For one day, the garden city of Varese reconfirms itself as the "winter capital" of vintage boating on the occasion of the ninth edition of "Tra Legno e Acqua", the most important national conference on the recovery and valorisation of vintage and historic boats which on Saturday 27 January 2024 returns to the Palace Grand Hotel, the Art Nouveau building inaugurated in 1913 on the Campigli hill, in the heart of the city of Varese.
The hotel, reachable in 40 minutes by car from Milan, is a short distance from Switzerland and Lakes Maggiore and Como. The event is organized by the Officine dell'Acqua Foundation and the AVEV, Associazione Vele d'Epoca Verbano (www.veledepocaverbano.com), with the contribution of the Lombardy Region, Cantiere Ernesto Riva di Como, Veleria Zaoli, Agricole Gussalli Beretta, Studio Giallo, Cromatura Cassanese and the Varesotto Community Foundation onlus. On Sunday, 28 January, it will be possible to visit the Officine dell'Acqua in Laveno Mombello, on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore 30 minutes from Varese, the structure recovered by AVEV and now used as a centre for gathering naval traditions, a museum of historic boats and home to Master Wood courses dedicated to wooden hull restoration techniques.

“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024

Participation in the 9th National Conference "Tra Legno e Acqua" is open to all, but places are limited and online registration is required at the following link: https://www.veledepocaverbano.com/tra-legno-ed- water-2024/. The day's talks will be interspersed with coffee breaks and lunch at the table at the Palace Grand Hotel restaurant in Varese, included in the participation fee, which can also be paid via the fast and practical Paypal payment system.
About ten presentations will alternate throughout the day, lasting around 20 minutes each and with spaces dedicated to questions from the public. The topics will concern shipbuilding, the history of essential shipyards, the recovery of historic boats, self-building, restoration techniques and the use of ferrocement to create classic hulls.

“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024
“Between Wood and Water”, registrations are open for the 9th Conference on vintage boats. In Varese on 27 January 2024

Among the national previews is the announcement of the start of refitting work on a historic wooden vessel used in the past by the Navy as a spy ship, which later became a representation yacht for the Presidency of the Republic. The calendar of events organized during the year by the associations belonging to FIBaS, the Italian Federation of Historic Boats, which in 2024 will celebrate its first five years since its foundation, which took place in Genoa in 2019, will also be presented.
Sponsors of the conference will be the University of Genoa, AM Maritime Association of Mediterranean Museums, Rotary Sesto Calende Angera, Italian Yacht Club of Genoa, Viareggio Historic Sails Association, Lake Navigation Management, ASDEC Vintage and Classic Hulls Association, AIVE Association Italiana Vele d'Epoca, FIBaS Italian Federation of Historic Boats and ISTIAEN Italian Institute of Naval Archeology and Ethnology.