By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Italian cruise operator Costa Cruises has chosen to hold the christening ceremony for its new ship, Costa Venezia, in Trieste, Italy next March.
Costa Venezia, which is under construction at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, is one of seven new ships that will join Costa Cruises by 2023. The vessel has been designed specifically for the Chinese market, offering guests a taste of Italian culture and style with interiors inspired by Venice. With a capacity for over 5,000 guests, she will be Costa Cruises’ largest ship for the Chinese market.
Costa Venezia’s naming celebration will involve the whole city and will include a firework display visible from Piazza Unità d’Italia. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be shown to locals on expansive screens.
“It is a great pleasure for the city of Trieste to host the naming ceremony of this new ship by Costa,” said Roberto Dipiazza, Mayor of Trieste. “With great pride, both from an institutional and personal point of view, I applaud this new jewel, which is the result of the work of the best talents in shipbuilding and Italian design who reside in our region and city. Our expertise, our values are well rooted in the Costa Group. This new ship, along with the other ‘queens’ that we had the pleasure of admiring in our Gulf, will be another ambassador of ‘Made in Italy’ in the world. There is a strong bond of mutual respect between Trieste and the Costa Group, that I am sure will continue to strengthen in the future.”
Costa Venezia will immerse Chinese guests in Italian and more specifically Venetian culture. For example, the theatre is inspired by Venice’s ‘La Fenice’ theatre, while the main atrium is reminiscent of St. Mark’s Square and the restaurants imitate Venetian architecture. There will be real gondolas onboard and a costume party will enable guests to recreate the Venice Carnival. Guests will also be able to enjoy Italian cuisine and go shopping onboard, while also being offered Chinese cuisine and Chinese-style karaoke.
“Costa Venezia will feature other unprecedented innovations, designed specifically to offer Chinese customers a real Italian experience, marking a new era for both Costa and the whole Chinese market, which is among the most promising in the world in terms of future growth,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Group Asia.
Costa Venezia will depart for her preview cruise from Trieste on 3 March, sailing to Greece and Croatia. She will return to Trieste on 8 March for her maiden voyage, a 53-day journey following Italian explorer Marco Polo’s journey across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South East Asia and East Asia, ending in Tokyo, Japan. These two cruises will be the only departures available for European and American guests. From May 2019, Costa Venezia will be dedicated exclusively to Chinese guests and will offer cruise around Asia from Shanghai, China.