Andrea Vallicelli
yacht designer and professor (1951)
Andrea Vallicelli, architect, born in Rome in 1951, he is one of the greatest Italian yacht designer, internationally renowned thanks to his many racing boat projects.
He is known for having designed Azzurra in 1983, the first Italian boat to participate in the challenges to win the America's Cup.
He has carried out extensive design activity in various fields and participated in various international competitions. For the nautical sector he has designed numerous pleasure boats built in Europe and America including: Brava (1979 New York - 1986 Limington), Azzurra (America's Cup 1983, 1987), Orsa Maggiore (training ship for the Italian Navy 1994), Riviera di Rimini (1998), Virtuelle (in collaboration with Philippe Starck 2000), the Comet range (1985-2008) and the Motor Yachts of the ISA range (2004-2008). In the furniture sector he collaborated with the Busnelli Industrial Group.
He obtained several prizes and recognitions and a review of his works was exhibited in the Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Milan (PAC) as part of the exhibition E 'Design (1983); in the Car & Yacht Designer exhibition of the Birdhouse Project in Osaka (Japan) (2000), in the SME exhibition in Guangzhou (China) (2006), in the Sport Design in Creative Interaction exhibition in Jinan (Shandon, China) (2008).
Vallicelli is the first in Italy to obtain a university chair in industrial design for the nautical sector. Full professor of Industrial Design at the Faculty of Architecture of Pescara, professor in the interior design thesis laboratory for sustainable living. He teaches at the Master in Yacht Design at the Polytechnic of Milan. He has oriented his scientific activity mainly towards the study of the relationship between technological innovation and design experimentation with specific reference to the thematic areas of industrial design. He was a member of the Group of Experts of the Technical Committee of RINA (Italian Ship Register) for the "Pleasure Boating" section.
Among Valicelli's main racing boat projects:
Ziggurat 916 (1976)
Andrea Vallicelli, Vittorio Mariani and Nicola Sironi, design Ziggurat, a Half Tonner (IOR tonnage), future icon of Italian boating, a beautiful, fast, habitable and maneuverable boat in all conditions.
Built by the C.P.R. shipyards of Fiumicino, from 1976 to 1989, the Ziggurat 916 is the first of Vallicelli's projects, 9.16 meters long overall, 7.90 meters at the waterline and 3.10 meters wide at the maximum beam.
Sloop-rigged at the masthead and equipped with a significant sail surface. She has a light displacement (3.1 t with 1.55 of ballast) which favors great acceleration and an easy initial speed, even with little to medium wind.
Filo da torcere (1980)
Designed by Andrea Vallicelli, Filo da Torcere is a One Ton (IOR tonnage), built in molded plywood, and won the "One Ton Cup" World Championship in Naples in the same year, proving to be the most consistent boat in all tests, regardless of the conditions, with good placings throughout the championship (10/5/6/3/4).
Brava (1981)
The progenitor of the "Brava" series is a 45-foot first class IOR. Designed in 1981 by the young Vallicelli, built in aluminum in the USA by Minneford. She took part in the Sardinia Cup in 1982 and in the Admiral's Cup in 1983, winning gold at the Fastnet.
Azzurra (1983)
The union, representing the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the patronage of the Aga Khan and Gianni Agnelli, is the first Italian challenger for the America's Cup. The project entrusted to the Vallicelli studio was built at the Officine Meccaniche Ing. Marco Cobau shipyards in Pesaro. Launched in Pesaro on 19 July 1982. Skipper was Cino Ricci, helmsman Mauro Pelaschier, Olympian in the Finn class in 1972-76 and in the cockpit, Stefano Roberti winner of the 1980 One Ton Cup and Tiziano Nava multiple winner of the Mini Ton Cup. Azzurra reached the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, finishing third.
Brava (1984)
Vallicelli designs the second Brava, One Tonner (30.5 feet IOR rating), built in wood, in West system laminate, in the Morri and Para shipyard in Rimini. The boat took part in the first One Ton Cup held in France at Trinité sur Mèr and in the Admiral's Cup in 1985.
