Rowing

A Year of Rowing Races in Livorno

One of the ten-man Gozze used in Livorno's rowing racesLivorno’s division into ‘Rioni’ is never more heartfelt than during the city’s annual rowing races. There are three main races and several others, eleven of them in all, beginning with the Coppa Gaetano D’Alesio in April and ending with the Palio delle Circoscrizioni in August.

Coppa dei Risiatori

The first of the three most important rowing races that take place in Livorno every year.
Coppa dei Risiatori - the Finishing LineIt takes place on the first or second Sunday in June. Unlike the other two (Coppa Barontini and Palio Marinaro) the Coppa Risiatori involves two different routes, one for the 10-man boats and one for the smaller gozzette. The ten man teams depart from the Meloria Tower out at sea (about 5km from the entrance to the Port of Livorno). The finishing line is on the Scali Novi Lena, in the heart of the Borgo Cappuccini district.

The overall distance is 7600 metres, which the teams cover in about 35 minutes. Spectators watch the race from boats out at sea or wait for the arrival of the winning team on the Scali Novi Lena. The race, the hundreds of boats that follow the teams, and the crowd of spectators and supporters is well worth watching.

Coppa di Santa Giulia

The Coppa Santa Giulia takes place on the 22 May, which is the feast of Santa Giulia, the Patron Saint of Livorno. The race – 750 metres long - takes place after dark and is divided into two distinct competitions, one for the 4-man boats and one for the ten-man gozzi. The event is held on the canal opposite the Scali del Pontino.

Coppa Ilio Barontini

Coppa Barontini after dark on the Medici canalsThe Coppa Ilio Barontini takes place after dark on the last Saturday in June. It is named after a local resistance fighter who died in a road accident in 1951. The race was founded in 1966 in his honour.

Gaetano D'Alesio Trophy

The Trofeo Gaetano D'Alesio is the first in the season of Livorno's Rowing Races. It was begun in 1999 in memory of Gaetano D'Alesio, ship owner and founder of the D'Alesio Group in Livorno.
The competition is held each year on 25th April, a national holiday in Italy. It also coincides with the TAN - Trofeo Accademia Navale, an important week-long sailing regatta which brings the city alive with visiting teams and parallel events.

Beginning in the morning with heats for both categories of boat - the four and ten-man gozzi - the finals are held late morning, in the old Mediceo port.

Il Palio Marinaro

Livorno's most important rowing race

Spectators at the Palio Marinaro, Livorno: Source: www.paliomarinaro.comLivorno’s Palio Marinaro is the most important rowing race of the year. It takes place on the second Sunday in July and is the only race which decides the running for the following year’s races. The venue for the Palio is the open sea, opposite the Terrazza Mascagni.