Amerigo Vespucci – Italy’s floating Ambassador sets sail

The Amerigo Vespucci has departed Genoa for a 156-day North American tour marking the 250th anniversary of United States independence. It left to the strains of a song written especially for the vessel.

To the sound of Con te partirò, sung dockside by actress and television presenter Serena Autieri, the Italian Navy training ship Amerigo Vespucci left the port of Genoa on 9 May, embarking on the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour — North American Campaign 2026. The itinerary will cover more than 12,000 nautical miles across 13 stages over 156 days, with the Canary Islands as the first port of call before the Atlantic crossing.

Autieri, who served as godmother of the ship and had accompanied the previous 2023–2025 world tour, described the song as the vessel’s true anthem. “It truly captures the experiences of the crew, the captain, and everyone who boards this ship and spends so many months away from their families,” she said.

The Route

Captain Nicasio Falica outlined the itinerary: from the Canary Islands, the ship will ride the trade winds to Baltimore (24–29 June), then to New York for the 4 July parade, followed by Boston (11–16 July), Quebec City (23–27 July), and Montreal (29 July–3 August).

The return crossing will include stops in the Azores and Cádiz before a series of Italian calls: Cagliari, Taranto, Venice and finally Trieste, where she will take part in the Barcolana regatta in October.

A Floating Embassy

Genoa’s mayor, Silvia Salis, described the vessel as “Italy’s floating embassy, a source of national pride, but above all a training school for new generations.” Marco Bucci, President of the Liguria Region, drew a pointed comparison: “Today I wanted to remember another famous Genoese, Christopher Columbus, who departed with the same spirit to explore a new continent.”

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