Key Points
Italy commands 50% of the global superyacht market, outpacing rivals like Turkey and the Netherlands.
Legendary shipyards - Azimut, Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Ferretti, Riva, Mangusta, Baglietto, Codecasa - blend heritage with cutting-edge innovation.
The sector generates €27.7 billion annually, sustaining more than 54,000 jobs across Italy’s coastal regions.
Italian design leadership introduced now-standard features such as beach club terraces, glass-bottomed pools, and hybrid propulsion systems.
Challenges remain in marina infrastructure, yacht flagging, and tax regimes, but growth potential is significant.
Italy Continues to Lead the Global Yacht-Building Industry
Italy’s dominance in yacht building is not a recent phenomenon but the result of centuries of maritime culture, a web of specialist craftsmanship, and an instinctive feel for design that resonates far beyond the Mediterranean. Today, Italy accounts for around half of the world’s superyacht production - a figure that dwarfs its closest competitors, with the UK and Turkey trailing in single digits.
Yet raw numbers only tell part of the story. Italy’s yacht industry represents both cultural pride and economic power, blending heritage with relentless innovation in a way that few countries can match.
Heritage Meets Innovation
From the Ligurian coast to Viareggio, Italy’s shipyards are steeped in history. Brands such as Benetti, Azimut, Sanlorenzo, Ferretti, Mangusta, Riva, Baglietto, and Codecasa are not just names but dynasties, with some tracing their lineage back over a century. These yards pair artisanal boatbuilding traditions with state-of-the-art engineering, producing yachts that are at once technically advanced and unmistakably Italian in style.
Consider Riva, whose mahogany runabouts of the 1950s became style icons as recognisable as a Ferrari. Today, their composite and aluminium yachts carry the same cachet, fusing heritage with cutting-edge materials. Similarly, Sanlorenzo pioneered glass-bottomed pools and beach club terraces - features now ubiquitous but first embraced by Italian clients who demanded more connection between sea and deck.
A Powerful Economic Engine
The industry is also an economic heavyweight. A joint report by Altagamma-Deloitte and ICE valued Italy’s yachtbuilding output at €11.4 billion ($13.3 billion) in direct impact, expanding to €27.7 billion ($32.3 billion) once tourism, refits, and ancillary services are included. That equates to over 54,000 jobs, from naval architects in La Spezia to upholstery ateliers around Ancona.
But it is not just about numbers. Yachtbuilding sustains a broader ecosystem: universities training marine engineers, family-owned suppliers producing precision fittings, and coastal towns where shipyard wages support entire communities. In Liguria, for instance, the concentration of naval engineering and luxury suppliers has created a regional identity around yachts that rivals the wine regions for cultural prestige.
The Cultural and Geographical Advantage
Geography matters. With nearly 8,000 kilometres of coastline, Italy has long lived with the sea as neighbour and livelihood. The tradition of seafaring, regattas, and artisanal shipbuilding created a fertile foundation for today’s luxury sector. Being positioned along Europe’s key trade and travel routes also gave Italian builders ready access to materials, clients, and skilled workers.
Equally, the culture of luxury that defines Italy’s fashion, automotive, and design industries has shaped its yachts. Just as Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, and Roberto Cavalli own yachts built at home, the broader Italian identity - style-conscious, innovative, and quality-driven - permeates the products leaving its shipyards.
Why Italy Builds at Scale
In 2024, Italian shipyards delivered 135 yachts over 30 metres, compared with Turkey’s 19 and the Netherlands’ 15. The scale is staggering, and it reflects both demand and capability. Italian owners are loyal to domestic brands, ensuring a strong home market. Global buyers are drawn not only to style but to delivery speed: Italy’s yards are adept at producing semi-custom yachts on proven platforms, cutting build times compared with the bespoke projects typical of Northern Europe.
As one Genoa-based broker told me: “If you want a 40-metre yacht that blends design with reliable delivery timelines, Italy is where you go. The yards know how to scale without losing detail.”
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Despite its dominance, Italy faces hurdles. Infrastructure remains a weak point: only around 30% of marina berths can accommodate superyachts, creating bottlenecks in prime cruising regions. By comparison, France’s Côte d’Azur has invested heavily in large-yacht capacity, attracting charter clients who might otherwise berth in Sardinia or Liguria.
Flagging is another missed opportunity. Fewer than 7% of the world’s superyachts fly the Italian flag, which limits refit revenues and onshore taxation benefits. Streamlined registration, VAT harmonisation for charters, and modernised regulation could anchor more of the industry’s value within Italy itself.
From my perspective, this is Italy’s Achilles heel: extraordinary shipbuilding capacity paired with underwhelming infrastructure. If Italy matched its marina network and tax regimes to its shipyard output, it could not only build yachts but also retain them for refit, charter, and tourism.
Events that Showcase Italian Excellence
Italy’s passion for the sea is showcased at events such as the Genoa International Boat Show, a flagship exhibition for motor yachts that increasingly highlights young designers and new technologies. Offshore, regattas such as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo gather the world’s most elite sailors, reinforcing Italy’s identity as not just a builder of yachts but a stage for yachting culture.
Why Italy Continues to Excel
- Heritage and geography: Centuries of maritime tradition and a coastline that has shaped entire communities.
- Integrated ecosystem: A supply chain of artisans, engineers, universities, and shipyards working in sync.
- Cultural prestige: Italian style and craftsmanship influence not only yachts but broader lifestyle industries.
- Growth potential: Opportunities in infrastructure, regulation, and charter flagging still waiting to be seized.
Italian Pre‑Owned Yachts with UNICO Yachting
UNICO Yachting specialises in Italian pre‑owned motor yachts. We curate a changing inventory from leading Italian marques - for example, Azimut, Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Ferretti and Riva - and support buyers with transparent surveys and detailed acquisition due diligence. Beyond the purchase itself, our team manages registration, insurance, financing, and transportation, ensuring that every stage of ownership is handled seamlessly.
This integrated approach means clients can focus on enjoying their yacht, while we take care of the technical, financial, and logistical details behind the scenes.
