Italian navy ship set to arrive in New York on 4 July.<\/p>\n
Italy’s celebrated tall ship, the Amerigo Vespucci, is preparing to cross the Atlantic once more, this time bound for the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n
The highlight of the impending voyage will be\u00a0the ship’s symbolic arrival in New York on 4 July, in time for for the 250th anniversary of American independence.<\/p>\n
The vessel, dubbed “the most beautiful ship in the world”, is named after the Florentine explorer whose first name gave the American continent its name.<\/p>\n
The ship will set off on Saturday from Genoa after a departure ceremony at the Porto Antico in the presence of civilian and military representatives, news agency ANSA reports.<\/p>\n
Itinerary<\/p>\n
Commander Nicasio Falica outlined the planned route: the ship will make a first stop in the Canary Islands, from where it will pick up the trade winds heading clockwise across the Atlantic, arriving in Baltimore before joining the 4 July festivities in New York.<\/p>\n
It will then sail to Boston and continue north to Canada, calling at Quebec City and Montr\u00e9al, before returning across the ocean with stops in the Azores and C\u00e1diz.<\/p>\n
Its return to Italian shores will be via Cagliari, Taranto and Venice – for a naval symposium – and finally to Trieste where it is expected for the Barcolana 2026 sailing regatta in October.<\/p>\n
North America campaign<\/p>\n
The mission, an initiative of the defence ministry and the Italian navy, will combine the vessel’s traditional role as a training ship with the promotion of Italian excellence abroad.<\/p>\n
The North America campaign follows an extraordinarily busy period for the ship which was built in Castellammare di Stabia, Naples, in 1930.<\/p>\n