For North Americans, the world of Italian yachting often evokes a far-flung tableau: superyachts with helipads, sleek RIBs slicing across turquoise water and anchorages that double as playgrounds for the global elite. Marinas across the Mediterranean boast massive concrete docks built to moor equally massive yachts.
The Marina Genova usually fits neatly into this narrative. But for three days this past May a very different kind of Italian boating community gathered for the marina’s Yacht & Garden and Classic Yacht Festival. The event can best be described as neither fish nor fowl, as it combines maritime elegance and floral beauty, yacht culture and horticulture. Rows of ornate begonias and roses crowd dockside fairways, while a very different type of yachting niche fills the berths across from them.
For a brief few days, century-old wooden boats claim slips typically reserved for their modern, fiberglass composite cousins. Their owners—an eclectic cast of Europeans—are more drawn to maritime legacy than luxury, a fact reflected in their deep enthusiasm for classic yachts and the festival itself.
“This boat is alive. She feels like flying over the water,” said the owner of Tirrenia II, a 105-year-old sleek gaff-rigged ketch now captained by the renowned Italian author and circumnavigator Lucia Pozzo.
Like many vessels at the festival, Tirrenia II has lived what feels like nine lives. In addition to circumnavigating the globe several times—from Norway to the Caribbean—she has passed through the hands of a cast of international owners, including several Greek entrepreneurs and the founder of the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, one of Naples’ oldest and most prestigious nautical clubs.
Despite her storied past, Tirrenia II, like all the boats at the festival, remains very much in use and is still regularly sailed by her owners. On the final day of the festival, she even hosted a dockside concert to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Bimbinbarca & Ragazzinbarca, a unique sailing school. Here, children don’t just learn to reef a sail or navigate by compass—they study classical music, paint at sea and live aboard the boats that teach them both art and seamanship in equal measure.
It was one example among many of how the festival challenged expectations. The stuffy atmosphere that often clings to classic yacht culture was noticeably absent from this event. Instead, visitors strolled the docks freely, often invited aboard for a casual coffee on decks that, in other settings, might have required credentials or connections.
“This marina is very welcoming. Everyone here says hello—that is not always the case,” said Fanja Raffelini, shipwright and president of Vela Tradizionale, Scuola di Marineria, a traditional sailing association dedicated to preserving and teaching maritime culture in Liguria. She and her partner Luca Buffo arrived at the Festival aboard Pandora, a rare wooden replica of a 19th-century Russian postal ship, measuring almost 100 feet in length.
After sailing from Russia in 1995, the gaff-rigged schooner was abandoned and sank in the Genoa harbor. Milanese owner Marco De Amici bought and restored the vessel, using it for educational cruises with students. Eventually, he donated the ship to Vela Tradizionale, allowing Fanja and Luca to continue the tradition of using historical vessels for education. In 2007, 2010 and 2013, Pandora won the Mediterranean Tall Ships Race, the Garibaldi Tall Ships Race, and the Lycamobile Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta, respectively. The vessel also had her time in the spotlight, serving as a floating set for films such as Elisa di Rivombrosa, Hornblower and Paolo Virzì’s N io e Napoleone.
Recently, Vela Tradizionale welcomed Amore Mio, a 64-year-old gaff-rigged schooner, into its sailing fleet. The vessel made its debut at this year’s festival.
The themes of tradition and preservation are central to the Yacht & Garden Festival, evident not only in the meticulous care given to the yachts themselves but also in the variety of seminars and workshops hosted throughout the event. The festival exists at the intersection of land and sea, and it’s no surprise that many of the festival’s conferences echoed this connection.
The first event, Mediterranean: Restoration of Marine Ecosystems and Deep Explorations, brought together experts from across Italy to delve into the complex process of ecological restoration and the protection of four marine protected areas. Later in the talk, marine archaeologists shared captivating underwater footage—glimpses of ancient Roman amphorae and shipwrecks that have been lost to the sea for centuries.
The following day, two keynote talks took center stage. The first was an exploration of olive oil and its ties to ancient and modern seafaring routes. The second, Women & The Sea, turned the spotlight on women’s profound contributions to the maritime sector. Among the speakers were a sailor and mechatronic engineer from the winning boat in the 2024 Women’s America’s Cup, the founder of the Women in Boatbuilding network, and a host of competitive female sailors, each bringing their own unique perspective to the table.
A variety of master shipwrights from Storie di Barche and the Genoa branch of the Italian Naval League set up an open-air shipyard, where both adults and children could try their hand at the age-old crafts of making blocks, cleats, deadeyes, caulking, knots and ropes. The genuine enthusiasm with which these artisans shared their skills was as warm as it was inspiring.
Perhaps just as intriguing as the seminars and the boats—one of which, S.V. Invader, is a remarkable 120 years old and once hosted Charlie Chaplin—were the diverse groups of people in attendance. It seemed they all shared a passion for preserving maritime tradition. Shipwrights, sailors, and enthusiasts came together at an event dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of both the Tyrrhenian Sea and its surrounding shores. “Although it is a small community,” said skipper Fanja Rafellini, “its influence will continue to honor sailing’s past well into the future.”
The Yacht & Garden Festival revealed itself to be more than just a display. Instead, it was a celebration of maritime history and craftsmanship. Among the gleaming modern vessels, the antique wooden boats stood proudly as tributes to a tradition that simply refuses to fade.
August 2025
