Italy Celebrates Navy Ship “Vespucci” Return After Two-Year Voyage Around the Globe
The Italian Navy training ship Amerigo Vespucci, the oldest ship in the Italian Navy, returned to Genoa after traveling around the world over the past two years. The Vespucci set sail around the world on July 1, 2023, and spent 20 months at sea, reaching 5 continents, 30 countries, 35 ports and covering 46,000 nautical miles. The ship returned to Italy on March 1st of this year where it completed its journey with a Mediterranean Tour to 17 Italian cities before concluding its tour in Genoa, where the Vespucci was greeted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella for Navy Day on June 10th.
President Mattarella and the Minister of Defense viewed the naval formation of Italian Navy vessels during an official ceremony with speeches from the defense officers and a flyover salute by the Air Force aerobatic team. The President then met with the ship’s crew and awarded a Gold Medal of Naval Merit to the ship.
The Amerigo Vespucci, named after the Italian explorer and navigator, functions as a training vessel for Navy cadets and members of sailing associations, and works in collaboration with UNICEF, WWF, and Marevivo. It also serves in diplomatic missions throughout the world as a traveling ambassador of Italy, as it has on its past missions, to strengthen international relations and promote Italy’s image abroad.
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– Lauren Carroll
