The Italian Navy’s renowned training ship, Amerigo Vespucci, is preparing to return home after the 33rd stage of its world tour. Currently docked in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the tall ship will soon embark on its Mediterranean tour of 14 Italian ports.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described this as a pivotal chapter in the ship’s two-year journey, which began on July 1, 2023. The voyage will conclude on Italian Navy Day, June 10, 2025, in Genoa. “We have described Italy to the world, and we will describe the world to Italy,” said Crosetto during the announcement of the ship’s upcoming “Mediterranean Tour,” which was live-streamed on ANSA’s website.
Italy Village to become Village IN Italy
The Mediterranean leg will include 14 stops in Italian ports, visiting every region of the country. Key destinations include Trieste, Palermo, Ancona, and Civitavecchia. At each port, the “Italy Village,” which has been a central feature of the ship’s global tour, will transform into the Village “IN” Italy. It will display the Vespucci’s journey and engage local communities.
“With the Amerigo Vespucci, we have inaugurated a new way to bring the Italy System to the world,” stressed Crosetto. “We used it for political, cultural, and gastronomic diplomacy. We took with us the largest industries. I think it was an extraordinary experiment. It is a first step; there are other roads to develop.” Crosetto also suggested plans to replicate this “Vespucci experiment” to continue promoting Italian excellence globally.
Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Enrico Credendino praised the “extraordinary enterprise” of the world tour, which will now be celebrated across Italy. Meanwhile, Difesa Servizi CEO Luca Andreoli outlined the challenges of the upcoming tour. “We are ready to tour the Mediterranean; we are ready to start again,” he said. “It will be a big commitment because everything is concentrated between March 1 and June 10. The pace will be fast.”
Amerigo Vespucci Mediterranean Tour – Italian ports
The tour will commence on March 1 in Trieste. There the Vespucci will be the focal point of a special edition of the Barcolana regatta. Subsequent stops will include Venice, Ancona, Ortona, Durres, Brindisi, Taranto, La Valletta, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Naples, Cagliari, Gaeta, Civitavecchia, Livorno, and finally Genoa.
Before the Mediterranean tour begins, the Amerigo Vespucci will make a high-profile appearance at the Sanremo Music Festival. The ship, celebrating its 94th anniversary on February 22, will be a guest on Thursday evening, announced festival artistic director Carlo Conti. “There is a tailwind, so it will be a great honour to host the Amerigo Vespucci during the Sanremo Festival,” he said.
The Vespucci’s Mediterranean journey promises to be a grand finale to its world tour.
![Amerigo Vespucci, tall ship. Credit: By Harley D. Nygren - NOAA's America's Coastlines Collection, Image ID: corp2248 ([1]), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=735566](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1079px-Amerigo_vespucci_1976_nyc_aufgetakelt-1-300x300.jpg "Amerigo Vespucci and Villaggio Italia in Saudi Arabia")
