The Codecasa yard has three production sites in Viareggio and one in the Navicelli area of Pisa, where large vessels are built. On average it launches two yachts a year
200 YEARS OF YACHTING
The Codecasa yard was founded in Viareggio in 1825, and this year it celebrates an important milestone. Managed without interruption since that time by the Codecasa family, it has helped forge nautical history. Nowadays the yard builds proudly Italian-made superyachts that embody style, reliability, comfort and elegance
by Paola Bertelli - ph. courtesy by Codecasa
The 5th, 6th and 7th generations of the Codecasa are involved in the yard’s operations. Fulvio Codecasa (centre) is flanked by his daughters Fulvia (right in the photo) and Elena and their husbands Ennio Buonomo and Fabio Lofrese as well as his grandchildren Matteo, Niccolò and Chiara. Below, images from the Codecasa archives with two work boats and, centre, a Codecasa yacht under construction
This year the Codecasa yard and family reach a historic milestone that few other companies in the world can boast of achieving –two hundred years of operations. Two centuries of vessels from the first sail work boat built by master carpenter Giovanni Battista Codecasa to the superyachts of today. This anniversary reflects the extraordinary journey of a family firm that has discovered a successful balance of stability and innovation, clear vision and sturdy values. The 5th, 6th and 7th generation of the Codecasa family are all involved in the business. Fulvio Codecasa works side by side with his daughters Fulvia and Elena and their respective husbands, Ennio Buonomo and Fabio Lofrese, as well as his grand-children Matteo, Niccolò and Chiara. The company has many strengths and has always maintained a clear identity while demonstrating a great agility, quickly adapting to changing times, markets and owners.
Codecasa is, and is determined to remain, an artisanal yard. On average it delivers two yachts a year, which enables it to maintain extremely high quality standards and retain close contacts with owners, international brokers and suppliers. Its clients are people who want a yacht of their own – and not “just” a superyacht, but a Codecasa superyacht. Founded in Viareggio, the yard has always retained close links with the region. There are now three Codecasa yards based in the Tuscan town,
plus a site in the Navicella area of Pisa handling large craft. The vintage pictures in the company archives form a precious treasure trove of nautical history. Codecasa has built all types of craft, from commercial sail boats, fishing vessels, container ships and ferries to coastguard patrol boats, deep-sea craft and fast motoryachts and superyachts.
A crucial step in Codecasa’s history was its move from building wooden craft to the use of metal, a shift encouraged by Sandro and Ugo Codecasa in the post-War years, followed in the 1970s by Fulvio Codecasa’s decision to concentrate on luxury yacht building. In his words, “We entered the large pleasure craft market with a 24-metreyacht, the Gram, which I managed to build after a long campaign to persuade my father, who at the time was reluctant to abandon the triedand-true commercial vessel sector. Driven by a strong desire to diversify and with great determination, we officially entered international scene, combining work boat production with luxury yacht building”. Codecasa is now involved in the production of large steel and aluminium yachts up to 72 metres in length, fast aluminium yachts up to 50 metres in length and patrol boats for the Italian Coastguard. In the words of Fulvia Codecasa, “Our patrol boats are designed to meet the requirements of the maritime rescue service (SAR). I can’t deny that I
Maria Carla 8, the second open built by Codecasa and launched in 2005. Made of aluminium, it is 35 metres in length and can reach a top speed of 34 knots, powered by two MTU engines linked to Ka.Me.Wa. hydrojets
Eternity (formerly Family Day) is a 65-metre yacht launched in 2010. It has a decisive personality and features modern, clean and elegant lines. The extended stern with a marked inclination breaks out of the shipyard’s traditional style and gives the yacht a sporty look
always feel a surge of pride when we see them on TV rescuing refugees fleeing war or poverty from the waters of the Mediterranean”.
The yard’s modus operandi is to begin yacht construction on spec, ensuring job continuity for all staff and rapid delivery for owners. The metal hull and superstructure provide great flexibility during the build, which leads to an almost infinite range of customisation opportunities. Every yacht is unique but all share the unmistakeable “Codecasa style” where tradition becomes a means to interpret modernity and innovation and sober elegance becomes a hallmark recognised throughout the world.
“All Codecasa yachts are a little like my children to me, because I imagined them, then they became reality”, says Fulvio Codecasa. “One of my favourites, a yacht that I think is the most representative of our products, is the Eternity, formerly Family Day, a 65-metre build I’d had in mind for a while. I wanted to build a special yacht with a strong personality, one that would be capable of inspiring strong emotions in anyone seeing it. I think I succeeded”.
Another important stage in the yard’s evolution is embodied by the 35-metre Maria Carla the yard designed as an open yacht. Built entirely in aluminium, it introduced a new line of sport planing yachts. Then there are the refined yachts of the Vintage series with straight bow and
Elegant inlays and attractive plays of veining for the table in the main deck saloon of Lady Lau (now Joia). This 65-metre yacht launched in 2010 was built on the basis of the requirements of its owner, who followed closely every stage of the design and build
vaguely retro appeal. Introduced in 2011 by the Magari, the series now numbers six craft, with latest, the 43-metre Gioia, launched in 2024. The yard has launched 72 yachts since 1970, including a 35-metre sail yacht called Barca Blu. The list of the most recent launches includes the MY Vero, a Classic 24-metre light alloy with a strong personality and lines recalling 1950s style, the Kathryn (57.75 metres), a perfect blend of elegance, innovation and comfort and the 43-metre MY Gioia. Four yachts are under construction, a 33.50-metre of the Classic line, a 57 and a 58 metre with delivery scheduled for March 2026 and late 2026 respectively and a 43-metre build we’ll be seeing in 2028. With characteristic directness, Fulvio Codecasa sums up the essence of the yard’s history in a few well-chosen words, “Surviving for two centuries in a fast-changing, fiercely competitive industry like ship building requires a balance between tradition and innovation. The experience acquired over these years has taught us a great deal, especially how reliability and robustness are fundamental values for building eternal yachts and gaining the trust of owners”. And trust goes hand in hand with loyalty. Codecasa boasts an enviable portfolio of repeat clients – the 55-metre Framura is the owner’s third Codecasa. It has also attracted celebrities from the worlds of fashion, design and business, including Armani with two yachts (Mariù and Maìn),
Launched in 2024, Gioia is the sixth in the Vintage line, a series that is acclaimed for its vaguely retro lines and imposing vertical bow. This displacement yacht is 43 metres long
Dolce&Gabbana with two Regina d’Italia, Leonardo del Vecchio with two Moneikos, Paolo Bulgari with Magari and Piersilvio Berlusconi with Dragoluna.
“The relationship we forge with our clients”, says Fulvia Codecasa, “is immediately transformed into one of trust and respect that develops into a sincere, enduring friendship. Owners’ requirements have changed over the years. Nowadays they may be more aware of what they’re looking for. Clients come to us because they’re familiar with our way of working and because they’ve understood that nothing is more important than having a sturdy, safe yacht.
Then of course, they come to us with all their requirements, which we’ve always fulfilled by building custom yachts”.
Although frequently designed in-house, Codecasa yachts will sometimes involve external designers like Sforzi and Manfredi, Franco and Annamaria Della Role, Andre Bacigalupo, Frank Mulder, Lazzarini and Pickering, Ivana Porfiri, Pierluigi Ausonio, Tommaso Spadolini, Luca Dini and M2 Atelier. As architect Paola Spano of the Codecasa style office says, “We work with internationally renowned design studios that also handle luxury residential projects, which enables us to maintain a contemporary vision that reflects market trends without ever sacrificing the Codecasa identity. Codecasa yachts stand out for their elegant design
and clean, fluid lines, with easily recognisable hull and coach roof shape. We keep a close eye on market developments and current trends, but we don’t allow ourselves to be influenced passively by fashion”.
In the words of Tommaso Spadolini, “We’ve shared classic and modern design ideas with the Codecasa family and researched the design of the interiors for owners from different cultures, always in line with high construction standards and materials excellence and always with a common denominator of linearity and elegance rooted in the family’s own values”.
And while it’s true that people associate Codecasa with traditional, timeless yachts, it’s also true that the yard takes on some very daring, visionary projects that invite influence from other fields. Take, for example, the Codecasa Jet, which is inspired by the typical lines of an aircraft reinterpreted from a maritime perspective.
“It’s about two incomparable products”, says Fulvio Codecasa, “created with the aim of signalling a new trend and looking towards the future of yacht building”.
With such a forward-looking vision, more than celebrating the yard’s 200-year history, this year Codecasa is getting ready to celebrate the yard’s “first” 200 years!
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Codecasa boast a long list of repeat clients, including such celebrities as Giorgio Armani with the Maìn in its distinctive dark green livery, bottom left, Dolce&Gabbana’s Regina d’Italia. Below, the saloon on board Boji (a 43-metre yacht in the Vintage line) is brightly lit by wide windows and bright colours. The flooring in bleached teak strips
The Codecasa Jets are a futuristic concept, an idea by Fulvio Codecasa developed alongside Tommaso Spadolini. There are two models, the 70-metre Codecasa Jet 2020 and the Codecasa Jet 50. Both are clearly inspired by the aeronautical world, a vision of the future that will lead to new interpretations of nautical construction and design
Framura (bottom left) and My Legacy (bottom right) are totally custom builds. Launched in 2020, the 55-metre Framura is the owner’s third Codecasa yacht. My Legacy, one metre longer and launched a year later, boasts a clean, essential livery and sumptuous interiors by Tommaso Spadolini, rich in woods, marbles and brocades
