The new Canottieri Firenze pier was inaugurated at the Anconella facility, on the left bank of the Arno. Ribbon cutting with the sports councilor Letizia Perini and the president of the red and white club Michele Nannelli.
In recent years, the Municipality has built, in the former mud removal basin of the aqueduct, a rowing center that includes a building (with changing rooms and storage) and the mooring. However, a flood of the Arno has seriously damaged the pier, making it unusable, and so the administration has decided to build a new one that guarantees higher standards in terms of quality and safety. Two months were necessary to remove, with a crane, the damaged structure and fix the new one that will be able to withstand the flood waves thanks to a new system of connecting the pier to the river bank.
“A fundamental starting point for a company that has written important pages from a competitive point of view - underlined Councilor Perini - but many new opportunities will also open up for athletes of all ages and the Arno will be, more and more, a point of reference for the sport of rowing".
"We thank the Municipality for its support - declared President Nannelli - the new pier and the renewed trust in entrusting us with the Villamagna facility are a stimulus to always do better and obtain results that can bring the name of sporting Florence ever higher. The common goal in general is to also open up to other neighborhood realities, with which we hope to start synergies to bring more and more young people to play sports and become a point of reference in this area of the city".
A magical evening during which the last decades of successes of the red and white rowing were retraced. Hence the name, Gran Gala del Remo Biancorosso, the party that the Società Canottieri Firenze organized at the Goldoni to celebrate the successes of 2024 – above all the world and European titles won by Giovanni Paoli in the Under 19 coxless four and the three Italian titles – and at the same time to celebrate the great champions of its past. The starting point was the reunion of all the Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the history of the Ponte Vecchio club. Stefano Oppo, bronze in Tokyo 2020 and silver in Paris 2024 in the Lightweight double sculls; Filippo Soffici, bronze in Barcelona 1992 in the quadruple sculls; Fabrizio Caselli, Italian in Rio 2016 in the men's PR1 single; Andrea Marcaccini, Italian in London 2012 in the four with PR3 Mix; Bernardo Nannini, Italian at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in the coxless pair; Leonardo Pietra Caprina, Italian at Paris 2024 in the eight.
Among them, only Francesco Fossi was missing, today the appreciated coach of the Netherlands World Rowing Coach of the Year 2023, two-time Italian at the Olympics (London 2012 and Rio 2016, where he was fourth in the doubles) and unable to be present due to commitments previously undertaken in Holland. For the rest, the great red and white party, to the joy of the president Michele Nannelli, tireless host, was complete. From the Italian veteran Alberto Menini to the first historic medal at the World Championships of the Canottieri Simone Sansavini (bronze at the 1985 Junior World Championships in the coxless four), from the silver in the club coxless four at the 2005 Under 23 World Championships of Federico Achilli, Andrea Decoro, Federico Grossi and Niccolò Marino to the girls who in the first decade of the 2000s made the history of Florentine rowing and beyond, such as Anna Bonciani (twice Junior and Under 23 world champion, three times Italian absolute champion, twice Italian at the Absolute World Championships) and Camilla Espana (Junior world champion, three times Italian absolute champion).
In the middle, a parade of champions of yesterday and today, all of whom have reached the top thanks to the expert hands of the director of Canottieri Firenze for the last 30 years, Luigi De Lucia, an esteemed coach who also has an Olympic past, having led the Italian women's group at the 2008 Beijing Games. The evening, hosted by the vice president of the red and white club Niccolò Bagnoli, had the honor of being opened by the Vice President of CONI Silvia Salis and the Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Florence Letizia Perini, who had words of praise and appreciation for the Florentine rowing club that since 1886 has been part of the great sporting tradition of Florence in all its uniqueness, and which is eagerly preparing in 2025 for the great celebration of its first 140 years.
We hope many of you will come
"Susy", sweet, dry, decisive name. Like a four without, the boat par excellence in the recent history of Canottieri Firenze. Like the boat that the Bagnoli family - the vice president Niccolò, the honorary member Paolo - wanted to help give to the red and white fleet, which is thus enriched with a new top-level racing rig, to continue racing towards new victories. A four without dedicated to a woman who has had the merit of always encouraging her son and husband to do their best for Canottieri, and whose name from today will proudly sail the waters of the Arno.
The Società Canottieri Firenze participates for the first time with great enthusiasm in the "Corri la vita" event, illustrating to the participants the treasures hidden in its headquarters and its mission over the decades to make children grow in the values of the sport of rowing with the great peculiarity to carry it out surrounded by the beauty and culture that derives from its particular position. The Canottieri through the Pink Lady, a group of women who have experienced breast cancer on their skin, for whose awareness the "Corri la vita" event is born, wants to give a further signal of your identity, sensitivity and attention to problems that affect people. This group of women use a particular type of boat and paddle as both physical and psychological therapy. Today they took the participants around the Arno with their characteristic boats, sharing their experience and sharing a journey. Canottieri is proud to be able to share with everyone this set of values that forge its identity.
The Canottieri is honored to have welcomed and been able to tell so many curious people about what was hiding behind that green door; we were also very happy to have had among the participants the President of the Region Eugenio Giani, the Mayor of Florence Dario Nardelli and the councilor for Sport Cosimo Guccione
During the Feast of San Giovanni on June 24th we baptized two boats. A carbon double from the Filippi shipyards named after the recently deceased partner and friend Roberto Manghi, who was President of the rowing club in the early 90s. The other boat, a 7.20 from the Filippi shipyards, indicated for youth activities, named after the late partner and friend Rolando Tinti. The day continued with the presentation of the team and its results. In the evening at 8 pm a large social dinner on the shore with a mega table where the members were able to share a moment of conviviality. After the fireworks made to shine at 10 pm to signal a rebirth and restart with these pyrotechnic effects, the evening ended with a performance by the Pole Dance Academy, La Compagnia Colonna.
The Società Canottieri Firenze together with the Society of San Giovanni Battista renews the tradition of celebrations for the patron saint of the city by organizing the "Palio Remiero di San Giovanni" on 20/6/21, which involved the districts of Florence: Santo Spirito, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and San Giovanni.
The race took place between the headquarters of the Società Canottieri Firenze (Uffizi) and the Ponte Santa Trinita and back with a buoy turn, for a distance of about 700 meters.
It was competed on four gigs (boats typically used for rowing), in two heats and a final.
The Greens of the San Giovanni district have brilliantly won this Palio Remiero 2021
Brief historical notes: from 1250 to 1740 in Florence, on 25 July, the palio of "navicelli" or "barchetti" was held in honor of Sant’Jacopo. On that evening, as far back as 1250, Florentine boatmen and renaioli competed by dint of vigorous strokes of the rods in the typical town "regatta", on the stretch of water between Ponte Vecchio and the Pescaia di Santa Rosa. The prize consisted of a valuable "cloth" and a cash prize, offered by the Signoria.
On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the pandemic, the third edition of the Dinghy 12’ Wooden Classics Ponte Vecchio Cup was held.
The event was hosted at the Società Canottieri Firenze, a historical society under the Uffizi Gallery facing Ponte Vecchio. Due to some last-minute defections the competing hulls were three however the desire to restart did not hinder the race, which took place during a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze.
Marcello Corsi won the 2021 Cup racing on his “No Dinghy, No Party” boat