Pisa is preparing to host the 71st edition of the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics, the historical reenactment event promoted under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic. The appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The city last hosted the event in September 2022, on the occasion of the 67th edition.
The traditional rowing challenge on the Arno River, over a distance of 2,000 meters, will take place throughout the day. The four crews representing the ancient Maritime Republics will compete in both the men's and women's regattas, followed by the awards ceremony. The event will be broadcast live on Rai channels. Rounding out the day is the evocative historical procession: hundreds of participants will parade along the Lungarni, recalling moments and figures from the history of the four Republics.
Waiting for the Regatta: https://www.turismo.pisa.it/en/eventi/Awaiting-the-71-st-Regatta-of-the-Ancient-Maritime-Republics
REGATTA PROGRAM
Tuesday 2 June 71st edition of the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics
9 am (Canale dei Navicelli) meeting of the Technical Committee of ARMI.
11 am (Auditorium of the Museum of Ancient Ships of Pisa) meeting of the General Regatta Committee, with the participation of the Committees and Mayors.
From 1 PM to 7 PM (Palazzo Gambacorti), a postmark will appear on two postcards, one reproducing the first promotional poster from 1956 and one featuring the poster from the 71st edition.
3.15 pm (Arno River) Women's Regatta. Departure from Ponte Solferino and arrival at Scalo Renaioli.
3.45 pm (Lungarni) start of the historical procession of the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics. The procession will start from Lungarno Fibonacci and parade along Ponte della Fortezza, Lungarno Mediceo, Ponte di Mezzo, Lungarno Galilei up to Scalo Renaioli.
5.30 pm (Arno River) Men's Regatta. Departure from the bridge over the Aurelia and arrival at Scalo Renaioli.
Regatta schedules may vary depending on the availability of live Rai broadcasts and may vary and will be communicated.
The Regatta
The Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics was officially founded in 1955 with the aim of celebrating the exploits and rivalry between the most famous Italian maritime republics: Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa and Venice. The first edition was held in Pisa on 1° July 1956, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Giovanni Gronchi.
The event, held under the high patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, is accompanied by a historical procession, during which participants parade as ancient figures who characterized each Republic.
Each crew participating in the Regatta is made up of 8 rowers and a helmsman while the boats are 15 metres long and 1.70 metres wide. The galleons, built on 12th-century models, are made along the lines of the ancient “Galleres” or “Representative Feluccas” and painted with the traditional colors of the symbols of the four ancient maritime republics: red with an eagle for Pisa, white with a dragon for Genoa, green with a lion for Venice and blue with a winged horse for Amalfi. The winning city will win the gold and silver trophy created by the Florentine goldsmith school, which will be put back up for grabs at the next regatta.
Pisa boasts eight victories, the last of which dates back to 2010. Starting in 2022, the traditional men's competition was joined by a women's competition. The last edition took place in Genoa, where the hosts triumphed in both the men's and women's races. In the men's race, Genoa preceded Amalfi, Pisa and Venice. In the women's competition, however, Genoa won ahead of Pisa, Venice and Amalfi.
The procession
The historical procession representing Pisa in the demonstration of the Ancient Maritime Republics has been renewed in recent years, and was conceived to represent a broad time span, focused on the centuries of maximum splendor between the 11th and 13th centuries, from consular institutions to the Government of the People, ideally accompanying the city until the decline of 1406.
The procession is composed of five groups representing the political, military, social, economic and maritime spheres, for a total of 88 figures in historically documented costumes. Among the symbols and characters depicted are the Emperor, Uguccione della Faggiola, linked to the Battle of Montecatini (1315), the Pisan Cross for the capture of Jerusalem (1099) and the “Signum Rubicundum” for the conquest of the Balearics (1115). Also represented are members of the great Pisan families, Ugolino della Gherardesca, remembered by Dante Alighieri, and the mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci.
Also of particular note is the figure of Kinzica de' Sismondi, to whom tradition attributes the rescue of the city during the Saracen attack of 1004, thanks to her intervention in raising the alarm among the population.
https://www.repubblichemarinare.org/
CHANGES TO TRAFFIC
Regarding traffic, from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM on June 2nd, a traffic ban will be imposed on Lungarno Galilei, Lungarno Gambacorti in the section between Piazza XX Settembre and Via delle Belle Donne, Lungarno Pacinotti in the section between Piazza Carrara and Piazza Garibaldi, Ponte di Mezzo, and Ponte della Fortezza.
Regarding parking, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on June 2nd, a parking ban with forced removal will be in place on Lungarno Galilei, Lungarno Gambacorti in the section between Piazza XX Settembre and Via delle Belle Donne, and Lungarno Pacinotti in the section between Piazza Carrara and Piazza Garibaldi.
Further measures will affect Lungarno Fibonacci, where from 3:00 PM on June 1° to midnight on June 2, a ban on vehicular transit and a ban on parking with forced removal on both sides of the road will be in effect.
To allow traffic flows to be managed in the areas surrounding the Lungarni, from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM on June 2nd, access to roads leading onto the sections affected by the closures will be prohibited. The measures will affect Via Bovio, Via Silvestri, Via Lanfranchi, Via Scorno, Via Torti, Piazza San Sepolcro, Via Franceschi, Via del Moro, Via Tidi, Via Vigna, Piazza Cairoli and Piazza Mazzini.
At the same time, the direction of travel on Via La Tinta will also be reversed, with the permitted direction from north to south. To allow residents' and authorized vehicles to exit the San Martino ZTL, the traffic in Piazza San Sepolcro and Via Dal Borgo will be temporarily reversed. The pedestrian area of Via San Martino between Vicolo del Moro and Corso Italia and that of Via Toselli between Corso Italia and Via Garofani will also be suspended.
Temporary parking measures are also planned on Via Bovio to allow for logistical operations related to the event. The parking ban with forced removal will affect eight stalls at provincial gyms from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm on May 29th and again from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on June 3rd. From May 30th to June 2nd, four spaces will also be reserved for the vehicles used for the event's organizational activities.
