Benetti celebrates its 150-year history

A long history, studded with successes and innovations, belongs to Benetti, which celebrated its 150th anniversary on Friday 16 June in the shipyard’s Viareggio headquarters.

and Giovanna Vitelli organized a three-day celebrating event with the participation of local authorities, press and employees. The occasion allowed the institutions present to further strengthen the bond that unites Benetti with the territory. Owners and employees also played a central role during these days, taking part in the event as fundamental resources for the Shipyard’s growth and excellence.

Established in 1873, Benetti is the oldest Italian shipyard, specializing in luxury yachts and is still an icon of style and excellence. The Benetti family built commercial sailing yachts until the end of the war, when, thanks to Lorenzo Benetti‘s intuition, the construction of elegant steel trawlers began, radically changing the history of shipbuilding.

From then on, the production of legendary boats began, which today, as then, ply the seas with the classic sophistication that distinguishes them.

Clear examples of the Shipyard’s innovation and experimentation are: the 1962 Delfino, which was the first true 18-metre motor yacht ever built in the history of yachting; the 1966 22m Gabbiano, which introduced the concepts of cruising and on-board comfort; the 1967 Mediterraneo and then the majestic 1979 Nabila , which grabbed the world’s covers for being the largest gigayacht of the time. Nabila was a milestone in Benetti’s history. Nobody had ever seen, nor even imagined possible, building an 86-metre yacht with satellite telecommunications in those years, and this also led to a change of ownership of the shipyard.

Different families but with the same passion for the brand and fits employees, who have always been considered a fundamental resource without which it would never have been possible to achieve this level of excellence, then as now.

The transfer of ownership at that time took place with the utmost respect and shared values, aimed at growing Italian excellence in the construction of superyachts.

has taken Benetti even higher with the introduction of composite in the Classic 115 series, an innovation taken up by many, which has set the standard in the boating sector. The internal restructuring also led to greater solidity that has allowed not only to build imposing and luxurious mega-yachts since then, but also to dare in out-of-the-box designs and technologies.

The latest Oasis Deck™ project, for example, has revolutionized exteriors by bringing them flush with the water, anticipating what would later become the biggest market demand: sharing open spaces in close contact with nature.

In this regard, Benetti has been studying alternative solutions for more than twenty years, capable of reducing emissions and preserving the environment, and has succeeded with the B.Yond 37, which in 2022 was awarded for being “the greenest yacht in the world” thanks to its innovative hybrid propulsion.

After producing more than 420 yachts over the last 150 years, Benetti is now able to offer one of the widest ranges of excellence on the market, ranging from 34 to over 100 metres. A history dedicated to the pursuit of beauty, luxury and innovation, taking the Italian boating industry higher and higher in the world, from 1873 to today.