29-05-2025
The Vespucci promotes Italy on worldwide and Mediterranean tours
After successfully completing an around-the-world voyage, the Italian navy's Amerigo Vespucci is now on a tour of its home country's main ports.
The vessel left Genoa on 1 July 2023 and returned to Italy almost two years later, reaching Trieste in March.
Once it reached home, it began an 18-stage tour that will finish on 10 June. This journey includes stops in Italy's largest ports as well as others in Durres, Albania, and Valletta, Malta.
As with the world tour, the Mediterranean leg will see the ship — which is named after a famous explorer — promote an immersive exhibition called Italy Village.
Set up in the ports that the ship visits, the exhibition will tell visitors about the boat's mission, Italian culture and the strength of the sea as a symbol of union.
On routes between Brindisi and Reggio Calabria and between Livorno and Genoa, cadets of the First Class of the Naval Academy spent time on the Vespucci as part of their training programme.
Young sailors aged between 12 and 17 were also onboard, thanks to a collaboration with the Italian Sailing Federation.
Captain Giuseppe Lai personally benefitted from such an experience when he was young.
Long before commanding the Vespucci on its second round-the-world voyage, he sailed on it as a student.
"At the Naval Academy, the campaign on the Vespucci is done at the end of the first year," he told Euronews.
"For me, as for all my classmates, it was the first time we went on a ship and lived life onboard. Going back there as a captain makes you relive some of the same emotions, because it is a ship that has remained crystallised in its aesthetics, almost identical to when it was launched," the captain said.
"Seeing the trainees on board today made me go back in time, and it is a strong incentive to pass on to them those lessons that each of us has absorbed in our careers," he added.
On its world tour, the Vespucci travelled to 30 countries in 20 months, with over 400,000 visitors coming onboard.
"A round-the-world voyage aboard the Vespucci is probably the most beautiful experience a navy commander can have," Lai continued.
"In its 94-year history, the ship has only been round the world twice. It is a unique feat, and an enormous privilege: it allows you to discover other cultures and, at the same time, to make Italy known to the world," he said.
Built in 1930 in the Regio Cantiere Navale di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard and launched in February 1931, the Vespucci entered service in the Regia Marina a few months later.
Ever since, she has trained Italy naval officers and represented Italy in the world.
The ship's motto, which is engraved on the stern, is now proverbial: 'Not he who begins but he who perseveres'.
The Vespucci is 101-metres long and over 15-metres wide with three masts and 2,635-square metres of sails.
The hull is made of steel, the decks of teak and the interior of precious woods. A major modernisation was completed in 2016, equipping it with a new diesel-electric propulsion system. Whenever possible, however, it is still the wind that propels her.
At 94-years-old, she is now the Italian navy's longest serving ship.
France has signed a cultural partnership with Indonesia, with an emphasis on preserving cultural heritage and the development of human resources.
The new pact also includes promotion of cultural products such as films, music and textiles and encourages collaboration between cultural institutions in both countries.
"We aim to enhance cultural dialogue between the two nations, particularly by engaging younger generations and contemporary cultural practitioners," said Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon.
The Franco-Indonesian relations agreement also covers museum development and archival digitisation and serves as "an operational framework to implement the cultural vision" of both countries' leaders, the culture ministry said.
Initiatives set to be launched under the agreement include the Indonesia–France Film Lab and the Borobudur Cultural Centre. "Through an inclusive approach, we hope to generate both cultural and economic added value for our nations," Fadli said.
The deal was signed as French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his state visit to Indonesia, which ended with a tour of Borobudur Temple, one of the world's largest Buddhist monuments, alongside President Prabowo Subianto.
Macron, currently on a week-long diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia, arrived in Indonesia with First Lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday evening, the second stop of his tour after Vietnam.
On arrival, Macron had warm words for Indonesia's leader, describing him as a brother and "a great friend of mine".
Military cooperation between Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, and France has grown in recent years, starting in 2019 when Subianto became defence minister.
Indonesia finalised an order for 42 French Dassault Rafale fighter jets in January 2024, with the first delivery expected in early 2026.
The Asian nation also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales ground control interception radars.
Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters after welcoming Macron that the visit was aimed at strengthening "defence cooperation between Indonesia and France."
Macron ends his tour in Singapore, where he's expected to speak at Asia's top defence conference, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.
