The aim of the initiative is to explore the potential of sporting events as drivers of sustainable development in its three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic, with a particular focus on coastal regions and competitive sailing.

Sport has long been recognized as an effective vehicle for civic growth, especially in the education of younger generations, as well as a strategic tool within the One Health perspective, contributing to the building of healthy and inclusive communities.

From the perspective of territorial development, sporting events have increasingly established themselves as tools for the promotion, development, and enhancement of cities and regions. Sailing, historically considered a niche sport, began to attract the general public in the 1990s, when the America’s Cup, once an event reserved for a small elite of yacht clubs and yachtsmen, became a global media phenomenon. The 2007 edition of the America’s Cup in Valencia was particularly revealing of the potential of sailing regattas as a development driver.

The Regata dei Tre Golfi is an offshore race organized by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, held annually since 1954, starting from Naples and crossing the gulfs of Gaeta, Naples, and Salerno. The Tre Golfi Sailing Week was hosted in Capri for over twenty years, then for several editions in Ischia, and since 2022 it has successfully taken place in the waters off Sorrento, attracting growing participation and international visibility.

The “City of Sailing and the Sea” project, promoted by the V Zone Committee of the Italian Sailing Federation, aims to promote and enhance the maritime and coastal heritage of the Campania region through the sport of sailing and by hosting national and international regattas.

20 maggio 2025 Sorrento INVITO

Programme
Welcome remarks
Massimo Coppola | Mayor of Sorrento
Roberto Mottola di Amato | President, C.R.V.I.

Introduction and moderation
Massimo Clemente | Scientific Director, RETE – International Association for the Collaboration between Ports and Cities; Director, Institute for Construction Technologies, CNR;

Speakers
Gabriele Carbonara | Professor of Business Economics, University of Naples “Parthenope”
David Pino | Director of Port Vell and Coordinator of the America’s Cup, Port of Barcelona
Francesco Lo Schiavo | Former President of the V Zone Committee, Italian Sailing Federation

Concluding remarks
Alessandra Priante | President, ENIT SpA