Amalfi and the Historical Regatta

Pubblicata il: 17 May 2016

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The Historical Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics is a sport event that takes place every year in Italy since 1955. The purpose is to remember the achievements and the competitions of the most famous Maritime Republics of the past: Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa and Venice. During the event, four teams challenge each other, one representative for each Republic. The regatta is preceded by a historical parade and takes place between the end of May and the beginning of July. The four cities guest the event by turns. This year, after four years, the Historical Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics will come back to Amalfi, on June 12th. Preparations are already in progress.

The event is patronised by the Presidency of the Italian Republic and this year will be its 61st edition. The crucial moment of the whole event is, obviously, the regatta. Each one of the 4 crews counts eight rowers and one helmsman, plus some reserves. The circuit is 2 km long and changes depending on the city where the event takes place. In Amalfi, where it will take place this year, the crews row in the Tyrrhenian Sea along the coast; in Genoa they row in the Ligurian Sea, inside the port basin; in Pisa they row in the Arno River, against the tide; in Venice they row in the lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. The winning city wins a gold and silver trophy, made by the Florence Gold School. The following year, the same trophy will be the award for the next competition.

The historical parade

The historical parade, another crucial moment of the event, is absolutely amazing. Each Republic, in fact, remembers his glorious past through events and characters that made it so.

Amalfi represents the ancient republic’s society at the beginning of year 1000, when it reached its most majesty and glory. During the event, the proponents of the social classes parade: the judges, the troops, the people, behind the duke (the major authority of the city) and his knights. The remembered episode is about the marriage between the duke’s son, Giovanni I, and a noble woman from Salerno, Regale.

Genoa remembers the consular period of the republic, before the Dogi (lords of Venice) took the power. The main character of the episode is Guglielmo Embriaco, who led the Genoa fleet during the first Crusade. According to the legend, Embriaco came back to Genoa with the Holy Basin, used by Jesus and his Apostles during the Last Supper.

The Pisa’s parade remembers various fundamental episodes of the history of the ancient maritime republic. The most unique is the feat accomplished by Kinzica de’ Sismodi, young daughter of a noble family from Pisa. In 1004, Kinzica rescued the city from a Saracen attack.

Last but not least, the Venice parade. The main episode of the parade is the donation of Cyprus to the Republic of Venice by Caterina Cornaro, in 1489. Caterina Cornaro was the queen of Cyprus. During the parade, the “San Marco Standard” is shown, gifted to Venice by Pope Alessandro III as a thanksgiving to the city because of its diplomatic activities as a moderator between the Church, the Empire and the Cities.