After the preview at the event celebrating the brand’s 170th anniversary last month, the official presentation of the book dedicated to the historical Baglietto shipyard with its one hundred and seventy years of tradition, craftsmanship, and innovation took place in Milan, at the Rizzoli bookshop in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Published by Rizzoli, the book bears the prestigious signature of Antonio Macaluso, Corriere della Sera columnist and boating expert. The event, which was followed by the classic ‘firmacopie’, was also attended by the author, Antonio Macaluso, and the shipyard’s CEO Diego Michele Deprati.
A long history, that of Baglietto, an Italian entrepreneurial excellence, a great luxury maison, capable of flair and pragmatism in creating something rare: the perfect balance between classic and modern, technique and aesthetics, past and future together: a winning combination.
Where does craftsmanship end and art begin? What makes something, a product, a brand, impervious to time and fashions? These are the questions we ask ourselves as we walk through Baglietto’s past and present.
It was 1854 when Pietro Baglietto started his dream, founding the shipyard of the same name, located in Varazze at that time. At first, small hulls and goiters were built, but soon, thanks to the founder’s far-sightedness, they turned towards yachting. In 1876, the first racing boat took off: Baglietto built Rosy, a 7.50 m cutter destined to become a legend.
Numerous innovations have been introduced by Baglietto throughout its history, both in the field of high-performance and record-breaking boats, and for military and defence applications, such as the famous MAS. Among the areas in which the seagull shipyard has excelled most strongly is yachting and pleasure boating. As early as the dawn of the 19th century, Baglietto was already building large yachts for important owners, including, to name a few, the King of Spain Alfonso XII, Guglielmo Marconi, Gioacchino Puccini and Gabriele D’Annunzio, for whom he launched the Alcyone.
After the Second World War, the yachting sector became the heart of Baglietto’s production with the ‘Isole’ series yachts, real landmarks in the luxury yacht sector, objects of desire coveted by the world’s most important owners, including heads of industry such as Agnelli or the Aga Khan, royal families such as the Ranieri of Monaco or personalities from the world of show business, including Peter Sellers, to name but one.
In this field Baglietto brings continuous innovations, both in terms of hull design, such as with the invention of the flying bridge, and with the introduction of new and increasingly high-performance materials, raising the bar ever higher in terms of exclusivity, performance and quality by creating true sailing masterpieces.
In 2012 Cantieri Baglietto was acquired by the Gavio family, one of Italy’s most solid industrial groups. It is the beginning of a new course. Experience and tradition come together in a meeting of past and present, and look towards the future for a history of the greatest achievements. A past of 170 years on whose mighty shoulders an exciting challenge to a future of style, technology and innovation is built every day. A future that is neither imagined nor expected: it is anticipated. And the Baglietto seagull – strong, respected and loved – flies tirelessly from one side of the world to the other
