Barcolana, the largest regatta in the world is presented in London

Trieste’s regatta twins with the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, joins the round the island race and has a British testimonial, Dee Caffari. Barcolana 51 poster by Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli revealed.

London, 13 June 2019 - 51 years ago, 47 yachts took part in the first edition of Barcolana. Held on the second Sunday of October every year, Barcolana became a Guinness World Record holder last February when it was recognised as “The largest sailing race” with its 2689 boats and  over 16thousand sailors at the start line.

The 51st Barcolana race will be held in Trieste on 13th October 2019 with a jam-packed entertainment schedule in the ten days before the grand finale. Entries for the race are already open online on the website www.barcolana.it: 2700 boats will be the maximum number of participants allowed to race this year. Tourist packages – the Barcolana Experience – can also already be purchased online to discover Trieste and its region Friuli Venezia Giulia, while enjoying the regatta.

Barcolana - presented by Generali - aims to bring together sailing lovers and promote the region as a tourist and sailing destination for British sailors in October. That’s why we’ve decided to present the event’s poster by illycaffè in London at the Italian Embassy, just like we did last year. The poster, designed by Italian artist Olimpia Zagnoli, shows a view of the Gulf of Trieste and its magnificent Miramare Castle (a very popular tourist destination) overlooking a fleet of more than 2000 sailing boats racing.

"The Barcolana is a powerful symbol of the city of Trieste, representing its landscape and its values: the sea that bring people together, sailing as an inclusive rather than exclusive experience, and harmony with Nature. illycaffè has supported this event and these values for many years, in particular by offering a touch of beauty, which is typical of our way of expressing ourselves. Each year we bring the creativity of an artist to design the Barcolana poster - says Andrea Illy, Chairman of illycaffè with a life-long passion for sailing – From Gillo Dorfles to Marina Abramovich, this creative tradition has inspired great masters, as well as successful young talents, such as Olimpia Zagnoli. This year she brings her chromatic flair to the image for the 51st Barcolana, where the warm embrace of the Gulf of Trieste greets the thousands of white sails, alongside a flower that becomes as a symbolic link between the Sea and the Earth“.

“I would like to thank illycaffè – stated Barcolana chairman Mitja Gialuz – because every year it helps us design the Regatta’s manifesto and it helps us promote the event internationally. Art and sailing can have a close bond: the Gulf of Trieste shown in the poster conveys joy, passion for sailing in a charming and amazing environment. We’ve tried to capture in one image the feelings of our participants and spectators who enjoy the unique spectacle created by the Barcolana race from the upland towering over the city”.

“Barcolana is a love brand for Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as Trieste, the great white wines of our vineyards and the cycling routes from the Alps and Dolomites to the Adriatic sea. The partnership with the regional Tourism Board aims at enhancing touristic experiences in an Italian region still to discover” – says Mr. Lucio Gomiero, Managing director of the Tourism Board.

For the 2019 edition, Barcolana has strengthened relations with the UK: the regatta will be endorsed by the record-breaking English yachtswoman Dee Caffari, the first woman to have sailed solo around the world against the prevailing winds and currents, and skipper of ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ in the Volvo Ocean Race 2017/2018. Barcolana has selected Dee for her commitment to environmental sustainability, her genuine passion and as an inspirational role model to girls, illustrating that the sport of sailing provides many opportunities for personal growth.

In the presence of the Ambassador of Italy to London, H.E. Raffaele Trombetta, Barcolana has signed today a twinning agreement with the Island Sailing Club, and it will take part in the Round the Island Race of Cowes at the end of June. In October a crew from the Island Sailing Club will race in the Barcolana regatta. “Round the Island race and Barcolana – stated Mitja Gialuz – share the objective of promoting sailing and its spirit. I would like to personally thank our friends at the Island Sailing Club to have welcomed us in Cowes. We have a dream, we want to create a “Grand Slam” of sailing for all those who love this sport and the seafaring culture; a circuit of sailing races with a large number of participants to bring together the traditions of various oceans and continents, to share our mutual passion for sailing and seafaring traditions, and to protect our oceans and seas. Our two clubs have a lot in common: our passion for sailing and the commitment of our members have allowed us to make sailing popular by joining the spirit of adventure of amateurs and the desire to win of professional sailors. That’s the starting point of our great project: seas and oceans have no borders and by joining forces we can raise awareness on the need to protect our Oceans, develop sustainable tourism and promote our sport.”

BARCOLANA MILESTONES (Events confirmed as at 10 June)
4 October – Even opening – Inauguration of the exhibition “Scart” and Presentation of #Unplastic Trieste
4-6 October, at sea: Lega Italiana Vela (Italian Sailing League): under 19 (J70)
5-13 October, Trieste Seafront and Piazza Unità - Barcolana 51 Village
5-6 October, at sea: Barcolana Young (Optimist),
5-6 October: Barcolana Chef
6 October, at sea: Barcolana Nuota (open water swimming race)
11 October, at sea: Collio Cup (J70), Barcolana Fine Art Sails, Regatta for the ship-owners of the Italian Naval League
12 October, at sea: Barcolana by Night (Meteor and Ufo), Barcolana Classic (Vintage vessels), Go to Barcolana from Slovenia
13 October: Barcolana51 (start at 10.30 am)

ROAD TO BARCOLANA (Events confirmed as at 10 June)
12 June, Milan – Unveiling of Poster and presentation of Barcolana Experiences
13 June, London – Italian Embassy – Presentation to international press and agreement with Island Sailing Club.
2 July, Munich – Presentation to German and Austrian press in partnership with TAL Group
July, Trieste – Presentation of the North Collection and Barcolana official polo shirt
Second week of September, Rome – Presentation of Barcolana to the Italian press: final calendar
Third week of September, Trieste – Press conference by Presenting Sponsor Generali


illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company founded in Trieste in 1933, which has always pursued the mission of offering the best coffee in the  world. illycaffè produces a unique blend of 100% Arabica coffee, combining 9 of the best qualities in the world according to illycaffè. Every day 7 million cups of illycaffè coffee are enjoyed around the globe in over 140 countries, in the finest coffee shops, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafes and shops, and of course at home. The company’s many innovations have contributed to important technological developments in the world of coffee. In 1991 the company founded the "Ernesto Illy Award for quality espresso coffee" in Brazil, promoting the sharing of expertise and recognising the efforts of coffee growers by offering a higher price for what illycaffè believes to be the best quality coffee. This has grown into a partnership based on the principles of sustainable development. The company also founded its Università del Caffè, an educational institution which strives to promote coffee culture at all levels, offering complete and practical training for growers, baristas and coffee lovers, and seeking to deepen the knowledge about every aspect of the product. Everything that is 'made in illycaffè' is also enriched with beauty and art. These are fundamental values for the brand, from the logo designed by the artist James Rosenquist, to the cups of the illycaffè Art Collection which have been decorated by over 100 international artists. In 2018 the company employed 1294 people and had a consolidated turnover of € 483 million. There are around 259 illycaffè stores and single-brand stores around the world in 43 countries.
Olimpia Zagnoli was born in Reggio Emilia in 1984 to a family of artists – her father a photographer, her mother a painter – before transferring to Milan while still young. She graduated from the IED in illustration and animation. After graduation, she took her first steps in Italy with small, self-producing realities until venturing abroad in 2008. In New York, she encountered one of the art directors for the New York Times, and from that moment began various collaborations for important international publications including the Times, the Guardian, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Glamour. Olimpia became known around the world for her distinguishable style using essential lines and geometrics along with round, colorful, pop figures. Her illustrations have made the pages of several prime advertising campaigns for important companies and have been used by notable fashion brands along with splashing the pages of children’s books.


Information:
Press Office Barcolana
Wordpower srl
Francesca Capodanno – Head of Communication: +39 349 8810482 francesca.capodanno@wordpower.srl
ufficiostampa@barcolana.it
www.barcolana.it