Pietro Baglietto dreamed of building boats in his native Italy as a young man. He made that dream a reality in 1854, initially launching small fishing boats but then recreational boats within several years. This month, two celebrations marked 170 years of Baglietto building all sorts of craft, from military vessels to megayachts.
Baglietto, currently with two construction sites in Italy for metal yachts to 213 feet (65 meters), has come quite a ways. The first recreational project slipped down the ways in 1876, a wooden 25-foot (7.5-meter) racing cutter, in fact. Another significant milestone achievement came in 1906. Baglietto splashed Giuseppina, a wooden cruising yacht with a combustion engine. Her LOA was significant, too: 74 feet (22.6 meters). Along the way, and in decades to follow, high-profile customers took delivery of yachts. They included royalty, the composer Giacomo Puccini, and even Pope Leo XIII. Although technological evolutions allowed employing marine plywood in the 1960s, a big switch to aluminum took place in 1970.
Notably, members of the Baglietto family were instrumental in ensuring these 170 years of Baglietto history and contributions were possible. In fact, Pietro Baglietto Junior, the grandson of the founder, took the helm in 1951, with the last family member, Vittorio Baglietto, passing away in the late 1970s. Still today, the shipyard is family-owned, specifically by the Gavio family, which took it over in 2012. With a strong industrial background, the Gavios believed they could grow the builder’s models and international reach.
This certainly has been the case. The shipyard added a site in Carrara, Italy to complement the headquarters in La Spezia. (Originally, Baglietto operated in Varazza.) The La Spezia site has a 1,200-ton lift, the largest in Europe. This allows launching and hauling the superyachts to 213 feet (65 meters). The Carrara site meanwhile, constructs military craft under the Baglietto Navy brand and some Bertram Yachts boats. It further builds some of Baglietto’s DOM series superyachts as well as other superyachts from 115 to 151 feet (35 to 46 meters) LOA.
The celebrations for 170 years of Baglietto being in business took place this past weekend. One welcomed clients, press, and national and local authorities. Attendees received the first looks at a new design from Francesco Paszkowski Design, who has been collaborating with the builder since the 1990s. The design, the 70 Open, is a fast yacht whose name, Chato II, honors the fastest-ever Baglietto. That project, Chato, clocked 60 knots in 1986. Furthermore, attendees were reminded of the yard’s BZero system, which produces “green” hydrogen power. Interestingly, it even produced the electricity for the gala celebration. Finally, attendees learned more about Officina Baglietto, a competition to attract the next generation of yacht designers and creators.
The second celebration honored employees and suppliers. They and their families—about 500 people in total—enjoyed an immersive exhibit of Baglietto’s history and visiting yachts in build. Their children simultaneously enjoyed games and playing basketball with the Italian pro team Bertram Derthona.
Diego Michele Deprati, Baglietto’s CEO, particularly paid tribute to the employees during the celebrations. “Their daily work and commitment give meaning to this company and ensure its continuity,” he says. He further credits them with “innovation, sometimes even revolution, and much beauty. I believe this is Baglietto’s secret.” Deprati adds, “It certainly was 170 years ago, and it continues to be today.”
One final item related to the celebration is a book, Baglietto: The Art of Yachting Since 1854. The official release is October 29, in some European bookstores. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon and other American online retailers, too, releasing in March 2025.
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