To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Costa Cruises will be hosting a series of events scheduled from the 19th to the 27th of October in Genoa, the city where the company’s history began in 1948, with the maiden voyage of the “Anna C”, the first passenger ship of the company’s fleet.
Costa Cruises Celebrates
On the evening of Friday, October 20th, Costa will offer the city a never-seen-before show in Italy: the Monumental Tour. The event, open to the public, will take place at 8:45 PM in Piazza Matteotti and will feature a show intertwining electronic music, cultural heritage, and digital art, created by the French DJ and producer Michael Canitrot.
The Monumental Tour was born from the idea of making the artistic heritage of cities interact with new technologies, rediscovering the monuments from a new point of view, thanks to electronic music played live by DJs and immersive sets that blend light-show and video-mapping.
“Throughout all these years, day after day, Costa has been taking millions of guests on cruises around the world, sharing the happy and unforgettable moments of their holidays. On this special anniversary, our desire is to share equally unique emotions with the city of Genoa, through a magnificent show in one of the city’s most iconic squares. However, Costa also aims to maintain its role as a responsible member of the Genoese community, where our company originated, by bringing smiles and tangible assistance to those who are most in need” – said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.
The monument chosen for this occasion is Palazzo Ducale. The main façade of the palace, overlooking Piazza Matteotti, will come alive in a spectacular way with a show of images and lights, whose theme will be Genoa, its history and the sea, while spectators will dance to the enthralling rhythm of electronic music. Palazzo Ducale will thus become the first artistic monument in Italy to be the protagonist of this show, after the Palais-Royal in Paris, Lisbon City Hall, Laon Cathedral, Chantilly Castle, and Mont Saint-Michel, contributing to its cultural enhancement in a unique and innovative way. The initiative will have the patronage of the Municipality of Genoa and the Region of Liguria.
The Monumental Tour will be anticipated by a cocktail party on board Costa Toscana, Costa Cruises’ flagship that calls in the port of Genoa every Friday, in collaboration with Vanity Fair Italia. The menu will be curated by the Italian chef Bruno Barbieri and accompanied by Ferrari Trento wines, with a personalized label created for the special occasion. To celebrate the event in style, there will be an exceptional red carpet aboard, where guests can walk the runway and become the stars of an exclusive photo shoot. Closing the evening will be a special showcase by the renowned Italian artist, Malika Ayane, performing on board the Costa Toscana for the occasion.
The 75th anniversary celebration program also includes an initiative to support an important local organization that plays a vital role in helping vulnerable individuals: the Community of Sant’Egidio. On Thursday, October 19th, at the cloister of the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata, Costa Cruises’ chefs will prepare a special lunch for around 150 guests of the Community, with the participation of chef Bruno Barbieri. Costa Crociere Foundation has been supporting the Community of Sant’Egidio since 2015, as part of a food assistance project that has so far seen the distribution of around 1 million meals.
On Monday 23 October, the Italian comedian Angelo Pintus will perform his show at the Politeama Genovese theater, starting at 9:00 PM. The entire proceeds of the evening will be donated to the Gaslini Paediatric Hospital in Genoa. Costa will double the total amount, adding a donation equal to the evening’s takings.
A second event dedicated to the Gaslini Hospital will be on Friday, October 27th: a group of young patients from the hospital and their families will come onboard Costa Toscana, in Genoa, for a day of discovery on the Italian company’s flagship, with special entertainment activities and a lunch designed especially for them. They will also be joined by Mattia Villardita – “SpiderMan”, the man who dresses as the famous superhero, bringing smiles to children hospitalized in healthcare facilities in the Liguria region.
Finally, Costa will be the brand sponsor of the 40th annual assembly of ANCI, the National Association of Italian Municipalities, which will take place at the Blue Pavilion of the Genoa Fair from October 24th to 26th. As part of this event, on October 25th Costa will host a workshop dedicated to ‘Guardiani della Costa’, the national environmental education and ‘citizen science’ project for Italian students promoted by the Costa Crociere Foundation.
