Verbano Classic Festival, the most important and well-attended festival of nautical tradition organized nationally on inland waters. "From the evening of Thursday, September 4th, until Sunday, September 7th," reports Paolo Sivelli in his dual role as president of FIBaS (Italian Historic Boat Federation) and Fondazione Officine dell'Acqua, "it will be possible to participate in regattas and parades of historic boats, attend cultural conferences and concerts, visit museums, and discover the beauty of Lake Maggiore through meetings with artists and associations. A true celebration of the lake's nautical tradition, open to all." Among the highlights is the thirteenth edition of the Verbano Classic Regatta, featuring numerous vintage and classic boats hosted at the Porto Antico in Laveno Mombello. Thanks to the valuable support of the Circolo Velico Medio Verbano, the regatta will take place on Saturday, September 6th and Sunday, September 7th. Here's the link to register for the regatta:
https://www.veledepocaverbano.com/verbano-classic-2025/ . The Verbano Classic Festival is an event organized by the Officine dell’Acqua Foundation and the Verbano Vintage Sails Association in partnership with the Municipality of Laveno Mombello. The event will be held with the support of the Lombardy Region, the Varese Chamber of Commerce, and the Varese Sport Commission, and in collaboration with the Pro Loco Laveno Mombello Cerro, the Circolo Velico Medio Verbano, Cerro Sportiva, COMAR, Le Vie del Tempo, and the Il Lago Cromatico Festival. The event, which enjoys the patronage of FIBaS – the Italian Federation of Historic Boats, is sponsored by Berg Piscine, Vita Electric Marine Technology, the Rotary Club Sesto Calende – Angera, Enoteca Bottazzi 1957, and Hostaria del Golfo.


The following boats are admitted to the XIII Verbano Classic Regatta:

Vintage wooden sailboats (built before December 31, 1980)

Classic and traditional sailboats, vintage or more recent, made of wood or fiberglass, but whose design or construction reflects tradition (Dragons, Metric Classes, Star, Soling, etc.)

Lateen and lug sailboats whose lines and materials respect tradition.

At the discretion of the Organizing Committee, admitted boats will be divided into three different groups: Classic and Vintage Fixed Keel Class, Classic and Vintage Dinghies, and Lateen/Lug Sail.

Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.

This year, for the third consecutive year, there will be a gathering of the "Inglesine," the 5- to 8-meter-long pleasure boats built from clinker mahogany, which arrived on the Lombardy lakes over a century ago in the wake of aristocratic English families who chose northern Italy for their holidays. On Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., the boats will compete in the "Palio delle Inglesine," organized in collaboration with Canottieri Cerro Sportiva and visible to the public on Lungolago De Angeli. At 6:00 p.m., departing from the Porto Antico and arriving at the nearby PortoLabieno marina, guests will be able to watch the parade of all the boats participating in the Verbano Classic Festival. A dinner for owners and crews will be held in the evening.

Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.
Traditional boating on Lake Maggiore: Registration is now open for the 2025 Verbano Classic Festival.

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 6th, guided tours will be available to view the important collection of vintage vessels held by the "Fondazione Officine dell'Acqua," established in 2021 in the 19th-century former Ferrovie Nord Goods Warehouses in Laveno, now also home to the shipbuilding workshops. It will also be possible to visit the 15-meter-long steam tug "Gredo." Launched in Germany in 1916, it operated as a tug in the river port of Dortmund until 1945. In 2007, it was acquired by an international consortium of owners, who underwent a restoration that was completed in 2013 at Nautica Lavazza in Brebbia. On Friday, September 5th and Saturday, September 6th, starting at 6:00 p.m., a food stand will be set up in Piazza Caduti in Laveno Mombello, courtesy of the Proloco Laveno Mombello Cerro. Meanwhile, in Piazza Caduti del Lavoro, elegant ladies and re-enactors from the Le Vie del Tempo Cultural Association will turn back the clock to the days of vacationing on Lake Maggiore.