“Villa d’Este Style Vintage Yachting”
On September 13, the new edition of Villa d’Este Style Vintage Yachting was held.
organized in collaboration with ASDEC, the Association of Vintage and Classic Boats, and the Museo Barca Lariana
Now in its sixth edition, the nautical event has been enriched with new content and aims to reaffirm its deep historical ties with the Riunioni Motonautiche (Motorboat Meetings) of the 1920s, promoted by Gabriele D’Annunzio on Lake Como.
Villa d’Este, together with ASDEC and the Museo Barca Lariana, has created a gathering of classic boats aimed at promoting not only the boats and their history, but also the craftsmanship of the owners and the ability of participants to immerse themselves in the authentic spirit of the event. ASDEC is now the guardian of the legacy of the Regio Erice Club Motonautico, while the Museo Barca Lariana preserves and recounts its history, exhibiting it in the gardens of Villa d’Este. The latter thus confirms its role as the beating heart that, yesterday as today, brings together the most prestigious motorboat events on Lake Como.
Oltre 150 ospiti hanno partecipato all’evento, di cui 47 sono arrivati a bordo di imbarcazioni d’eccezione, non solo Riva ma modelli unici e rarissimi. Tra questi, spiccano: il Vaporino “Angelo” del cantiere Taroni del 1905, il tender della barca reale inglese, il taxi boat veneziano “Given-in” con arredi in stile liberty, il “Colombo Pucci III” Gran Turismo del dopoguerra, il Runabout Timossi del 1963 e la storica Lancia “Postalino”, costruita nel 1917 dal cantiere inglese Camper & Nicholsons.
The numerous guests gathered in the Grill Restaurant area, welcomed by the organizers as they awaited the arrival of the prestigious boats.
Il programma dell’evento si è preannunciato ricco sin dai primi momenti. Il Dott. Marco Biondi, Segretario Generale di ASDEC e Presidente del Comitato Tecnico Scientifico del Museo Barca Lariana, ha moderato una breve ma intensa presentazione introduttiva. Ha aperto gli interventi il Dott. Matteo Cristina, CFO & HR Director del Gruppo Villa d’Este, illustrando l’impronta di questa nuova edizione, caratterizzata da un forte richiamo alle radici storiche e culturali della nautica, con un progetto ambizioso: la nascita del Trofeo “Coppa Villa d’Este”, un’iniziativa pensata per rinverdire una tradizione storica e consolidare il ruolo di Villa d’Este come cuore pulsante della motonautica sul Lago di Como, ieri come oggi. È poi intervenuto il Dott. Alberto Villa, Consigliere di ASDEC, che ha raccontato l’evoluzione dell’Associazione Scafi d’Epoca e Classici, oggi società sportiva e ente certificatore. A seguire, Dott. Ferdinando Zanoletti, Presidente del Museo Barca Lariana, ha tracciato un affascinante quadro del contesto storico e del mondo della navigazione. Infine la Dott.ssa Maria Gasparella, Sales & Marketing Director of the Villa d’Este Group, presented the awards given during the day to the event participants, namely the award given by the Museo Barca Lariana to Mr. Gianni Gini for his Vaporino “Angelo” built by the Taroni shipyard in 1905 as the oldest boat in the event, the prize for the boat handed down through several generations within the same family, awarded by Villa d’Este to Mr. Marco Bernocchi with “Mami,” built by San Marco with a Maserati engine in 1963, and finally the prize for the best mooring awarded by ASDEC to Mr. Patrick Droulers with “Tom Dooley,” built by Swiss Craft Cabinato in 1950.
Before lunch, all attention was focused on the prestigious boats on display in the villa’s gardens, where they will remain until September 18, 2025.
It was difficult to determine whether it was the park that provided the backdrop for the boats or vice versa: everything seemed suspended in an ethereal atmosphere, in perfect balance, creating the feeling of something truly unique.
The speedboat “Laura I” and its most recent reproduction, the English “Dulcinea,” the “007 Colombo,” twin of the “Pucci III” moored in front of Villa d’Este, together with ‘Glauco’ and “Fortunato,” were the center of attention, capturing the interest of guests and offering a unique opportunity to share beauty within beauty.
The event ended in the early afternoon with a fun regatta between three splendid wooden “Jole” canoes, each flying a symbolic flag: that of ASDEC, that of the Museo Barca Lariana, and finally that of Villa d’Este.
A light-hearted but meaningful sporting moment marked the grand finale of the day: the three protagonists of the initiative – Matteo Cristina, Marco Biondi, and Ferdinando Zanoletti – took to the water themselves as coxswains, flanked by the talented and extremely strong rowers from Laglio and Osteno, as well as the Masters from Cernobbio.
Together, they gave guests one last thrill, adding adrenaline and excitement to a day already full of excitement. The competition ended with a suspenseful finish: the ASDEC team crossed the finish line first, followed by the Museo Barca Lariana team, while the Villa d’Este team took third place.
