The Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics, also widely known under its Italian name (Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare), is a boat race intended to evoke the rivalry between the four Italian Maritime Republics: Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa and, of course, Venice. The first edition of this historical regatta was held in 1956 and, since then, each of the cities participating to the event has been taking turns in hosting the race. Thus, Pisa was the first to host the regatta (in 1956), followed by Amalfi, by Venice and, eventually, by Genoa. Thus, Venice (as well as each of the other three cities) is home to Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare every four years. Venice, in fact, was the winning city to most of the editions, which is indicative of its maritime culture and interest invested both in preserving its seafaring traditions and in developing state-of-the-art platforms for the maritime future of the city.

The regatta proper is preceded by a procession of marching boats which carry people under the guise of their dearest historical characters, trying to reenact certain important episodes of their history. The boats bear the insignia and the color of the city they represent: the green Venice with its lion, the red Pisa with its eagle, the blue Amalfi with its horse and the white Genoa with its griffin. The procession is quite spectacular, and even if only symbolically, it does speak of the ancient seafaring rivalry between the four cities.

The race, however, is more than a symbolic event, each of the competing cities striving to win, which is, in fact, indicative of the standing all four of them crave to maintain or to gain.

Name:
Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics (Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare)
Address:
Venice, Italy
Date:
late May to early July
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