Barcolana57 presented by Generali - Day 7
by Barcolana 7 Oct 20:15 BST
1-12 October 2025
Building the Future: Sustainability, Piece by Piece - Veolia's project for schools © Barcolana
As per tradition, Barcolana Tuesday was dedicated to sailing for solidarity and social initiatives, featuring the regattas of Barcolana per il Sociale, the historic event organised by Triestina della Vela and the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano.
- Barcolana57 presented by Generali: at sea, the regattas of Barcolana for social inclusion and the Dragon Boat University Challenge
- Barcolana: almost 400 free parking spaces from Thursday 9 to Sunday 12 October 2025
- Barcolana Fun: Winners announced for the 2025 edition featuring Italy and Slovenia
- Gold sponsor Veolia brings to Barcolana57 presented by Generali the school project "Building the Future: Sustainability, Piece by Piece"
The day was devoted to volunteer organisations and associations engaged in promoting the social inclusion of people with disabilities, who shared a maritime experience of sport and friendship inspired by the values of participation and inclusion.
The day opened with the 22nd Fuorivento Trophy, organised by the amateur sports association Overwind Sailing Teamwith the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, followed by the regatta Le Vele di Calicanto.
A total of 90 participants representing various associations from across the Triveneto region took part, including Coop Casasole and Auser Insieme Per Crescere of Treviso, Coop Acli of Pordenone, Coop Itaca of San Daniele and Udine, Centro Lybra Campanelle, Lybra La Bora and Coop Lybra, and I Girasoli of Trieste.
In the Fuorivento Trophy, the Corsari team from Treviso claimed first place, followed by Casamatti (Treviso) and Falegnami (Pordenone). In Le Vele di Calicanto, Novella took the victory ahead of Serbidiola and White Flint.
The afternoon concluded onshore with the eagerly awaited concert by the Calicanto Band and the awards ceremony - a festive gathering open to all, celebrating the values of solidarity, inclusion, and sport for everyone.
Free Parking - Thanks to the joint effort of Barcolana, Coop Alleanza 3.0, Trieste Terminal Passeggeri, and Trieste Porto Servizi, from 2:00 p.m. on Thursday 9 October until midnight on Sunday 12 October, the city of Trieste will offer 399 free parking spaces in the city centre.
The Barcolana car park will open at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday 9 October and close at midnight on Sunday 12 October. It will provide 399 unattended free spaces, including eight reserved for people with disabilities, with dedicated horizontal and vertical signage installed by Trieste Terminal Passeggeri.
Access will be via Largo Santos, with exit through the gate along the Porto Vecchio connection road. Staff will also be present to assist users.
The initiative aims particularly to support residents who normally use their cars to reach the city centre (Discover more).
Barcolana Fun: the 2025 edition celebrates speed, passion and connection between Italy and Slovenia - The "maxi-size" edition of Barcolana FUN came to a close with great success, marking the first time that both Italy and Slovenia took part in a month-long challenge to set new speed records over 100, 200, and 500 metres.
This year once again confirmed the growing enthusiasm for what has become known as "the world's fastest sailing event." Over 120 athletes took part, uploading more than 230 GPS tracks to GPSformula.com across seven different disciplines, ranging from wingfoil and kitefoil to windsurf and surfkite.
Competitors from all over Italy and neighbouring Slovenia turned the Upper Adriatic into a natural racetrack, where passion for the sea, technology, and pure speed came together.
Among the standout performances, Francesco Cappuzzo (Puzziteddu, Sicily) dominated the Wingfoil category, while Massimo Chieffo triumphed in Kitefoil at Torvajanica near Rome. Emanuele Zoratti from Grado took first place in the Twintip category, Luca Pozar from Murska Sobota (Slovenia) led the Windsurf Foil rankings, and Matej Vidmar from Barcola (Trieste) conquered the Slalom field.
The Freeride class saw Roberto Coslovich (Grado) take the win, while Tommaso Feri from Marina Julia excelled in Surfkite and was named the most versatile athlete of the edition, thanks to his top results across six categories.
Wind and adrenaline went hand in hand: every class broke the 30-knot barrier, with peaks of 37.50 knots in Windsurf Slalom, 36.09 in Twintip, and 35.53 in Wingfoil.
The final standings are available on gpsformula.com, and the official awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, 9 October at Local Bar & Restaurant in Trieste. More than just a race, Barcolana FUN continues to embody the joy of community, sharing, and the pure excitement that defines the Barcolana spirit.
Building the Future: Sustainability, Piece by Piece - Veolia's project for schools
Meanwhile, activities have begun at the Barcolana Village led by Veolia, Gold Sponsor of Barcolana and a long-standing partner of the event through initiatives that engage people of all ages.
This year's project, "Building the Future: Sustainability, Piece by Piece," is dedicated to primary school children in Trieste. They are working together to create a large collective mosaic using recycled materials such as plastic caps, fabrics, buttons, cork, nutshells, dried pasta, seashells, and small pebbles.
Seven primary school classes are taking part in the initiative, meeting every morning through Thursday to transform the Village into an open-air art laboratory. Together, they will complete twelve panels forming a single large artwork depicting the city of Trieste.
The grand finale will take place in Piazza Verdi on Friday, 10 October, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., when all the pieces will be assembled into one shared artwork - a symbol of creativity, sustainability, and collaboration among the youngest participants of Barcolana.
Barcolana Sea Summit - There is great anticipation for the Barcolana Sea Summit, now in its fifth edition and running until 11 October.
At 10:00 a.m. in the Generali Auditorium at the Generali Convention Centre, the third edition of "Energy and Climate: Water as a Source and a Resource to be Protected" will take place, organised by AEIT FVG, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with the Regional Education Office and Cluster Reply.
The event, aimed at upper secondary school students, focuses on the theme "Humanity, Water, and Engineering,"encouraging reflection on climate change from an engineering perspective, with particular attention to electrification and the digital transformation of energy in connection with water resources and their sustainable use.
At 4:30 p.m., the official opening ceremony of the Sea Summit and the UWC Adriatic Academic Year 2025-2026 will take place, attended by Regional Ministers Rosolen and Scoccimarro, and featuring insights from Paolo Montagna(Institute of Polar Sciences, CNR), Federica Foglini (Institute of Marine Sciences, CNR), and Andrea Rinaldo(University of Padua).
At 5:30 p.m., the "Blue Economy: Recruitment and Career Opportunities in Europe with EURES" workshop will be held in Sala Illy, dedicated to companies in the blue economy sector.
Barcolana Dragon Boat University Challenge - Following the success of 2024, the Barcolana Dragon Boat University Challenge returned this year, organised by CUS Trieste in collaboration with the University of Trieste, CUS Venezia, the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, and with the support of the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Dragon-headed boats raced in San Giusto Basin, crewed by university teams from CUS Trieste, CUS Bari, CUS Venezia, and CUS Udine, with Friulian students joining the two Venetian crews (CUS Venezia Ca' Foscari and CUS Venezia Iuav).
The traditional Eye Dotting Ceremony - a Chinese ritual wishing good fortune to the boats - opened the competition. The four teams, each made up of 16 athletes, then competed over a 150-metre course adjacent to Molo Audace.
CUS Trieste claimed victory on home waters after a flawless qualifying round with three consecutive wins, defeating CUS Bari again in the grand final. CUS Venezia Ca' Foscari took third place, beating CUS Venezia Iuav in the all-Venetian playoff.
The final standings saw CUS Trieste (1st), CUS Bari (2nd), CUS Venezia Ca' Foscari (3rd), and CUS Venezia Iuav (4th).
"The university plays a fundamental role in shaping young people - not only culturally but also in their personal and moral development," said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. "Today, sport is recognised by the Constitution as an essential educational tool, and I believe universities, through their sports centres, must increasingly promote sporting activity as an integral part of academic life. The Dragon Boat University Challenge is a perfect example of this: it unites the academic world with the spirit of the sea and teamwork, celebrating the energy, cooperation, and inclusion that define Barcolana. The Dragon Boats, with their symbolic power and collective rhythm, perfectly represent what we want to celebrate - the ability to row together, to share both effort and success, and to transform sport into a true community experience."
Tomorrow's schedule - Wednesday 8 October
1. Barcolana FIV Foil Academy powered by Luna Rossa - Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano
2. Crafts Exhibition - Sala del Torchio
3. Sailor for Kids: Davide Besana meets sailing-based social associations - 9:00 a.m., Sala Sbisà
4. Sailing for All in Barcolana with SEA4ALL - 10:00 a.m., Sea4All Stand - Tiliaventum, Barcolana Village
5. Barcolana Sea Summit - Energy and Climate: Water as a Source and a Resource to Protect - 10:00 a.m., Auditorium Generali, Generali Convention Centre
6. Barcolana Sea Summit - "Underwater Generation: Careers Emerging from the Blue" - 10:00 a.m., Generali Convention Centre - Foyer
7. Barcolana Maxi Portopiccolo Trophy - 1:00 p.m., Portopiccolo and Gulf of Trieste
8. Sailor for Kids: Creativity and Storytelling Workshop - 3:00 p.m., Sala Sbisà
9. Roiano for All - 3:30 p.m., New Roiano Square
10. Opening of the Barcolana Village: The Waterfront - 4:00 p.m., Barcolana Village
11. Barcolana - A Sea of Stories - from 4:30 p.m., Magazzino delle Idee, Meeting Room
12. A Pop-up Paper Regatta - "Unfolding Paper Stories" - 4:30 p.m.
13. Barcolana Sea Summit - Opening Ceremony - 4:30 p.m., Auditorium Generali, Generali Convention Centre
14. Borgo Cavana Inauguration with Music by Spakkazuk - 5:00 p.m., itinerant performance: Barcolana Village, Via Boccardi, Cavana Stage, Piazza Barbacan
15. Barcolana Sea Summit - "Blue Economy: Recruitment and Job Opportunities in Europe with EURES" - 5:30 p.m., Sala Illy, Generali Convention Centre
16. KOR - "Youth Perspectives Along the Route" Exhibition Opening - 6:00 p.m., Casa della Musica, Ground Floor
17. Barcolana FIV Foil Academy powered by Luna Rossa - Award Ceremony - 6:00 p.m., Info Point, Barcolana Village
Event website: www.barcolana.it