It was 1970 when, at the Genoa Boat Show, Paolo Vitelli rented a small exhibition space for his business, Azimut, which he had founded the year before.

In order to keep costs low, he towed his boat in using his car. But the small stand was so busy that Franz Felizx, vice president of Amerglass, the most modern shipyard in Europe, could not but stop by. Felix offered Azimut the role of distributor for Amerglass in Italy.

This was the first big step forward for Paolo Vitelli, who, at the age of only 24 became a representative for other important shipyards, like Powless and Westerly.

And so began an extraordinary boating success story. A young and dynamic business, which began using funds from one of Vitelli’s first business he created while at university: “Tempio sei”, a nightclub he managed with five other friends.

That same summer, Vitelli rented a boat and explored the French coast. A trip which helped inflame his passion for the sea and for boating. As well as an idea on how to make a profit. Together with a friend, he began renting out sail boats to tourists from Turin: it was 1969, and Azimut was born.

Now Paolo is the president of the Azimut Benetti Group, the biggest private group in the boating industry, the top group in the world building mega yachts for the range of products offered, a place they have held for 22 years, as certified by the Global Order Book.

Mister Vitelli, you lead the biggest private group in the boating industry, the top in the world in the construction of mega yachts, and number one for the range of products offer. How did you reach these impressive achievements?

Working hard for 53 years. Working as a team with our employees and the management. Thinking about our clients and making them our company mission. And in order to achieve this, we designed increasingly innovative, quality and reliable products.

It can all be summed up in the company mission statement, which we wrote at the beginning, “Building the most beautiful, reliable, technological, and innovative boat, and helping it always, anywhere.”

Your entrepreneurial adventure in boating began in 1969, with the foundation of Azimut. At the time you were renting out sail boats to tourists from Turin. When did you begin to think you could get this far?

I had no set goals. I loved my job and I wanted to take all the opportunities that presented themselves. As happens to all real entrepreneurs, after having reached an objective I thought of the next one, and the next. Now, close to retirement age, I love to still dream big.

At the beginning of the 1970s you began building the AZ 43’ Bali, one of the biggest fibre glass boats of the time built in series. In 1977 instead you created the smallest boat for sailing on a small budget: the AZ 32 Targa. Now your group builds over 40 models in 6 shipyards. What does the concept of range mean for you?

It is a concept that is always in evolution: on the one hand a large range allows your to supply a boat to a client just beginning to go out to sea with not much money, so an “entry boat”. A large range allows us to respond to almost all the expectations, needs and tastes of our clients: it covers all the niches in the market.

On the other hand, it forces the company to fragment production and divide the design efforts over many fronts, with the need to be perfect at all sizes and types. Not easy!

You were also the first for another thing: the first 30 metre in boating history built in fibreglass for a Kuwaiti prince, the Failaka 105. Is it true that you made the first sketch on a napkin during dinner?

Very true. This client bought a 46 footer, then a 60, and then said: “I need a boat for my large family; I want it fast and in fibreglass because I am a man of technology and I want a product of the future. In exchange I will help you sell three, one of which will be to the Emir’s family. And so the Failaka 105 was born, with a sketch on a very fine linen napkin.

In the late 1970s, fibreglass boats of over 30 metres did not exist, and so, very wisely, we decided to consult with the Norwegian international classification body, Det Norske Veritas, specialised in new technology, who helped us throughout all phases of its construction.

One of the boats was even sold to the Onassis family, and I delivered it to Cristina myself, on the island of Skorpios.

Let’s talk about design. The evolution of your models has always been influenced by the automotive industry. What are your directives to the design offices of the group?

Honestly it isn’t the influence of the automotive industry, but the desire to to fully take advantage of the water which has inspired many of our models.

From this desire come our achievements. The large windows, the aft hold doors to house tenders under cover and take advantage of a beach on the water, the spacious covered flybridges that are practically an extra deck, cabins below deck with large windows overlooking the water, the use of infusion first and of carbon fibre later to make boats lighter.

Today my daughter Giovanna and I encourage our stylists and technicians to dare, to dare even more, because today’s client is always asking for something new.

From this philosophy came the Oasis, Magellano, the Tri-deck, B.Yond and B.Now.

The Azimut Benetti Group has brought the concept of “giga yacht” to Italy, meaning pleasure boats longer than 100 metres, and it is practically the only company that builds them here. In other countries, like Holland, this type of building is a daily practice, even though the vessels need to reach the sea through canals and sluices. In Italy do we have an infrastructure and tradition problem in this market segment?

We don’t have limitations to infrastructure in Italy, it is the Dutch that have them.

In our Benetti shipyard in Livorno, we can build vessels up to 130 metres long, and can do the same in Genoa, Naples, Palermo and in the Adriatic.

The challenge is actually technological, and not everyone is prepared to face it. We have, we paid the price, but came out victorious, and now we can compete with the Germans and Dutch at the same level.

Tradition is reinforced if it is accompanied by technology, research and innovation: and that is what we did in Benetti.