Codecasa operates multiple shipyards

Codecasa is celebrating its 200^th anniversary in 2025, with the historic Italian yacht builder still managed by successive generations of the founding Codecasa family.

Giovanni Battista Codecasa, a shipwright, founded the original Codecasa shipyard in 1825 in the town of Viareggio. In 1902, ‘Tistino’ Codecasa continued the family legacy, going on to manage the yard through the Second World War and reaching annual production of over 50 sail boats, fishing boats, pontoons, light boats and others.

In 1946, ‘Tistino’ was succeeded by his sons Ugo and Sandro, who looked after the shipyard through the 1960s, a golden era for boatbuilding in Viareggio. When Ugo passed away in 1973, the baton passed onto his son, Fulvio Codecasa, who remains active today.

Fulvio Codecasa

“Fulvio adopted a winning strategy, pushed by a desire of diversification, which brought Codecasa to the centre of the international scene, combining the production of work boats with that of luxury motoryachts,” the shipyard stated.

Fulvio was joined by his daughter Fulvia in 1985 and subsequently by her younger sister Elena. Later, their respective husbands, Ennio Buonomo and Fabio Lofrese, also entered managerial roles. In the 21^st century, Fulvia and Ennio’s sons Matteo and Niccolò Buonomo, and more recently daughter Chiara, joined the company.

Fulvio Codecasa sat with daughters Elena (left) and Fulvia, backed by their husbands Fabio Lofrese and Ennio Buonomo

During Fulvio’s reign, Codecasa has expanded its facilities in the Viareggio area. In addition to the Ugo Codecasa Shipyard founded in 1977, the Codecasa Due Shipyard was opened in 1982 on the old site of the yard in the Darsena Toscana. In 1987, the Codecasa Tre Shipyard in Nuova Darsena was added, while a new premise in Pisa’s Navicelli area was integrated from 2011.

Iconic yachts launched in Fulvio Codecasa’s era from 1973 include the Entrepreneur and Casabella motoryachts cruising in American waters, the 27m Fair Play, 62m Luisella, 32m Blue Velvet and 49m Charly Coppers, which launched the 48-51m series. Early in the 2000s, Codecasa entered the field of fast aluminum yachts with the 35m Maria Carla, a 2004 build owned by Fulvio and named after his wife.

Over the years, Codecasa yacht owners have included Giorgio Armani (Mariù, 2003; Main, 2008), Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce (Regina d’Italia, 2006; Regina d’Italia, 2019), Leonardo del Vecchio (Moneikos, 2006), Paolo Bulgari (Magari, 2011) and Pier Silvio Berlusconi (Dragoluna, 2019).

Gioia, the sixth unit of the Codecasa 43

“Codecasa is not a traditional shipyard,” the shipyard stated. “It benefits from an unparalleled building quality and product recognisability. Generally, a Codecasa yacht follows the lines of the previous ones, improving its nuances, so the word ‘evolution’ is preferred to the word ‘revolution’.

“All its work is centred on loyalty: loyalty from its clients, who have chosen and go on choosing this brand; loyalty established with its co-operators; and loyalty toward its style. These 200 years of activity are also the result of many people’s work and passion. Today, Codecasa Shipyards are in all respects a large family that proudly and affectionately carries forward the value traced and impressed by their founders.”

codecasayachts.com