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Italy welcomes America’s Cup trophy
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The America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup trophies have been presented in both Rome and Naples, with the latter hosting the 38th edition.
Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth; Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand; Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, with the America’s Cup trophy; and Gaetano Manfredi, the Mayor of Naples
Italy welcomed the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup competition to the country with formal trophy presentations in Rome and then the host city of Naples. The 38th America’s Cup regatta will take place in Naples in 2027, marking the first time that the competition will be held in Italy since it began in 1851.
In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended a ceremony in the grounds of the historic 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphilj and set against a backdrop of the Vatican’s famous St Peter’s Basilica.
“Today we celebrate the arrival in Italy for the first time in history of the America’s Cup – the oldest, most famous, most prestigious sailing trophy in the world – a global event that involves millions of enthusiasts all over the world and that represents a unique, extraordinary synthesis between tradition and the future between cutting-edge engineering and competitive spirit,” Meloni said.
The America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup trophies in Naples
The Prime Minister added that she was “honoured to welcome to Rome the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, as well as the America’s Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup trophies”, calling the trophies “global symbols of sporting passion and excellence of innovation”. Meloni was presented with a model of Taihoro, the winning boat of the last America’s Cup regatta.
Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand; Gaetano Manfredi, the Mayor of Naples; and Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth, were also among VIPs at the trophy presentation.
Dalton stated: “Naples is passion, Naples is history … and it is our honour to bring the America’s Cup to Naples.” Manfredi described Naples as “one of the great seaside cities of the Mediterranean”.
The Naples presentation was held inside Castel dell’Ovo
In Naples two days later, the iconic Mount Vesuvius looked over the 38th America’s Cup presentation at the historic Castel dell’Ovo. The event featured the unveiling of both the America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup trophies alongside presentations by key figures including Manfredi, Abodi, Dalton and Marco Mezzaroma, President of Sport and Health.
The evening concluded with a drinks reception on the Castel dell’Ovo rooftop, which offered guests a chance to survey the racecourse of the next America’s Cup regatta, which will be set in the Bay of Naples between the castle and the western headland of Posillipo.
