To mark the national holiday celebrating the “Festa della Repubblica” (Republic Day), the Benetti shipyards at Livorno and Lusben (a division of the Azimut-Benetti group specialising in refit & repair work) are paying homage to the city, the Italian Republic and the Italian people by opening the doors of their production sites to all enthusiasts, curious passers-by and visitors who, for the very first time, will be able to visit the production area – measuring over 160 thousand square metres – owned by Benetti, which has been an ambassador of Italian nautical excellence and style for over 130 years. From the early hours of the morning on Thursday 2nd June, it will actually be possible to enter the historical shipyard and visit the production area by completing each leg of the carefully organised guided tour.
Benetti Shipyard opens its doors to the public
The day’s schedule of events will begin at 09.00 with the official “door opening” and ribbon cutting ceremony, attended by various authorities and the local press. Welcome addresses will be given by Dr. Paolo Vitelli, Engineer Vincenzo Poerio, Dr. Paolo Casani and Dr. Gianni Cucco.
In recognition of the strong and meaningful ties between Benetti and the city of Livorno, the sea and navigation, the ribbon will be cut by the truly exceptional Silvia Testa, a descendent of the Orlando family which used to own the homonymous shipyard (now the production area in which the modern Benetti shipyards are situated) and Daniela Benetti, a direct descendent of the Benetti family.
The opening ceremony will also include the reading of a message from one of Livorno’s most illustrious citizens: President Ciampi, who, during his time in office as President of the Republic, was one of the leading supporters for the reconversion of the area into a first-class nautical centre.
After the authorities and the shipyard have given their welcome addresses, visitors will be permitted to begin the six-leg tour inside the area.
The tour begins with a fascinating route amongst the Benetti-produced yachts kept inside the Benetti Gallery – the most complete collection of Benetti and Orlando scale models – dating from the mid-nineteenth century up to today.
It then continues with a visit to the Morosini wharf, a historic dock area constructed in 1911, and then leads into the large assembly and furnishing sheds where the skills acquired in modern yacht construction are now applied: welding, sanding, priming, puttying, installing systems, furnishing and painting. Next, it is on to the service areas and the new Morosini wharf, where the equipment and systems for launching and hauling yachts are fitted.
The image of a tri-colour wake in the open sea, chosen as the symbol of this event, will lead visitors, enthusiasts and curious passers-by into the heart of Benetti and Lusben.
This is truly a unique event, something which has never been done before and which was particularly important to Azimut-Benetti in its quest to emphasise the mutual benefits of the link between Benetti and the city.
