Dear guests of the Hotel Città di Parenzo, 

October in Trieste, as you know, is a very important month for one event in particular: we are talking about, ça va sans dire, the Barcolana!

The Barcolana is a historic sailing regatta of international resonance that takes place every year in the Gulf of Trieste on the second Sunday in October. Given the large (and ever-growing) number of participants, it recently entered the Guinness Book of Records as ‘the world’s largest regatta’, thanks to the 2689 boats registered for the 2018 edition. Its unusual formula makes it a unique and rare event on the world sailing scene. Professional sailors and amateur sailors on boats of various sizes, divided into categories according to length, meet side by side on a single starting line.

Established in 1969 on the initiative of the historic Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano (Barcola and Grignano Sailing Club), it owes its full name (Regata Coppa d’Autunno Barcolana) to the fact that it has always been held on the second Sunday in October, at the ‘end’ of the racing season. The first edition counted ‘only’ 51 boats, all belonging to the Trieste sailing clubs, but the resonance of this event grew from one edition to the next until it also involved foreign crews with sailors of international standing, such as Paul Cayard, Russell Coutts, James Spithill, Neville Crichton, Brad Butterwort and Jochen Schümann, as well as some great local sailors such as Cino Ricci, Mauro Pelaschiar and Vasco Vascotto.

Recently, the Barcolana has experienced significant growth not only from an organisational point of view, but also from an economic-tourist point of view in the city of Trieste, given the very high number of tourists and enthusiasts who flock to the Julian capital to attend the event (over 300,000 people). The event was also presented on several occasions abroad: at the Italian Embassy in London, in Tallinn and in Munich; in 2019, a twinning agreement was signed with the Island Sailing Club, the club that organises the famous Round The Island, the historic regatta in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, England. On 16th November of the same year, a delegation from the Barcolana was welcomed to the Annual Assembly of the Chinese Sailing Federation. The Barcolana also welcomed the legendary Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian Navy’s training ship, to Trieste as a guest of honour.

The regatta takes place over a 15-mile course with fixed vertices that form a quadrilateral, the starting line of which is set between the Miramare Castle and the headquarters of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. The finish line, on the other hand, has been positioned in the stretch of sea in front of Piazza Unità d’Italia since 2014, to give those following the regatta from the city’s shores the chance to experience it even more closely. In addition to the spaces offered by the city centre, it is possible to follow the race from many other vantage points, including the heights of the Karst and the magnificent paths near Opicina, such as the Napoleonic Road or the Rilke Path.

Side competitions

The organisation of the Barcolana is not limited to the ‘main’ regatta on Sunday, but has gradually expanded to include a series of events involving the entire city for the ten days leading up to the race. In particular, a number of regattas and side events have taken place since the last editions:

Barcolana Young: a race reserved for athletes aged 8 to 15 on Optimist class boats;

Barcolana Classic: a regatta dedicated to vintage, classic and ‘spirit of tradition’ boats, i.e. recently built but faithful to the characteristics of vintage sailing

Barcolana by Night: regatta reserved for the UFO 28 class, held at night in front of Piazza Unità d’Italia;

Barcolana FUN: a competition dedicated to all ‘special’ means, linked to adrenalin sports (kitesurfing, windsurfing, etc.)

Barcolana Nuota: a cross-country swimming competition held in front of Piazza Unità d’Italia.

And you? Have you ever breathed the festive air of the Barcolana? We look forward to seeing you in Trieste again this year, we still have availability for the weekend!