Milan’s premier gathering of high-profile names from the worlds of yachting and luxury, the MonteNapoleone Yacht Club, returns for its third edition this spring. Taking place from May 14-20, the event will once again see shipyards and builders paired with some of the famous shopping district’s luxury boutiques where they will display previews, sketches and videos of their latest projects along with scale models of some of their best-known yachts.
Along with these displays, which will be on view to the public throughout the event, a key new addition to this year’s MonteNapoleone Yacht Club will be an open-air exhibition organised in partnership with Boat International named Italy Rules the Waves. The exhibition will celebrate Italy’s shipbuilding tradition and showcase some of the finest yachts designed and built under the Made in Italy name.
"The MonteNapoleone Yacht Club promotes the excellence of Italian boatbuilding and the world-famous names that the association represents,” said Guglielmo Miani, president of the MonteNapoleone District.
“I say the same thing every year, but it is true – Milan is Italy’s, and perhaps Europe’s, city with the highest number of yacht owners. It’s propensity for business, but also tradition, make it a meeting point for the industry – not just shipyards and yacht owners, but a whole range of people involved in design and publishing. The success of our event is proof of this, and every year we try to give the enthusiasts even more.”
The 2018 event will also feature a round-table discussion entitled Italian Avantgarde: Design, Industry and Sustainability in Boatbuilding. Taking place on May 16 at Spazio Gessi, the discussion will focus both on issues within the industry as well as the impact yacht building and boating at large has on the environment.
As in previous years the panel will include leading figures from the leisure marine sector, including Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena, Nautica Italiana’s Michele Gavino and yacht designer Luca Dini. Insight from environmental experts, such as Donatella Bianchi, president of WWF Italy, and Lorenzo Argento, designer of an explorer yacht built for Arctic surveys, will also shape the discussion.
The MonteNapoleone Yacht Club takes place from May 14-20 in Milan, visit montenapoleone.luxury for more information.