Yesterday morning, the Training Ship ITS Amerigo Vespucci departed from the port of La Spezia to start her Training Campaign 2017.

In the next 5 months, the 'world's most beautiful ship' – which will showcase a wide range of Italian areas of excellence – will be protagonist, with her crew, in various activities  in America and Canada, with a view to strengthening the link with the numerous Italian communities overseas.

Besides her ordinary military crew, the ship embarks 79 on-term volunteers (VFP 4) who take part for the first time in a training campaign beyond the Pillars of Hercules, and will thereby receive their 'sailor's baptism'.

'Don't forget that your main task is the training of the new Italian Navy generations', said Admiral Donato Marzano, Commander in Chief of the Italian Fleet, addressing the crew. 'The on-term volunteers at first, and the cadets of the Naval Academy first year later on are the Italian Navy's future, a young reality that regenerates through tradition".

A tangible evidence of these core ethical values shared by all our sailors is the homage the European Multimission Frigate Luigi Rizzo – the FREMM delivered to the Italian Navy on 20 April 2017 – has paid to the Vespucci, crossing the route path of the ship off the Gulf of La Spezia. The honours rendered to the senior ship in service - which is still the key asset for the training of the Italian Navy personnel – witness the continuity of our seafaring traditions, as a good omen for this adventure which will take the Italian flag to wave in the American continent.

ITS Vespucci Training Campaign 2017 reflects an international, European and global vision, which defines the recently started millennium as the 'blue century'. The tall ship will sail seas where the Italian Navy is not usually present, in full awareness that the maritime domain is a key driver of growth, in terms of trade, employment and technology.

Media coverage of the Training Campaign salient phases will be provided by Rai Uno, Linea Blu, Rai Italia, RTV San Marino, RTL 102.5, La Stampa and Il Secolo XIX.