What Will I Be When I Grow Up? The Italian Navy’s 2027 Calendar
On Friday, 9th October, the Trieste Conference Hall of the Villaggio IN Italia hosted the preview of the Italian Navy’s new calendar, which will accompany Italians throughout 2027. Valentina Venturi, Sub-Lieutenant and moderator of the preview, introduced the original idea behind the 2027 project, built around the motto “What Will I Be When I Grow Up?” The answer to this enormous question came from Navy professionals: adventurous adults who embrace a career that allows them to remain forever young in their curiosity. Venturi outlined the calendar’s graphic concept, with each month dedicated to a distinctive profession, from commanding officer to pilot, from engineer to submariner.
“Men and women who already know what they do when they grow up share their experience and their profession. They are people who understand that, as Homer said, man enters the sea each time as something different and new.”
Joining the Sub-Lieutenant on stage, Admiral Jacopo Rollo, Head of the Navy’s Communications Office, described the moment of inspiration as something that “came to me one morning while I was shaving.” More than a simple idea, it was a response to the need to convey to young people the “smile that drives us every day to strive for the best job in the world.” Reading the testimonies of his colleagues proved deeply moving. United by a shared sense of discovery, their stories brought Rollo back to his own adolescence.
“I was sixteen when, between my third and fourth years of high school, I decided to join the Navy. I chose adventure: looking at the sea, not knowing what lies beyond the horizon, and saying, ‘I’m going.’ Even now, at fifty-three, every new operational activity leaves me with the feeling that I am still discovering what lies beyond the horizon.”
This spirit of adventure also emerged in the words of Lieutenant Commander and pilot Davide Miniscalco, who shared the beginnings of his career and his teenage dream of flying.
“As a boy, I already knew I wanted to fly, and I never thought I could fulfil that dream in the Navy. Instead, I found a ‘Sea of Opportunities’ — borrowing the slogan used in 2010 — where I could make my dreams come true. As one of my superiors used to tell me, anyone can land on a runway stretching for kilometres, but landing on a ship in the middle of the sea requires specific training and skills.”
The calendar features illustrations by Daniele Dickmann and was curated by Sub-Lieutenant Anita Fiaschetti, who described the background to the collaboration between the publishing industry and the armed forces. The result is an innovative product that combines the practical function of a photographic calendar with the aesthetic appeal of collectible almanacs. Alongside the familiar tabletop format, the publication includes a folder containing twelve plates, from which the illustrations can be cut out. Giunti Editore has renewed a partnership now entering its fifth year, built on extensive work to engineer the publication as a physical product and reflecting the considerable creative effort behind it.
Among the stories featured in the “Personal Projection – Your Future Self” project are three professionals whose experiences illustrate the calendar’s themes across three different months: Commander and Engineer Daniela Cici, featured in August; Captain and Submariner Manuel Moreno Minuto; and Commander Sara Vinci, featured in December. Their different experiences converge in a shared spirit of courage and dedication, embodied in the motto of the Navy’s propulsion departments:
“Better to live as madmen than to die without heart.”
Moreno Minuto and Vinci highlighted the invaluable sense of trust that develops through honouring one’s oath, beginning the moment a commanding officer steps aboard. Working in synergy with the crew is “a wonderful part of the job”, offering an opportunity to listen to people in all aspects of their lives and move beyond individual interests.
At the close of the preview, Rollo announced that the calendar’s official presentation will take place on 16 November, emphasising that its sales will support charitable initiatives. The proceeds will be donated to the Andrea Doria Institute, which supports the orphans of sailors, and to ANAFIM, an association that assists the children of Armed Forces personnel who have disabilities or illnesses.
Finally, addressing students in the first year of the naval institute in Trieste, the Head of Communications — who will become Admiral of Venice on 30 October — offered a message of encouragement:
“Whatever technological tools we have at our disposal, whatever situation we have to face, everything can be managed through a single process: being thoroughly prepared, believing in it wholeheartedly, and wanting it with all our might. Life is a marathon, and it rewards you only when you live it to the fullest.”
Amerigo Vespucci 1931: The Seafaring Ambassador on Tour
The Amerigo Vespucci arrived at the port of Trieste on Thursday, 8 October, when Nicasio Falica, captain of the vessel known as “the most beautiful ambassador in the world”, brought the ship into port following its North American tour. The transoceanic crossing marked the completion of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour, which concluded in the waters off Trieste, coinciding with the 58th edition of the Barcolana sailing regatta. Launched in September 2025 by the Ministry of the Navy and produced by Difesa Servizi, the initiative achieved record-breaking figures, taking the Villaggio IN Italia around the world: a temporary space dedicated to Italian excellence.
The tour’s significant achievements were outlined during the afternoon press conference, at which the documentary “L’Italia a vele spiegate: la grande impresa del Villaggio Italia e del Tour Mondiale Vespucci” was presented. Roberto Dipiazza, mayor of the Friulian capital, described the pride and emotion he feels whenever he sees the Vespucci dock in Trieste.
“Life is made up of emotions, and this morning was a truly emotional moment. I first saw the sailing ship in November 2004, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the city’s reunification with Italy.”
Dipiazza said he was deeply proud of this latest arrival, which symbolises the bond between Trieste and Italy, united by a shared sense of wonder. Patriotism was equally palpable in the words of Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, who described the records achieved during the voyage.
“The Amerigo Vespucci is returning from a campaign distinguished by an extraordinary achievement: twenty-nine consecutive days at sea, twenty-four of them under sail,” Berutti Bergotto remarked, speaking about Italian sailing. “The Barcolana, the Navy’s arrival, the Vespucci ship project and the Nastro Rosa Tour are outstanding expressions of sailing as an Italian excellence.”
The admiral praised the values associated with the sea, including dedication and a sense of duty, revealing that more than twenty trainees from foreign navies had come aboard the training ship to experience these values firsthand.
“Tradition, technological capabilities, professionalism, a spirit of sacrifice and a love of the sea are the distinctive qualities of the Amerigo Vespucci,” Nicasio Falica, captain and commander of the sailing ship, told ItaliensPr. “Before being able to lead a crew, one must first learn to be a sailor, loving and respecting the sea, which can bring both winds and storms. Sailing is an essential school of values, because the sea is where different generations and peoples come together.”
Alongside technical training, the Vespucci’s young sailors acquire a fundamental sense of cross-cultural communication, essential to building strong international relationships during the voyages of the floating embassy. Luca Andreoli, Chief Executive Officer of Difesa Servizi, highlighted how the ship communicates with people and communities across the world, engaging with different social systems.
“As the ship travels around the world, it speaks to everyone: to young people and to every community it encounters, whether Western or Eastern.”
Furthermore, the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour proved to be a trailblazer in institutional communication, bringing Italian identity to audiences worldwide and showcasing national culture in original ways.
“No one could have imagined that a sailing ship could set such institutional marketing mechanisms in motion,” Andreoli observed. “One example was the Villaggio’s five-day stop in Los Angeles: more than 72,000 visitors experienced a bubble of Italian identity. The stop, which took place during the 250th anniversary of American independence, consolidated an idea that had proved successful: the page was no longer blank; the project had finally taken shape. We are already planning for the coming years. One major milestone will be in 2031, when the Vespucci celebrates its 100th anniversary.”
