Boat Show Venice 2019: the art of ship building back in Italy

The art of ship building is back in Venice (Italy) and it will happen June 18-23 2019

The Venice Boat Show, which will happen in the areas of the Venice Arsenale from June 18 to 23, was recently the main topic of discussion at the Sala Consiglio of Ca’ Corner, in the presence of all the members of the Steering Committee. The initiative has chosen the ‘shipyard’ where ships that gave power to the Venetian Republic throughout the navigable world were built. An early example of industry, whose roots stem back to the 16th century, when the need for ships was a daily requirement.

Fabrizio D’Oria, Coordinator of the Boat Show’s Technical Secretariat, presented the initiative. He illustrated the work in progress. Along the docks of the Arsenale, boats of leading Italian and foreign shipyards will be on show, while within the Tese there will be accessories, engine systems and equipment on show. The Arsenale will be available to the city through the Ship Pavilion, section of the Historical Naval Museum, allowing access from the monumental entrance.

Luigi Brugnaro, mayor of Venice and one of the main promoters of this event, said: «Our show addresses a catchment area whose centre is now eastwards. Towards customers who very often do not reach other European exhibitions. It is an important occasion for the whole Italian pleasure boating field, and I say this by emphasising that we do not want to compete with any other show. Moreover, Venice is also the city where some of the most renowned art collectors, who are often owners of important boats, travel to on the very same days to visit the Biennale d’Arte. This also contributes to achieving an unbeatable scenario. Finally, we want to be a reference point for the many important producers in the Adriatic».

A jump right into history and tradition of shipbuilding

Particular attention to the world of Venetian shipbuilding, with its different attitudes and vocations. Along with the traditional, typical lagoon boats, waterborne civil and military law enforcement craft including several ships will also be on display. Testifying the collaboration with all the authorities and especially with the Navy, represented by Admiral Andrea Romani, who said: «we have been supporting this project since its initial stages.

The Navy is fully engaged in fulfilling this initiative that will allow to enhance the ancient Arsenale. In a perspective linked to the activities of the nautical sector and, more generally, to the activities of the sea, respecting its history and the symbolic connotation of Venice and maritime transport. During the Show, our Naval Base will be open to the public and the Naval Museum display will be expanded. So to make it possible to visit the Dandolo submarine thanks to the collaboration with Vela and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (Civic Museums Foundation)».

The presentation included the participation of Alberto Galassi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ferretti Group, one of the first to believe in Venice as an exhibition venue: «if there’s a place in Italy that can compete with Montecarlo for standing and environment it’s definitely Venice. I have long believed in it. Last year we celebrated the Group’s 50th anniversary here and we are back for the presentation of our new products. I also suggested to our competitors to participate».

Additional activities

There will also be numerous collateral initiatives that will keep the cultural content of the event high in various rooms and spaces of the Arsenale. The Spazio Incontri (Meeting Space) will open on Wednesday June 19 with a conference on design by designer Carlo Nuvolari, Luca Bassani, inventor of the Wally Yacht brand and Carlo Fei, a professor in Fashion Management at Luiss of Rome. Carlo Nuvolari said: «there is a new luxury of seafaring, a vision that is closer to passion and emotions. One of the best ways to manifest this is to arrive in Venice by sea, as the travellers of the past centuries did, remaining enchanted by the embrace of the monumental entrance to the city».

Visitors to the show can arrive by sea with their boats, mooring in one of the various marinas that cooperated in creating this show. Design will not be the only theme: the event will also focus on the environment, fishing, tourism and fishing, safety and navigation with the collaboration of CNR-Ismar, Tethis, Coast Guard and Assonautica.

One of the collateral initiatives is the competition ‘Venice Boat Show: International Call for Selection of Boat Projects’, by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (Venice Civic Museums Foundation) together with the Municipality of Venice and Vela. The works selected out of over seventy participants, will be on display inside Tesa 113 of the Arsenale, where a series of cultural activities related to design and nautical culture with different guests will also take place.