COSTA CRUISES CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY
The Italian cruise company has unveiled the event program to celebrate its anniversary in Genoa from October 19th to the 27th. For the first time in Italy, Palazzo Ducale will host the Monumental Tour by the French DJ Michael Canitrot, an extraordinary showcase of electronic music and digital art, with the patronage of the Genoa City Council and the Liguria Regional Council. The program will also include a cocktail party onboard the Costa Toscana, with a special showcase of the Italian singer Malika Ayane.
There will be a lunch event for the Sant'Egidio Community, a performance by Angelo Pintus in support of the Gaslini Hospital, and a workshop dedicated to Guardiani della Costa within the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).
Genoa, October 13, 2023 – To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Costa Cruises will be hosting a series of events scheduled from the 19th to the 27th of October in Genoa, the city where the company's history began in 1948, with the maiden voyage of the "Anna C", the first passenger ship of the company's fleet.
On the evening of Friday, October 20th, Costa will offer the city a never-seen-before show in Italy: the Monumental Tour. The event, open to the public, will take place at 8:45 PM in Piazza Matteotti and will feature a show intertwining electronic music, cultural heritage, and digital art, created by the French DJ and producer Michael Canitrot.
The Monumental Tour was born from the idea of making the artistic heritage of cities interact with new technologies, rediscovering the monuments from a new point of view, thanks to electronic music played live by DJs and immersive sets that blend light-show and video-mapping.
The monument chosen for this occasion is Palazzo Ducale. The main façade of the palace, overlooking Piazza Matteotti, will come alive in a spectacular way with a show of images and lights, whose theme will be Genoa, its history and the sea, while spectators will dance to the enthralling rhythm of electronic music. Palazzo Ducale will thus become the first artistic monument in Italy to be the protagonist of this show, after the Palais-Royal in Paris, Lisbon City Hall, Laon Cathedral, Chantilly Castle, and Mont Saint-Michel, contributing to its cultural enhancement in a unique and innovative way. The initiative will have the patronage of the Municipality of Genoa and the Region of Liguria.
The Monumental Tour will be anticipated by a cocktail party on board Costa Toscana, Costa Cruises’ flagship that calls in the port of Genoa every Friday, in collaboration with Vanity Fair Italia. The menu will be curated by the Italian chef Bruno Barbieri and accompanied by Ferrari Trento wines, with a personalized label created for the special occasion. To celebrate the event in style, there will be an exceptional red carpet aboard, where guests can walk the runway and become the stars of an exclusive photo shoot. Closing the evening will be a special showcase by the renowned Italian artist, Malika Ayane, performing on board the Costa Toscana for the occasion.
The 75th anniversary celebration program also includes an initiative to support an important local organization that plays a vital role in helping vulnerable individuals: the Community of Sant'Egidio. On Thursday, October 19th, at the cloister of the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata, Costa Cruises’ chefs will prepare a special lunch for around 150 guests of the Community, with the participation of chef Bruno Barbieri. Costa Crociere Foundation has been supporting the Community of Sant'Egidio since 2015, as part of a food assistance project that has so far seen the distribution of around 1 million meals.
On Monday 23 October, the Italian comedian Angelo Pintus will perform his show at the Politeama Genovese theater, starting at 9:00 PM. The entire proceeds of the evening will be donated to the Gaslini Paediatric Hospital in Genoa. Costa will double the total amount, adding a donation equal to the evening's takings.
A second event dedicated to the Gaslini Hospital will be on Friday, October 27th: a group of young patients from the hospital and their families will come onboard Costa Toscana, in Genoa, for a day of discovery on the Italian company's flagship, with special entertainment activities and a lunch designed especially for them. They will also be joined by Mattia Villardita - “SpiderMan”, the man who dresses as the famous superhero, bringing smiles to children hospitalized in healthcare facilities in the Liguria region.
Finally, Costa will be the brand sponsor of the 40th annual assembly of ANCI, the National Association of Italian Municipalities, which will take place at the Blue Pavilion of the Genoa Fair from October 24th to 26th. As part of this event, on October 25th Costa will host a workshop dedicated to ‘Guardiani della Costa’, the national environmental education and ‘citizen science’ project for Italian students promoted by the Costa Crociere Foundation.
“Throughout all these years, day after day, Costa has been taking millions of guests on cruises around the world, sharing the happy and unforgettable moments of their holidays. On this special anniversary, our desire is to share equally unique emotions with the city of Genoa, through a magnificent show in one of the city's most iconic squares. However, Costa also aims to maintain its role as a responsible member of the Genoese community, where our company originated, by bringing smiles and tangible assistance to those who are most in need” - said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.
"75 years represent an extraordinary milestone for Costa, the company born in our city that continues to carry the name of Genoa high in the world. The cruise market has been experiencing exponential growth in recent months. Genoa plays an increasingly central role in the global cruise industry, with millions of people every year having the chance to discover the beauty of our city thanks to the ships arriving in our port. We are happy that Costa has decided to organize a great series of initiatives to share and celebrate this milestone with the people of Genoa as well. Best wishes to Costa Cruises for many more years of success alongside Italy and our city" - said Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genoa.
"On 31 March 1948 the motor vessel 'Anna C' left Genoa for Buenos Aires with 768 passengers on board. Since then, Costa Cruises has grown together with Liguria region, which thanks to the cruise sector can now aspire to become the capital of the maritime economy, not only in the Mediterranean but in the world. In recent years, with synergic work between the Liguria Region and Costa Cruises, we have been able to create a new phase of development for the entire sector, not only in Genoa, but also in the region's other main ports. And today we are happy that Costa can celebrate this unique anniversary right in the Liguria regional capital, with a program full of events and shows," said Giovanni Toti, President of the Liguria Region.
"The Palazzo Ducale, by hosting this initiative, confirms its central role, a role that makes it increasingly the home of the Genoese" - said Beppe Costa, President of the Palazzo Ducale Foundation. "This is an important anniversary for a company that is part of the history of the city. Testimony to this is the particular value of some events in the program, in favor of the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Gaslini Hospital. I am also personally happy with this 'birthday', since it is a company that was born from my family and that the current shareholders are carrying on with great success”.
“On behalf of all the Gaslini children, I would like to thank Costa Cruises, which in the year of the celebration of its 75th anniversary has chosen to support the Ligurian children's hospital, which this month will start work on its new building 'Nuovo Gaslini'. The prestigious Italian company is the first to take an active part in the construction of the future Pavilion Zero of the 'Nuovo Gaslini': with the funds donated to the hospital, through its foundation Gaslininsieme, we will create a colorful reception area dedicated to families with an adjoining play area, equipped and technological, for all our little patients. We hope that many other Italian and international companies will follow this generous example. A special thanks to our friend Angelo Pintus, who decided to donate to Gaslini hospital the proceeds of his show, proceeds that Costa will double, allowing us to create the new area for families" - said Edoardo Garrone, President of the Giannina Gaslini Institute.
"We participate with pleasure in this anniversary of Costa Cruises, a reality that is so important for our city," said Andrea Chiappori, head of the Community of Sant'Egidio in Liguria, "It is a beautiful thing that Costa will be celebrating with all the people of Genoa, including the people who live in the physical and existential peripheries of our city. It is the crowning of an important collaboration between Costa and Sant’Egidio Community that has been going on for years; but it is also a sign of a continuing commitment to reducing inequalities and promoting solidarity”.
For further information:
Costa Cruises Press Office – cell +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it
Gabriele Baroni - Communication Director - cell +39 3497668013 - baroni@costa.it
Davide Barbano – Media Relations Manager – cell +39 334 6525216 - barbano@costa.it
www.costapresscenter.com
