Italia is a brigantine, where projects are carried out to fully develop the potential of people with disabilities or social disadvantage. The Ship is led by personnel from the Italian Navy.[1]
It is owned by Fondazione tender to nave Italia, a non-profit foundation for maritime contest development, with property by Fondazione Tender To Nave Italia.
Built at the shipyard Wiswa, Gdańsk (Poland) as Swan fan Makkum it is a Brigantine.
Named for Willem Sligting, Makkum, christened by Hinke de Vries, co-owner and wife, in a multilingual fashion: English, Polish and Frysian and after the ceremony launched in the river Wisla.
She is the largest brigantine in the world, as well as the largest two masted sailing vessel, with an overall length of 61 metres (200 ft).
She carries a maximum of 1300abbr=offNaNabbr=off of sail, and with an air draft of 44.6 metres (144 ft) is one of the tallest of the tall ships.
Swan fan Makkum was sold February 6, 2007 to Fondazione tender to nave Italia and renamed Nave Italia, commissioned to Italian Navy on 19 March 2007.
She will continue to appear as a competitor in the Tall Ships Race, her first appearance as Nave Italia was in the 2007 Mediterranean series.