‘Tra Legno e Acqua’, Italy’s annual classic boat convention, concludes in Varese

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Photograph: Tra Legno e Acqua

The tenth edition of “Tra Legno e Acqua” (‘Between Wood and Water’), the annual Italian national conference on vintage, historic and traditional boats organized by the Fondazione Officine dell’Acqua and AVEV, Associazione Vele d’Epoca Verbano, concluded on Saturday 25 January 2025 at the splendid 19th-century residence Ville Ponti in Varese. 

Numerous topics were discussed, including the restoration of HMS Victory, the construction of small wooden hulls, the restoration of the Velarca and the candidacy of the lateen sail and lugsail on the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Among the surprises was the greeting from the commander of the Amerigo Vespucci sailing around the world. The unified 2025 calendar of events of FIBaS, the Italian Historic Boat Federation, was also presented. On Sunday 26 January, participants were able to visit the Officine dell’Acqua in Laveno Mombello, on Lake Maggiore, a museum recently recognized by the Lombardy Region.

Photograph: Tra Legno e Acqua

The first speaker of the day was boatbuilder and influencer Gaia Brojanigo. In her role as Italian director of the association Women in Boatbuilding, she explained how the association had recently worked together with the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis to achieve a majority of women enrolling on their 40-week course and how this sector of traditional boating is being carried out in Italy. More about Gaia in W170, our March/April issue of WaterCraft, on sale from 27 February.