the moment, however, I cannot say much more. The second director is Aprilia. The results we are getting in MotoGP, the result of an important investment by the Group, are giving an extraordinary energy to the brand and are also translating into a strong commercial momentum. In the United States we want to consolidate and accelerate this growth, further strengthening the sports position of Aprilia. And then there is Moto Guzzi, a brand on which I believe there is a huge potential for the American market. The Group has invested a lot in the renewal of the historic Mandello del Lario plant. It is not simply a new factory, with very high levels of digitization, robotics and new technologies, we want it to become a real customer experience center, a place where the customer can understand and live the heart that beats in Moto Guzzi. The new museum, the history of the brand and the experience of Mandello represent something that very few manufacturers in the world can offer. And from Mandello there will also come new Moto Guzzi models, starting next year, on which we have great expectations for the American market. If I had to synthesize, Vespa’s evolution towards an ever more space linked to style, elegance and lifestyle, consolidation of Aprilia as a great sports brand, also through the strength of MotoGP, and a strong revival of Moto Guzzi, starting from Mandello, its history and the new products that will arrive. Three different brands, three different strategies, but all with enormous potential in the United States.

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Great success for Nave Amerigo Vespucci in New York, the most important stage of the new chapter of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – Campaign in North America 2026, started in Genoa on 9 May, with which the Ship School of the Navy continues to bring in the world beauty, identity, dialogue between peoples and culture of Italy and Italians.

The World Tour Amerigo Vespucci – Campaign in North America 2026 is an initiative of the Ministry of Defense and Navy, produced by Defense Services S.p.A., which is part of the official program of celebrations of the 250 years of independence of the United States and is developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture, the Minister for Sport and Youth and the Minister for Disability. They support the project Vespucci World Tour – Campaign in North America 2026: ITA – Italian Trade Agency, Fiera di Verona-Vinitaly e Enel.

The most beautiful ship in the world, as the Americans themselves defined it in 1962, was the most appreciated and loved by the millions of people who in Manhattan witnessed the great parade of 4 July, Sail4th250 – International Naval Review, on the Hudson River that involved over fifty “tall ship”, great sailing ships and naval units of the marines of all over the world that have climbed the river from the Verrazzano Bridge to the George Washington Bridge.

The great American media from the ABC and the NBC, boarded during the parade, the New York Times and many others, told the charm and history of Nave Amerigo Vespucci who conquered the audience with thousands of quotes on social and thousands of people climbed on board during the mooring at Pier 86, the pier hosting the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

On the days of rest in New York, Nave Amerigo Vespucci was the protagonist of a rich program of institutional events and appointments dedicated to the promotion of Italian excellence, which further strengthened the role of diplomatic, cultural and economic platform for Italy in the world: from the celebration of Italian excellence in the world with the presentation of the next edition of Vinitaly. USA to international sport, with the presence on Nave Vespucci of the trophy of America’s Cup, arrived from New Zealand and protagonist of the appointment “Vespucci & America’s Cup: the two icons of the sea meet in New York”, dedicated to one of the most anticipated international sporting events that will be held in Italy next year, symbol of the great sailing.

On board were also held: the event organized by the city of Genoa; the conference of the Fondazione Francesca Rava and the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit.

In the days of rest in New York, the Secretary of State for Defence Matteo Perego of Cremnago, on delegation of the Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the Chief of State of the Navy Admiral of Squadra Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, the General Commander of the Carabinieri General of Corps Luca Andreoli. They were also present: the President of Sport and Health Marco Mezzaroma, the CEO of America’s Cup Partnership Marzio Perrelli, the President of ITA – Italian Trade Agency Matteo Zoppas and the President of Veronafiere and Vinitaly FedericoBricolo.

“The Vespucci is not only the most beautiful ship in the world but also the face of the best Italy, the excellence and values that always distinguish our nation. The presence of the sailor in New York, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, pays homage to a historical friendship and symbolizes the role of Italy as a bridge of dialogue, culture and cooperation between the two shores of the Atlantic” declared the Secretary of State to Defense Matteo Perego of Cremnago – present in New York on delegation of the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto

“The meeting between the trophy of America’s Cup and Nave Amerigo Vespucci represented the ideal dialogue between two extraordinary symbols that share a same vision: the sea as a place of formation, innovation, competition and international cooperation. On the one hand, the Nave Scuola della Marina Militare, the most beautiful in the world, ambassador of Italy in the five continents and custodian of a tradition that has formed generations of men and women of every order and degree of the Italian Navy, symbol of Italy that moves; on the other, the oldest and most prestigious trophy of the world sailing, which for 175 years has been recounting challenges of excellence, promoting the values of sport, technology and culture of the sea. Being on board on this occasion reaffirms the commitment of the Government and of Italy to promote sport as a tool for dialogue among peoples, cultural growth and diplomacy and, through the sea, to speak a universal language, capable of combining tradition and innovation, training and future” commented the Minister for Sport and Young Andrea Abodi.

“The presence of Amerigo Vespucci ship in New York, in the framework of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America and the Sail4th 250 Parade of Tall Ships, has assumed a particularly deep meaning, confirming its role as ambassador of Italy, the Navy and our marine culture in the world. This stop not only represented a stage of the addestrative campaign, but is part of a collective journey built with dedication, competence and sense of belonging. The prestige that accompanies Vespucci ship stems from the daily work of his crew: women and men who, through professionalism, discipline and spirit of service, transform individual skills into a common force. It is this cohesion to make the Navy, and in the wider sense the Defense, capable of facing complex challenges, at sea and on the international scene. In particular for the students of the First Class of the Naval Academy, sailing on board the Vespucci and living a stop of such importance constitutes a formative moment of extraordinary value. It is an experience that combines marine art, personal responsibility and openness to the international dimension of the naval profession, contributing to form the future officers of the Navy. Nave Vespucci, his crew, leave New York by strengthening a message that belongs to the history and future of the Navy: the sea is space for meeting, freedom, security and cooperation” declared the Chief of Staff of the Navy Admiral of Squadra Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto.

“The New York round of the Vespucci World Tour – Campaign in North America 2026 was once again a unique occasion that confirmed the ability of Nave Amerigo Vespucci to be an exceptional tool for promoting Italy and its excellence in the world. The extraordinary certificates of affection received in these days belong to Italy all: they are an acknowledgement to the value of our country and encourage us to continue to promote increasingly ambitious initiatives and able to tell its identity throughout the world “, commented the CEO of Defense Services S.p.A. Luca Andreoli.

After the New York celebrations, Nave Vespucci is heading to Boston where from 11 to 16 July he will take part in Sail Boston and then continue for Canada where he will be the protagonist of the Rendez‐vous naval de Québec, a prestigious international gathering of ships hosted by the port of Quebec City from 23 to 26 July 2026 and, from 29 July to 3 August, before a new ocean crossing, will stop in Montreal.

On his return to Italy Nave Amerigo Vespucci will stop in Cagliari, in Taranto, in Venice on the occasion of the fifteenth edition of the Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium (T-RSS). The last stop will be in Trieste, on the occasion of the Barcolana, the most participated sailing race in the world with over 2000 boats held every year in the Gulf of Trieste (the 58th edition will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2026) and the arrival of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce, the longest regatta of the Mediterranean, for the first time in Trieste.

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When one wants to erase a people, the first thing that is striking is its culture. It is from this awareness that the event hosted on 7 July on board Nave Amerigo Vespucci, moored at Pier 86, within the fifth UN Police Heads Summit, V UNCOPS 2026. A meeting dedicated to a theme that, in recent years, has emerged from the boundaries of culture to enter those of security, the protection of cultural heritage in peace operations, within the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour 2026.

To tell the meaning of the day was Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, who explained how the ship was chosen not by chance. “We are on board the Vespucci for a very special event today, because we are on an Italian naval order that, however, we use as a tool of soft power, a tool of cultural diplomacy,” he said. The ship, in other words, becomes the right place to understand how much it is going to protect cultural heritage. “It is necessary to make it clear that the protection of cultural goods, the prohibition of illegal excavations, the fight against the smuggling of archaeological goods, one of the plagues of international conflicts, is something we must fight”.

Marrapodi recalled the result achieved by the United Nations in this field, with a Security Council resolution becoming a milestone, 2347 of 2017, the first to recognize that the protection of cultural heritage is part of the maintenance of international peace and security. A commitment to which Italy participates with one of its bodies of excellence. “Italy participates in this effort with one of its bodies of excellence, the Command for the protection of the cultural heritage of the Carabinieri, present today together with the general commander of the Arma”, he said. “We want to make available all the expertise of our country in this area”.

To collect the witness was the General Commander of the Carabinieri, General Salvatore Luongo, who explained the value of the meeting between the two Italian excellences. “Today is a very important event because we have two Italian excellences. Vespucci is not only a symbol and a national identity, but also a message that we give to the new generations, the way traditions serve to convey positive messages,” he said. At the same time, he added, the event highlights the ability of Italy, and in particular the Carabinieri, in the protection of cultural and artistic heritage, in an area, that of the UN Police Heads Summit, in which the United Nations chose to make this issue one of their future activities.

For the Arma, Luongo explained, it is an important moment also because it allows to spread a model. “We re-present our nation here in New York, not only within the framework of cultural heritage, but also to spread the model of the Carabinieri, a police force with general competence with a military status, which is a peculiarity among all police forces,” he said, recalling as next to the protection of cultural heritage there is the other great specificity of the Arma, the defense of the environment and forests.

The heart of the message, resumed throughout the event, is that the destruction of cultural heritage is never a simple collateral damage. From ancient wars to the conflicts of our days, hitting monuments, places of worship, archives and works of art has often been a deliberate strategy, the one that has been called “ethnic-cultural cleaning”, with which we try to erase the identity, memory and dignity of entire peoples. This is why Resolution 2347, adopted by the UN Security Council on 24 March 2017, marked a historic step, recognizing for the first time that protecting cultural heritage is an essential contribution to international peace and security.

Italy, in this field, brings a unique experience. The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the first police department in the world specialized in this sector, was established in 1969 and today manages the largest database in the world dedicated to illicitly subtracted cultural assets. Next to it, the Blue Helmets of Culture task force, born in 2016 with UNESCO, intervenes in crisis areas to document, recover and protect the heritage at risk.

The role of UNESCO was at the heart of Eliot Minchenberg’s intervention, director of his office of liaison in New York, which cited the words with which the Constitution of the organization opens, according to which wars are born in the minds of men and that is where the defences of peace must be built. It is no coincidence, he observed, that those who fight so often target culture, from the rogues of Nazi books to the destruction of the mausoleums of Timbuctù, with the goal not to simply destroy monuments, but to erase identity and divide communities. Yet, he added, culture is also one of the first foundations on which peace can be rebuilt.

The cultural heritage, moreover, is much more than monuments, archaeological sites and works of art. It is the identity of a people, the memory of a civilization, a bridge that connects generations through time. And like the Vespucci, which brings with it the history and identity of Italy as it sails the oceans, defending culture, even when all around collapses, is a way to defend peace.

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On board Nave Amerigo Vespucci, moored at Pier 86, we met Silvia Salis, mayor of Genoa, arrived in New York to present his city on the occasion of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour 2026. With her we talked about the link between Genoa and New York, the roots of emigration and the turning point that awaits the Ligurian capital.

The presence of Nave Amerigo Vespucci in the Bay of New York during the celebrations of 4 July has a strong symbolic value. What does Genoa mean to be the protagonist of such an important event in the United States?

It is an event that we strongly wanted since the start of this world tour of Nave Vespucci last May in Genoa because we believe that the Amerigo Vespucci, being the floating embassy of Italy in the world, gives an opportunity of extraordinary visibility. For this great opportunity we thank Minister Crosetto, the Ministry of Defense and Defence Services for working together with this important project.

The mission from Genoa to New York was born with the aim of strengthening the historical, cultural and economic relations between the two cities. What results do you wish to bring home with this visit?

First of all, to make known the moment of change of Genoa, to make known our city to those who do not know it and to let know that soon it will be able to be connected more quickly and effectively with northern Italy, with Milan and with northern Europe. Genoa offers an extraordinary quality of life and in the coming years will live a great turn towards internationalization, but without losing its characteristics of cities to measure of man, rewarding, that does not expose you to the rhythms of the great metropolises, while remaining connected to these.

New York is home to one of the largest Italian communities in the world, with Ligurian roots. How important is it to value its roots to build new opportunities for exchange between Italy and the United States?

I believe it is essential for public administrators in Italy, for mayors and for anyone who has a public role, to remind the Italian American community that we want to have a connection with them. We hope that here they have found the realization of their dreams, that their families, coming here, have found what they were looking for, but we also hope that our country can be in great power to give them the opportunity to think about a return.

Ship Amerigo Vespucci is considered by many the best ambassador of Italy in the world. How can an international showcase like this help promote the image of Genoa?

Nave Vespucci is an exceptional vehicle of Italian excellence in the world, an internationally recognized heritage. I believe that linking Genoa to Nave Amerigo Vespucci, to its history, closely linked to that of our land, is an operation that places our city on an international showcase. And this can only do well in the city.

If he had to convince a New Yorker to choose Genoa as a destination or as a city to invest in, what would the message he would like to launch?

These are two different messages. The first is that Genoa is receiving international attention: the New York Times, Lonely Planet, the Michelin Guide, all the world’s biggest tourist references are giving recognition to our city. It is a reason to visit it, to see what Genoa is and what its spirit is. It is a charming, introverted city but that can be loved. Once you fall in love with Genoa, you don’t disintegrate. From the point of view of economic development, instead, is a city that will live an epochal change with the high speed towards Milan and with the connections that from our port will go towards northern Europe: what I want to say is that this is the time to invest in Genoa, because in the next years it will be much more expensive to do it. Who invests now is investing in a city that will make.

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Aboard Nave Amerigo Vespucci, moored at Pier 86, on July 6 a conference was held by Fondazione Francesca Rava – NPH Italia, hosted by the commander of the ship, Captain of Vascello Nicasio Falica. A meeting dedicated to the sixteen years of collaboration between the Rava Foundation and the Navy, in responding to humanitarian emergencies in the world, within the World Tour Amerigo Vespucci 2026.

To tell it was Mariavittoria Rava, founder and president of the Foundation, who retraced the story of a commitment born from pain. The Foundation bears the name of her sister Francesca, who died in an accident, and represents in Italy NPH, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, the organization that welcomes orphan children or in difficulty in Latin America. “My destiny was to serve this organization and to help so many children in the world become responsible citizens in their countries,” he said.

The connection with the Navy began in 2010, with the earthquake that devastated Haiti. In those days the Saint Damien Pediatric Hospital, built and supported by the Foundation, was among the few structures to resist the earthquake and became the center of international relief. The Navy crossed the ocean with Nave Cavour to help, under the guidance, for the humanitarian part, Father Rick Frechette, director of NPH Haiti. “From those days of work together, arm to arm with the Navy, a collaboration and a friendship that still lasts today,” said Rava.

From Haiti, that collaboration has extended to many other emergencies. Rava recalled the five years in the Mediterranean, with over two hundred volunteer doctors on board the ships of the Navy to save the lives of migrants, and then interventions in Lebanon after the explosion in the port of Beirut, in Turkey after the earthquake, and in Gaza, where the doctors of the Foundation alternated to assist the small patients arrived in very serious conditions. “We arrived at the speed of light, thanks to the logistics of the Navy,” he explained.

The thread that holds all this together, Rava said, is the same that is engraved on the master tree of Vespucci. “Not those who begin, but those who persevere. It is exactly the value that the Foundation shared with the Navy,” he observed. “Persevering is not easy, in life it is easy to be enthusiastic at first, but then the time comes to persevere”.

The commitment also continues in Italy, with projects in juvenile prisons, where the Foundation and the Navy offer young prisoners scholarships and training opportunities, and with courses that teach useful skills to find a job. “What we do may seem so much, but it is always small compared to need,” Rava said. “And a good example can be followed by others.”.

The meeting is part of the many events hosted on board Vespucci during his stay in New York, and anticipated the appointment of the next day to the United Nations, where the Foundation would bring its experience. Because the sea, as it was remembered on board, divides countries but also unites them, through humanitarian projects and lives that can save.

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Two sea cities, one thread crossing the ocean. On the evening of July 6, aboard Nave Amerigo Vespucci moored at Pier 86, Genoa presented itself in New York with the event “Genoa: Wonders of Art and Nature” – moderated by journalist Clara Svanera – dedicated to the city as a tourist and cultural destination. To do the honors of the house, before leaving the word to the guests, was the commander of the ship, the Captain of Vascello Nicasio Falica, who remembered how the Vespucci has its base in La Spezia, in Liguria, and how the World Tour Amerigo Vespucci 2026 departed from Genoa.

Read the interview with Captain Nicasio Falica

To tell the city was the mayor Silvia Salis, who opened his intervention precisely from the link between the two shores of the Atlantic. “Genoa and New York are two cities on the sea that look at the world,” he said. “Two cities that intimately know immigration and emigration, which accompanied the story of those who were looking for fortune elsewhere and of those who found a new home”. An invisible but indestructible thread, he explained, connects the port of Genoa, with the MEI, the National Museum of Italian Migration, to Ellis Island, from where millions of Italians entered this country with the suitcase full of dreams and courage.

But next to the memory, Salis came to tell a new Genoa. “I am here to tell you about a Genoa that is experiencing an extraordinary rebirth on all fronts, from the economy to tourism, a city where the time has come to invest,” he said. The greatest desire, he explained, is that Genoa returns to be a city in which people want to stay, where young people can build their own future without having to look elsewhere, and above all a city in which to return and take root. The mayor recalled the urban regeneration plan that identifies thirty-two ex-industrial areas to make available to those with business projects and ideas, and the tools designed to accompany investors.

The international attention, moreover, has already arrived. Salis has remembered that this year the New York Times has inserted Genoa in its prestigious list “52 Places to Go”, and that a few weeks ago the Michelin guide has assigned three stars to the Museums of Strada Nuova, the maximum recognition, that according to the guide means that the destination “worth the journey”. An honor that arrives precisely in the year when the city celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its historic buildings, the Rolli, enrolled in the UNESCO World Heritage List. “It is not a hit of luck, but the result of a strategy that we carry forward with great determination,” he said. “This is the time to believe in Genoa, this is the time to invest in Genoa”.

Clara Svanera, who moderated the event, explained the choice of the title: “We called Genoa: Wonder of Art and Nature, resuming a phrase from the great French historian Fernand Braudel”, he said, describing it as a city growing inside who visits it. “More you discover it, the more surprising you”, he added, certain that even those who met it for the first time would fall in love.

The word then passed to the councilwoman at Trade and Tourism, Tiziana Beghin, who led the public to discover the city through some videos and told the heart of the Genoese offer. “Genoa is the encounter between modernity and ancient regime,” he said, recalling that the city was one of the richest and most powerful in the fifteenth century. Beghin dwelt on the Rolli system, the lists of aristocratic palaces which, by decree of the Republic, housed in dignitary rotation, ambassadors and rulers visiting. “It could be said that they were the first Airbnb in history, a century before the app started to work,” he joked, recalling that those buildings open their doors to the public twice a year.

Beghin insisted on what makes Genoa unique, its nature of vertical city, narrow between the mountains and the sea. “No other city in Italy can offer this possibility, an outdoor activity and a cultural journey at the same time,” he said, recalling the great names of art kept in the palaces, from Rubens to Van Dyck to Canova. The results, he added, are seen in numbers, with three and a half million overnight stays in 2025 and an increase of more than fifteen percent, more than half by foreign visitors. “The best way to feel it is to visit Genoa, so our invitation is, please, come”, he said.

To bring the greeting of the institutions was the Consul General of Italy in New York, Giuseppe Pastorelli, who welcomed the mayor Salis. “It is very important, not only for the links between the two cities, but because it approaches people,” he said, recalling the strong presence of Ligurians in the United States and New York. An account, he observed, is watching a video and listening to a presentation, another is going in person and living Genoa. “I am convinced that it is an experience that changes life”.

The meeting, one of the many hosted on board the Vespucci during the New York stop, closed with thanks to the Navy and Defense Services for the opportunity offered in Genoa, defined by the organizers the floating embassy of Italy in the world. And, looking at the rain falling on New York, from the stage came also a smile and an Italian proverb, that for which everything that happens in the rain brings luck. Perhaps, it was said, a good omen for the future of Genoa.

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In Baltimore, the American tour of the Amerigo Vespucci lived a wonderful musical moment. On the waterfront of the city, with the sailor moored against the background, the pianist and composer Cristiana Pegoraro held the concert From Amerigo Vespucci to America 250: A Musical Journey, an Italian tribute to the 250 years of independence of the United States. It was a concert by invitation, organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia together with the command of the ship, and ended with a reception on board.

Vespucci had arrived in Baltimore on 24 June to participate in Sail250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore, one of the naval events linked to the celebrations of America250, within the wider World Tour Amerigo Vespucci – Campaign in North America 2026, an initiative of the Ministry of Defense and Navy produced by Defense Services S.p.A. The city has hosted for some days great sailing ships, military ships, public visits and aerial demonstrations; the Vespucci, moored at Tide Point, was one of the most anticipated appearances. From there the ship continued towards New York, where on 4 July took part in the great naval parade on the Hudson along with boats from different countries.

Pegoraro’s concert alternated classic repertoire pages and original compositions, using storytelling to connect the songs to the story that revolved around the evening. The title of the concert already indicated the path: starting from Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine navigator from which America took its name, and arriving at 1776, the year of the declaration of independence. «To sound in front of the Amerigo Vespucci, with the sun set on the port of Baltimore, it was an immense honor and a great emotion», said the pianist. «With this concert I wanted to tell the encounter between two cultures that share sea, history and future».

The reference to Vespucci works because the ship, more than others, brings with it an imaginary and a history of excellence. It is the school ship of the Italian Navy, launched in 1931, and has been used for decades for the formation of official students. And then there is the famous phrase, that on the “most beautiful ship of the world”, born from the encounter with the American carrier USS Independence in 1962 that, after identifying the sailor, saluted it so.

The Baltimore stage was part of a small American Pegoraro route dedicated to America250, with concerts also in Scarsdale, New York and Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, on July 2, the pianist closed the tour with An Italian Tribute to the United States at the Union League, Lincoln Memorial Room. The date also made sense: on 2 July 1776 the Continental Congress voted for the independence of the colonies, while the text of the Declaration was approved two days later, on 4 July. And as much as it is a distinction that is left out during the celebrations, in this case it helped maintain the sense of the tour: a way to cross with the music some places and symbols of their national history.

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There is a time when New York stops to watch the sea. It happened on July 4, when along the Hudson River one of the largest fleets of sailing ships ever gathered to celebrate the two hundred and fifty years of U.S. independence. In the midst of over fifty great sailing ships and naval units of the marines all over the world, to capture the looks there was Nave Amerigo Vespucci, the Nave school of the Italian Navy, known as the most beautiful ship in the world.

The parade, the Sail4th 250, took the Hudson from the Verrazzano Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, passing in front of the Statue of Liberty, in a show that united the sea, the sky and the city. For Vespucci it was the ninth visit to New York, a link with the city that lasts since 1933, when the ship first arrived at the end of its first Atlantic crossing.

The parade on the Hudson is one of the most significant moments of the new chapter of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – Campaign in North America 2026, starting from Genoa on 9 May. With this journey the Nave School of the Navy continues to bring in the world beauty, identity, dialogue between peoples and culture of Italy and Italians.

Announced by the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, the World Tour Amerigo Vespucci – Campaign in North America 2026 is an initiative of the Ministry of Defense and the Navy, produced by Defense Services, and is part of the official program of celebrations for the two hundred and fifty years of American independence. An occasion in which Italy presented itself in New York with its most elegant symbol, in a dialogue between two countries that rooted in history, starting from the very name of the Ship, that of the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci, from which America takes its name.

To tell the ship was his commander, the Captain of Vascello Nicasio Falica, who explained what it means to lead a crew of about two hundred and forty people, who in summer arrives to four hundred with the students of the Naval Academy. “It is a ship where the team spirit, the ability to work together, is really one of the values on which we reward”, he said. «As commander I feel a part of the crew. It is a ship that without the crew does not sail”.

Launched in Castellammare di Stabia on February 22, 1931, the ship has the same task for ninety-five years, the formation of military personnel, starting with the students of the Naval Academy. “Every student of the Naval Academy, therefore every officer of Marina, received his baptism of the sea here”, Falica told, recalling his, in 1998. The other task, he explained, is naval diplomacy: “We can say that it is a real floating embassy, itinerant, that brings dialogue and international cooperation everywhere”.

It is precisely in the United States that in 1962 was born the title that accompanies Vespucci. «The USS Independence, an American carrier, meets this black and white ship in veiled, does not recognize it and asks: who are you?», the commander recalled. «The answer was: ship school Amerigo Vespucci. And the counterpart, communicating to light flashes, said, “You are the most beautiful ship in the world. This is what the Americans have told us, and we are proud.”.

On the link between tradition and innovation, Falica explained that the two things go hand in hand. The ship has satellite communication systems and electronic navigation, but does not give up habits of always. “We follow the navigation with GPS, but when we are in Atlantic, away from the coasts, at sunset the students still make astronomical observations,” he told. “They recognize the stars, measure their height and, with astronomical calculations, determine the point where the ship is located”.

Of the campaign just begun, the commander remembered two moments on all. The ocean crossing, twenty-nine days and four thousand miles travelled looking for the winds of the Aliseans as the navigators of the past, and the parade on the Hudson. “The passage under the Statue of Liberty, for us, represents the symbol of a very important value to defend, that is freedom,” he said. “It is also the symbol of the United States, a country that we have come to honor.”.

In the end, for Falica, the sense of everything lies in a word. “Nave scuola means transmitting skills, responsibility, passion for what we do,” he said. If the Vespucci arrived to ninety-five years, when the average life of a ship is thirty or forty years, it is the merit of the crew. “For me he is a single crew since 1931. People have changed, but the soul and spirit take care of it every day. He who lives here because he is in love, because he has passion for this ship and for what he represents».

After the parade, Nave Amerigo Vespucci was moored at Pier 86, next to the Intrepid Museum, for a series of institutional and cultural events, before returning the sea to the next stages of his journey.

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Two symbols of Italy in the world, one above the other. The most beautiful ship in the world and the Italian wine met on 5 July in New York, when on board Nave Amerigo Vespucci, moored at Pier 86, Veronafiere, Vinitaly and the Italian Trade Agency presented the first New York edition of Vinitaly. USA, scheduled on 26 and 27 October. A meeting that has joined the Navy School Ship, in the city for the celebrations of the two hundred and fifty years of American independence, and the most important Italian wine fair in the United States.

“The Vespucci as Made in Italy in the world and wine as a great art of Italian excellence, two ambassadors in comparison”, said Federico Bricolo, president of Veronafiere, who presented the event on the occasion of the arrival of the Ship in New York. “It is a Italy, the best Italy possible, the one that travels, that creates new relationships and that in the end helps us also that we do promotion activities to better promote the Made in Italy in the world”.

Bricolo told the next edition, the third of Vinitaly. USA and the first in New York. It will not only be a classic fair, he explained, but a hub of Italian wine, with formative moments, wine talk, comparisons with the operators of the field, Vinitaly International Academy and an area dedicated to wine tourism, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.

On the American market and the impact of duties, the president of Veronafiere did not hide the difficulties, but claimed the Italian wine estate. “The American market remains and will remain for a long time the most important market, of reference for Made in Italy and for the world of wine”, he said. “The rates have created problems, as well as a very strong euro, and have contributed to a moment of tension of sales, not only of Italian wine but of all producing countries. At this time of difficulty, however, Italy has managed to give better results of other countries, and there are denominations that are also growing”.

The force, Bricolo explained, is in the determination of the producers and in the Italian ability to innovate. “There is the great desire and great determination of Italian producers, who believe a lot in this market,” he said, recalling how the adesions at the fair were already close to the whole exhausted. “Unlike perhaps other countries, Italy knows how to innovate and knows what are the right products to present to a changing market”.

To close, we asked him which wine would choose Vespucci to celebrate a moment like this. “To celebrate, we need a sparkling wine, an Italian bubble, there are many, an excellence”, Bricolo replied, indicating in Italian Prosecco and bubbles the right toast for a similar occasion.

Erica Di Giovancarlo, director of the Italian Trade Agency in New York, also attended the event, which brought greetings from ICE President Matteo Zoppas, absent. “It is an honor to participate in the World Tour Amerigo Vespucci 2026, and it is exciting to be on this ship, the most beautiful ship in the world,” he said, recounting having seen the boats arriving in New York from Governors Island. Giovancarlo recalled the recent Summer Fancy Food Show, where Italy once again had the largest pavilion, and connected wine to the recognition of Italian cuisine as an intangible heritage of UNESCO. “There cannot be Italian cuisine without Italian wine”, he observed, announcing that at Vinitaly. USA will host its own pavilion dedicated to Italian wineries and will welcome major American buyers.

Stevie Kim, from Vinitaly International Academy, who illustrated the program of the event, articulated between the exhibition, the academy that forms Italian wine ambassadors and the wine2wine forum, this year dedicated to the theme of training as an instrument of influence on the market. One way, he explained, to put to the center the professionals who translate Italian wine to the world, from sommeliers to importers, to journalists and creators of content.

After the presentation, as from the tradition of every wine event, guests were able to taste on board a taste of the great Italian wine variety, with the mosaic of native vines that remain the distinctive trait of Italy in the world.

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