Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics 2022

The 67 edition of the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics will take place on Sunday, September 11, 2022, in Pisa.

The event held in September, in Pisa, is actually the second Regatta of 2022, which recovers the lost edition of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 66 edition took place in Amalfi, on July 4, 2022.

The Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics (Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare), known also as the Palio of the Ancient Maritime Republics, is both a sporting event and a historical reenactment event, established in 1955, with the aim of recalling the rivalry of the most famous Italian maritime republics: Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa and Venice.

The Regatta is actually a competition between four rowing crews, representing each of the republics, hosted every year in rotation between the aforementioned cities. The race is preceded by a historical procession, during which people dressed in period costumes parade through the streets of the organizing town.

SHORT HISTORY

The idea of an event that recalled the history of the four maritime powers of the Middle Ages was born towards the end of the 1940s. The proposal, made by the Pisan knight Mirro Chiaverini, was first accepted by Carlo Vallini, president of the Provincial Tourist Board of Pisa, who sent it to the municipalities of the other three cities.

The initiative was welcomed especially by the lawyer Francesco Amodio, then mayor of Amalfi, who requested a meeting of the representatives of the four cities. The meeting took place in Pisa on April 9, 1949, and after long deliberations, the agreement was signed.

On June 29, 1955, a test was carried out in Genoa, and the first edition of the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics took place the following year in Pisa, on July 1, 1956.

RULES

Despite having undergone minor changes over time, the regulation of the Regatta remained virtually unchanged until today. Four crews take part in the race, each consisting of 8 rowers and a helmsman, plus the reserves.

All boats must be built with the same structural parameters. The Amalfi boat is identified by the blue color and the winged horse, that of Genoa by the white color and the dragon, that of Pisa by the red color and the eagle, and that of Venice by the green color and the winged lion.

The Regatta takes place over a 2-kilometer course, which differs depending on the location. The winning city of the Regatta receives as a prize a trophy in gold and silver, made by the Florentine Goldsmith School, which represents a rowing galleon supported by four seahorses.