Codecasa Shipyards, a family-run operation since its very first day, is marking two centuries of service in yachting.
One of the oldest superyacht shipyards in the world, the family business got its start under Giovanni Battista Codecasa. A shipwright, and at just 22 years old, he settled in Viareggio, Italy, to build sailboats. Viareggio was famous for three-masted schooner merchant vessels, and Giovanni Codecasa earned success constructing them, too. His son, Giovan Battista Codecasa, took over the shipyard in 1902, 99 years after his father’s birth. Similar to his father, he was quite young, 27 years of age. Giovan Codecasa, a.k.a. Tistino, expanded the yard’s footprint and added a second location to accommodate more construction.
Notably, Tistino guided Codecasa Shipyards through some of the most difficult periods in its history. It survived a depression in the 1920s, plus World Wars I and II. Each took tolls on a number of Viareggio-based builders, shuttering their doors. Through to 1946, when he retired, nearly 100 vessels slid down the ways from the shipyard, ranging from fishing vessels to pleasureboats. Some saw construction with Tistino’s sons, Ugo and Sandro Codecasa, working alongside their father.
The two sons led the family business through some significant adaptations. Firstly, advances in welding allowed shipbuilding globally to switch from wood to metal in the 1950s. Codecasa Shipyards became an early adopter in Italy. Secondly, when Europeans increasingly began buying pleasure yachts in the 1960s, Ugo and Sandro Codecasa turned their attention to large steel yachts. Ugo unfortunately died in 1973 while still co-running the company. His 35-year-old son Fulvio stepped in, however, working with his uncle until Sandro retired in 1981.
Still to this day, some Codecasa clients can recall meetings with Fulvio Codecasa (above) in the 1980s, in any of the three facilities it used. Under him, custom yacht construction became as important as workboats. Although several superyachts saw delivery, arguably one of the most famous was Luisella. You might know her better as Maria Alexandra, the name she bore shortly thereafter, or her current name, Esmeralda (above). Launched in 1982, she was extraordinarily large for her era, further the largest yacht in Codecasa Shipyards’ history to that point. LOA: 203 feet (62 meters.)
Yet two more important ladies entered the picture in 1985. Fulvia and Elena Codecasa, Fulvio Codecasa’s daughters, joined the management team. Within several years, their husbands, Ennio Buonomo and Fabio Lofrese, did, too.
Just as yachting evolved, Codecasa Shipyards’ construction approach evolved. Semi-custom megayachts gained ground in the mid-1990s, for instance, with the Italian builder introducing the Codecasa 48 and Codecasa 51 series as a result. The 1996 yacht Charly Coppers was the first of the 48s. (She’s still around today, under the name Tempo.) Within the next five or so years, the next evolution occurred, all-aluminum fast superyachts. Fittingly, Fulvio Codecasa commissioned the first one, taking delivery in 2004. Even more fittingly, he christened the yacht Maria Carla, in honor of his wife.
Matteo and Niccolò Buonomo, Fulvia Codecasa’s and Ennio Buonomo’s sons, have been at the helm for about two decades now. Of course, yacht building has been the focus all along, with deliveries across the world. Several high-profile clients have particularly elevated the brand internationally. Namely, renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani built two projects, Mariù in 2003 and Main (above) in 2008. Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce—a.k.a. Dolce and Gabbana—built two yachts, too. The first Regina d’Italia saw delivery in 2006, while the second saw delivery in 2019.
Ever a family affair, Codecasa Shipyards most recently welcomed Matteo and Niccolò Buonomo’s sister, Chiara, to the management team (above). Besides the three Viareggio-area yards, Codecasa Shipyards employs a site in Pisa, added in 2011 for the largest among its builds. Surely, their great-great-great grandfather, Giovanni Battista Codecasa, would marvel at what the generations have achieved.
Codecasa Shipyards codecasayachts.com
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