The challenge was of epic proportions: to relaunch the historic Cantieri di Pisa brand without distorting its heritage. Yet Enrico Gennasio, who bought Cantieri di Pisa in 2021, did not back away. With Marco Massabò, CEO, he has committed more than €6 million in investments, leading to the complete redevelopment and expansion of the slipways and production facilities. The intent of the owners and management has always been for the yard to return to its former glory, as a page of Italian yachting and design history.
When it comes to yachts, Marco Massabò is by no means inexperienced. Originally from Imperia, Marco’s family has owned several yards and his father is a master carpenter. He has worked for many years at Wally and key regattas, many alongside Luca Bassani. Thus, as is the case for Enrico Gennasio, owner alongside his brother Guido of Alfagomma, obtaining tangible results is embedded in his DNA. And tangible results, combined with a low profile, define the philosophy that guides Cantieri di Pisa today. A brand bound to tradition, retaining its experienced workers and remaining linked to its city. Acquired in 2021, Cantieri di Pisa’s first actual public appearance came last year, when they presented their new projects at Cannes, of which Akhir was the star.
“Restoring an abandoned yard to its former glory was no easy feat,” explains Marco Massabò. “We were accused of not launching any yachts, but we like to do things properly, with the right timing. Beauty cannot be rushed. It took us almost two years to renovate the yard,” continues Massabò, adding, “We now have new, more efficient slipways, and the yard spans 50,000 sqm, 24,000 of which are for refitting, an area that is giving us great results. We have a 40-metre one-off in progress, no debts and a €27 million 2024 order book, nine times higher than year 1. Even without yachts in the water, the market believes in us”.
After the redevelopment, the biggest challenge was presenting the new Akhir to the world.
“Dealing with the longest-lived model in history, with over 500 units sold, was no child’s play,” confesses Massabò, “yet thanks to Antonio Luxardo we believe we have succeeded.”
Antonio Luxardo, owner of the La Spezia-based Optima Design, is the Chief Designer of Cantieri di Pisa, responsible for restoring an emblem of 1970s yacht design. “The restyling of the Akhir was a difficult process. At first, we didn’t know where to start,” explains Luxardo. “After fifty years you find yourself redesigning a legend that has to comply with new rules and new market standards.
With every new idea I felt as if I were disrespecting Pierluigi Spadolini’s yacht. So I acted as a spectator rather than a designer, I put my ego aside and realised the only solution was to pay respect to the design’s enduring power and place this at the centre of the project,” he continues. The Saturno and Polaris projects were less complicated, aimed at new market segments demanding new sizes. A family feeling was maintained, however, between all the models, one that emulated the Cantieri di Pisa heritage and made them instantly recognisable.
The interiors were entrusted to Alessandro Pulina, who founded Pulina Exclusive Interiors 12 years ago but was also style manager for Azimut-Benetti, Perini and Picchiotti. Pulina is from Pisa and so the Akhir was always as iconic to him as the Duomo is for the Milanese. Even his university thesis was on the Akhir. And his thesis supervisor? None other than Tommaso Spadolini.
“Before the sketching phase, we focused on materials. Teak was used extensively on the Akhirs,” explains Alessandro Pulina. “We chose to keep the teak but reinterpret it in a bleached and pickled finish. Metals were also integrated into the ceilings, bulkheads, even the furniture, in this case with a bronzed champagne finish to complement the teak,” Pulina concludes. The meticulous finish has also been preserved. The Akhir was one of the first yachts in the world to boast a continuous grain across panels and the same detailed luxury and build quality will continue to define every project signed by the new Cantieri di Pisa.
“Cantieri di Pisa’s direction is industrial, although we are not aiming to build 100 boats a year,” Massabò emphasises. We want to be a yard with small numbers and great ambition, ready to move into the second phase of our new history”. It is no coincidence that the new Super Polaris 70 powered by Mariotti was presented at the Monaco Yacht Show.
The 70m kicks off a partnership between Cantieri di Pisa and Cantieri Mariotti, two hallmark names of Italian yachting that, where the heritage of one meets the craftsmanship of the other, promising new masterpieces to come, never straying from the calibrated approach and tangible results of deliberate choices supported by deliberate content. We hope to see the 40-metre joined by the first of the new Akhir generation at Cannes in 2027. Because quality and beauty demand time and precision. As well as boundless passion.
Giuliana Fratnik
