Ship Shape

Ferretti Yachts marked its golden jubilee in Venice, paying tribute to the city’s seafaring roots. Hashirin Nurin Hashimi soaks in the celebratory mood and discovers why it is exciting times ahead for the Italian luxury yacht builder

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

VENICE IS A LIVING, breathing cultural and architectural treasure. But for centuries, it was a maritime power that dominated trade in the Mediterranean. Shipbuilding was a major industry, and in its heyday, the republic was capable of building one ship per day at the Venice Arsenal.

It was no wonder that the Ferretti Group chose the city built on water, or what its CEO Alberto Galassi called “the most beautiful city in the world”, as the venue for Ferretti Yachts’ 50th anniversary celebration in June, bringing together Ferretti Yachts owners from the world over for a glamorous weekend.

The centrepiece? A gala dinner in the Palazzo Ducale’s Sala del Maggior Consiglio (or the Chamber of the Great Council), the first held here since the 18th century. This exclusive privilege was formerly reserved only for the aristocracy. The opulent decoration that covered the walls and ceiling of the monumental hall, including the largest canvas in the world, Paradise, by 16th-century Venetian painter Tintoretto, alongside his contemporary Veronese’s Triumph of Venice, elicited gasps of awe from guests entering the room, as they promptly whipped out their phones to capture the moment for posterity.