From 24–27 September 2026, Naples will host the second Preliminary Regatta of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup. It will be the first opportunity for the teams to race on the Gulf of Naples ahead of the 2027 Match, and for many, a first encounter with one of the most spectacular racecourses in the sport. For visitors, however, the city offers something more: a place where the sea is not simply a backdrop, but an integral part of everyday life.
Life in Naples has always unfolded outdoors. The waterfront, harbours and city beaches remain busy throughout the year, where people meet, exercise and watch boats come and go across the Bay. Here, the sea is not the edge of the city but a natural extension of its public spaces. That enduring relationship with the water has shaped one of Italy’s strongest sailing traditions.
For more than a century, Naples’ historic yacht clubs have been at the heart of that tradition. From the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, Luna Rossa’s yacht club for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, to the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, founded in 1893 and **partner of Defender Emirates Team New Zealand for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup**, and the Circolo Canottieri Napoli, these institutions have helped shape generations of sailors while fostering the maritime culture that still defines the city today. Together with sailing schools and local clubs, they continue to introduce young people to the sport and provide a pathway for sailors, coaches, race officials and volunteers. Within this network, the Italian Sailing Federation also plays an important role, working alongside clubs and associations to support the continued growth of sailing in Naples.
Naples has been part of the America’s Cup story for almost four decades. In 1987, Neapolitan sailor Aldo Migliaccio skippered *Italia* in the Louis Vuitton Cup. Years later, Francesco De Angelis became the first helmsman from outside the sport’s traditional English-speaking powers to win the Louis Vuitton Cup with Luna Rossa, while Emanuele Liuzzi and Luigi “Pigi” De Felice were members of the Luna Rossa team that claimed the Prada Cup in 2021.
The city’s America’s Cup legacy, however, extends well beyond results on the water. Following the experience of Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato founded the Scuola Vela Mascalzone Latino in 2007, creating a programme dedicated to introducing children and young people to sailing free of charge. Since then, thousands have discovered the sport, using sailing not only as a pathway to competition but also as a vehicle for education, inclusion and personal development.
That legacy is also carried forward by the many people who have worked behind the scenes of some of Italy’s most significant America’s Cup campaigns. Paolo Scutellaro led the first Mascalzone Latino challenge, while Francesco “Cecchi” Aversano managed the team’s second campaign and is now part of Luna Rossa. Alongside them, Lars Borgström has contributed to campaigns with Il Moro di Venezia, Luna Rossa and Mascalzone Latino, winning two Louis Vuitton Cups with the first two teams. Together, they represent a wealth of experience that continues to benefit Italian sailing.
This network of yacht clubs, sailing schools, professionals and volunteers is also what enables Naples to stage major national and international events year after year. Alongside the Tre Golfi Sailing Week, the Gulf will also host this year’s Italian Olympic Classes Championship. It is a calendar that reflects a city where sailing is not confined to a handful of headline events, but forms part of everyday sporting life.
Behind each regatta is a community that rarely attracts attention. Race officials, judges, technical staff, volunteers, yacht clubs, institutions and support teams work together for weeks to ensure that every detail is in place before racing begins. It is this collective experience, built regatta after regatta, that has made Naples such a natural home for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.
The city is no stranger to the atmosphere of the America’s Cup. In 2012 and 2013, the America’s Cup World Series transformed Naples’ waterfront into a spectacular grandstand overlooking the Bay, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators and demonstrating how naturally the city embraces sailing as both elite sport and public celebration.
The Preliminary Regatta in September 2026 will build on that legacy and mark the next step towards the major events of 2027. The AC40s will find an exceptional racecourse, but above all they will arrive in a city that does not rely on international events to celebrate its connection with the sea. That connection is visible every day—in its yacht clubs, sailing schools, local regattas and in the people who continue to pass on their knowledge from one generation to the next. Because in Naples, sailing is more than a sport; it is part of the city’s culture.
