Ventimiglia has opened its new tourist port, Cala del Forte, representing a strong sign of recovery for the entire Liguria region. At the ceremony, held on Friday 2 July, was also present Prince Albert II of Monaco, welcomed to the pier by the marina management,  Aleco Keusseoglou (chairman for Monaco Ports), Gian Battista Borea d’Olmo (chief executive officer for Cala del Forte), Marco Cornacchia (manager for Cala del Forte) e Daniel Realini (construction coordinator).

The event, organised following the strictest Covid-19 protocols, was transmitted through live streaming on Cala del Forte’s Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube platforms, and only had a limited number of guests, including representatives from the religious authority, the military and public sector from both Monaco and Italy, like the president of  Regione Liguria, Giovanni Toti, the owners of the boats docked at the marina, and shop owners from the shopping centre in the tourist port.

After the speeches and the cutting of the ribbon by Prince Albert II and the mayor of Ventimiglia, Gaetano Scullino, there followed the national anthems of both Monaco and Italy, accompanying the ceremony to its natural conclusion with the traditional sounding of the sirens on the docked vessels, an exciting tribute to such an eagerly anticipated event.

CALA DEL FORTE

Ventimiglia and its surrounding area are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northern Italy. The picturesque landscape, the favourable climate year round, the farmers markets, excellent restaurants and variety of shops, services, and sporting activities available, make a stay in this border city a special experience.

Cala del Forte, owned by Monaco Ports, is only 7.9 miles from the Principality of Monaco, it has 178 mooring places for units ranging from 6.5 to 70 metres in length and was built fully respecting the environment thanks to the adoption of innovative best practices, like solar panels on the Torre Servizi, electric car and boat  charging stations, waste collecting stations, air conditioning, led low consumption lighting and electric golf carts and forklifts.

The facility also has 577 parking spaces, 15 thousand m² of walks and gardens and 35 shops (restaurants, cafés, offices and services). Security in the port is guaranteed by 24-hour surveillance and CC cameras. The shipyard present (in concession to Cantieri di Imperia) can tow and launch yachts of up to 30 metres. A limited number of mooring places is available in concession for up to 40 years, while public concession is the longest in the Mediterranean, expiring in 2094.