Nave Amerigo Vespucci is on her way to Australia. On October 3, the Vespucci will reach, for the first time in its history, the city of Darwin (Fort Hill Wharf, Port Cruise Ship Terminal) the 24th stop of the World Tour that started from Genoa in July 2023. Nave Amerigo Vespucci and Villaggio Italia will stop in the city of Darwin until October 7.
In the Australian stop, the historic sailing ship (93 years of history), emblem of the Italian Navy and ambassador of Made in Italy in the world, will once again be flanked by Villaggio Italia, the ‘Multi-Year Traveling World Exposition’ showcasing the Italian excellence and offering visitors a unique experience to discover the soul and beauty of Italy through its art, culture, music, food, cinema, technology, and scientific research so that Nave Amerigo Vespucci’s World Tour is not only a unified expression of the values of the entire nation, but also a showcase of Italian excellence and supply chains, a driving force for the economy and the spread of Italian culture.
“Nave Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – Villaggio Italia” initiative, strongly desired by Minister of Defence of the Italian Government Guido Crosetto, combines the traditional training activities of the Italian Navy’s Officer Cadets on the School Ship with the promotion of Made in Italy excellence in the main ports reached through the “Villaggio Italia.”
The opening ceremony of Villaggio Italia in Darwin will be held on Saturday, October 5 at 10:30 a.m. It will be attended by Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy Valentino Valentini, the Italian Ambassador to Australia Paolo Crudele, the President of Difesa Servizi Gioacchino Alfano, the in-house company of the Italian Ministry of Defence that implements and supports all phases of the initiative, Captain Giuseppe Lai, Commander of ship Amerigo Vespucci, and Australian civil and military authorities. The Italian Navy will be represented by the Admiral Chief Inspector Pietro Covino.
In Darwin there will be paratroopers from the Italian Army Sports Group who will stretch the Italian and Australian Flags in the sky and the Fanfare of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the “Garibaldi” Bersaglieri Brigade who will perform for all five days of the stopover, both at Villaggio Italia and around the city of Darwin.
Villaggio Italia in Darwin will offer visitors not only Italian excellence but also a special meeting under the banner of solidarity with “Lo Spirito di Stella,” the first fully accessible catamaran engaged in the world tour as part of the “WoW” Project – Wheels on Waves – Around The World 2023-2025. The catamaran will rejoin Nave Amerigo Vespucci in Australian waters and will be present for the duration of the stopover.
“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. 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 tricolor and our values around the world,” said the Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto.
The “Wheels on Waves – Wheels on Waves” project, the brainchild of Andrea Stella, founder and president of the “Lo Spirito di Stella” Association, is promoted by the Italian Ministry of Defence, the Defence General Staff and Difesa Servizi, and is aimed at military personnel and civilians with disabilities who have sustained permanent injuries in the performance of duty, who, regardless of their physical, cognitive or sensory characteristics, have the opportunity to live a unique sea and sailing experience with the mission of proving that breaking down barriers is possible.
“Also in Darwin, a Villaggio Italia expressing Italian ingenuity, from Leonardo da Vinci to Marconi, whose discovery initiated today’s modern society and whom we will remember precisely in Australia on the 150th anniversary of his birth. In Darwin we will also find the catamaran the Spirito di Stella with the WoW project, also promoted by the Italian Ministry of Defence, as an initiative that, like the great initiatives with a social purpose in history, we hope will reverse course and design a new path for such an important issue as disability and inclusion,” said CEO of Difesa Servizi Luca Andreoli.
Also in Darwin will be Wheels on Waves President Manuel Bortuzzo, Italian bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. WoW is a project that has an extraordinary ethical and solidarity value; it integrates sports and resilience to draw attention to the principles of inclusion and equal opportunities and the need to break down physical and material but also mental and cultural barriers. The initiative has obtained the Moral Patronage of CONI and CIP (Italian Paralympic Committee) and is also made possible thanks to the important contribution of sponsors who have fully shared the objectives and the very high moral and ethical values of the initiative.
At Darwin’s Villaggio Italia there will also be in-depth sessions on research activities dedicated to marine ecosystems in which the Italian Navy and Nave Amerigo Vespucci are constantly engaged together with the Italian National Institute of Health.
Among the excellences in Darwin will be Italian cinema in collaboration with the Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale, the exhibition of the artwork “La David” by the Italian artist Jago, the “Italia Geniale” exhibition created by the Italian Ministry of Enterprise, Made in Italy and the Italian Ministry of Defence in collaboration with ADI Design Museum dedicated to Italian design. Music will be the protagonist thanks to the presence of the Fanfare of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the Bersaglieri Brigade “GARIBALDI” that will play inside and outside Villaggio Italia; Maestro Umberto Clerici, conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, who will perform a solo on the Vespucci at dawn and at Villaggio Italia will conduct 14 musicians in a journey to discover Italian classical music; and, finally, the screening of the docu-series “Mano d’Opera” that tells the behind-the-scenes story of some of the greatest Italian opera houses.
The research work dedicated to marine ecosystems that Nave Vespucci is carrying out during its Tour in academia and universities will be at the centre of the workshop marine ecosystems in comparison entitled “Vespucci meets the marine ecosystem” carried out together with MAECI and the Italian Embassy in Canberra and the exhibition “Siamo Mare” dedicated to the beauty of the Italian seas. Darwin’s Villaggio Italia will offer visitors a lot of content dedicated to the protection activities of marine and coastal habitats, “marine protected areas” on the preservation of underwater environmental and artistic beauty, and activities to monitor, prevent and combat marine pollution.
As in the Los Angeles and Tokyo stops, the Ministry of Tourism and Italian National Tourism Agency (Enit) will be protagonists at Villaggio Italia in Darwin with a series of events including a conference dedicated to the theme of “return tourism.”
In addition to the Ministry of Defence, the Italian government’s ambitious project “Vespucci World Tour – Villaggio Italia” also includes: the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – with the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies and the Minister for Sports and Youth – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism
