Italian Training Ship Amerigo Vespucci, currently moored in Maryland in Baltimore for the SAIL250 Maryland event, will reach New York waters in the late evening of Thursday, July 2nd.
It will remain anchored off the coast of New Jersey until the morning of July 4th, when it will take part in the Sail4th250 – International Naval Review, the major parade along the Hudson River marking the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Independence Day.
More than fifty tall ships and naval units from navies around the world will sail up the river from the Verrazzano Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, passing in front of the Statue of Liberty.
This will be one of the most significant moments of the new chapter of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America Campaign 2026, which began in Genoa on May 9th. Through this mission, the training ship of the Italian Navy continues to carry worldwide the beauty, identity, spirit of dialogue among peoples and the culture of Italy and its people.
Announced by Minister of Defence of the Government of the Italian Republic Guido Crosetto, the “Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America Campaign 2026,” is an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Defence and the Italian Navy, produced by Difesa Servizi S.p.A., part of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence. The project is developed in collaboration with: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Ministry of Culture, Italian Minister for Sport and Youth and Italian Minister for Disabilities.
The Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America Campaign 2026 is supported by ITA – Italian Trade Agency, Veronafiere – Vinitaly and Enel.
After the parade, the Amerigo Vespucci will remain docked until Wednesday, July 8th, at Pier 86 (the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum pier), where it will participate in a busy program of institutional events and host several special events aboard. In particular, as part of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America 2026 Campaign, the excellence of Italian products will be celebrated with the presentation of the upcoming Vinitaly.USA and coming from New Zealand the America’s Cup trophy – one of the most eagerly awaited international sporting events, to be held in Italy next year and a global symbol of sailing – will be welcomed aboard and displayed on a special occasion. There will also be an event on board organized by the City of Genoa, the city from which the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America Campaign set sail on 9 May.
During the ship’s stopover in New York, the following are expected aboard the Amerigo Vespucci: Italian Under Secretary of Defence Hon. Matteo Perego di Cremnago – on behalf of the Minister of Defence of the Government of the Italian Republic Guido Crosetto; Italian Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi; Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy Admiral of Squadron Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto; Commander-General of the Carabinieri Corps Army Corps General Salvatore Luongo; Ambassador of Italy to the United States of America Marco Peronaci; Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York Italian Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi; Consul General of Italy in New York Giuseppe Pastorelli; Mayor of Genoa Silvia Salis; Chief Executive Officer of Difesa Servizi S.p.A. Luca Andreoli.
Also in attendance will be: President of Sport e Salute Marco Mezzaroma; Chief Executive Office of America’s Cup Partnership Marzio Perrelli; President of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) Matteo Zoppas and President of Veronafiere and of Vinitaly Federico Bricolo.
This is the Amerigo Vespucci’s ninth visit to New York; the first was in 1933, when it arrived in the city at the end of its first transatlantic crossing after leaving Gibraltar, followed by a second visit in 1951, after World War II; the most recent visits were in 2000 and 2017, confirming the strong bond between Italy and the United States.
Starting with the ship’s very name – Amerigo Vespucci – after the famous Florentine navigator and explorer who was the first to realize that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus were part of a New World, a continent that was named America in his honor. It was also the United States that crowned the Amerigo Vespucci as “the most beautiful ship in the world” when, in 1962, in the Mediterranean Sea, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Independence asked, “Who are you?” and received the reply, “Training Ship Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Navy,” prompting the famous response: “You are the most beautiful ship in the world.” Sixty years later, in 2022, while crossing paths at sea with the American aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush, a radio message confirmed that reputation: “You are still, after 60 years, the most beautiful ship in the world.”
Events aboard Amerigo Vespucci during the New York stop of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour – North America Campaign:
Sunday, July 5th
– At 3:00 p.m., aboard the Amerigo Vespucci, Veronafiere, Vinitaly, and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) will present Vinitaly.USA during a session dedicated to the role of Italian wine in the North American market. The event will bring together several Italian institutions to discuss the quality, production culture, and regional diversity of wine – which are key themes of the upcoming Vinitaly.USA 2026, a flagship event for those seeking to showcase and promote the excellence of Italian wine overseas.
– At 6:30 p.m., in the presence of Minister of Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the America’s Cup trophy, considered the oldest international sports trophy still contested – will be brought aboard the Amerigo Vespucci. Created in London in 1848 as an elegant silver ewer, it became known as the “America’s Cup” following the victory of the yacht America in 1851 in a fleet race around the Isle of Wight, UK. Today, the trophy is a true global icon of sailing, a symbol of over 170 years of competition between the world’s leading yacht clubs, innovation, and a passion for the sea. For the America’s Cup, stepping aboard the Amerigo Vespucci means encountering another major figure in maritime history, in an ideal dialogue between the ship that trains generations of officers and the trophy that has pitted the world’s finest sailors against one another. The trophy will arrive in New York directly from New Zealand, whose team won the last edition and is the current holder of the title.
Monday, July 6th
– At 10:00 a.m., a conference organized by the RAVA Foundation will be held aboard, with the participation of Italy’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi
– At 5:00 pm aboard the ship a meeting organized by the City of Genoa will be held to present the city to tour operators and the trade press. The Mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, will take part.
Tuesday, July 7th
– At 4:00 p.m. the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit will take place aboard, with the presence of the Commander-General of the Carabinieri Corps Army Corps General Salvatore Luongo, as a delegate of the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of the Italian Republic.
Opening hours for public visits aboard Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci will be open to the public for onboard visits on Sunday July 5th and Monday July 6th from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Tuesday July 7th from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
To visit the Nave Amerigo Vespucci in New York, please register as instructed on the website www.tourvespucci.it/en
After the New York celebrations, Amerigo Vespucci will set course for Boston, where it will take part in Sail Boston from July 11th to July 16th. It will then continue to Canada, where it will be featured in the Rendez-vous naval de Québec, a prestigious international gathering of ships hosted by the port of Québec City from July 23rd to July 26th, 2026.
Subsequently, from July 29th to August 3rd, and prior to a new transatlantic crossing, it will make a stop in Montreal.
Upon returning to Italy, Amerigo Vespucci will call at Cagliari, Taranto, and Venice, on the occasion of the 15th edition of the Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium (T-RSS).
The final stop will be Trieste, on the occasion of the Barcolana, the world’s largest sailing regatta with over 2,000 boats, held annually in the Gulf of Trieste (its 58th edition will take place on Sunday, October 11th, 2026), and the arrival of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce, the longest sailing regatta in the Mediterranean, which will reach Trieste for the first time.
