The Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics (or Palio of the Ancient Maritime Republics) is a historical reenactment sporting event, established in 1955 with the purpose of re-enacting the exploits and rivalry of Italy’s best-known maritime republics, Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa and Venice, who compete against each other with four rowing crews.
The competition sees four rowing crews representing each of the republics compete against each other. This event, held under the high patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, takes place annually on a day between the end of May and the beginning of July, and is hosted on a rotating basis between the aforementioned cities. The regatta is preceded by a historical procession, during which a number of figures parade through the streets of the organizing city, dressing up as ancient characters who characterized each republic.
Four crews take part in the race, each consisting of eight rowers and a coxswain, plus reserves. Previously, the crews were made up of athletes born in the respective cities, provinces and regions, or those who had been residents for at least ten years, but starting in 2004 it was stipulated that they must be made up of half athletes from the region and half athletes from the province.
The boats must all be built with the same structural parameters. Before the start they are weighed, and to be eligible they must not have (empty and including accessories, with the exception of oars) a weight of less than 760 kilograms. Precisely to ensure greater efficiency and lightness in the water (while still within limits), the boats, once built of wood, are now made of fiberglass. The four original galleons were designed built by Giovanni Giuponi. Each boat should be recognizable through the colors with which it is painted and by the figureheads, or wooden sculptures (now also made of fiberglass) placed on the prow depicting the animal symbolic of each city, designed in the 1950s by Professor Alvio Vaglini. For this reason, Amalfi’s boat is identified by the color blue and the winged horse, Genoa’s by the color white and the dragon (referring to St. George, the city’s patron), Pisa’s by the color red and the eagle (symbolizing the ancient connection between the Pisan Republic and the Holy Roman Empire), and Venice’s by the color green and the winged lion (referring to St. Mark the Evangelist, the city’s patron).
The Regatta takes place on a 2-kilometer-long course, which differs according to location: in Amalfi it is rowed in the Tyrrhenian Sea along the coast, in Genoa in the Ligurian Sea within the harbor basin (in 2018 and 2021 it was raced in the calm channel of the Genoa Pra’ buffer zone), in Pisa in the Arno River against the current, and in Venice in the characteristic lagoon on the Adriatic Sea.
