2023 November December Marina World

WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENTS
Ligurian icons make a comeback
Porto Carlo Riva in Rapallo on the east coast of Liguria and the mega project
for the tourist port at Imperia to the west are two very different projects to reestablish
two of Italy’s best-known marinas. Donatella Zucca reports
The piers and breakwaters are
completed and the first yachts are now
arriving at the newly-designed Porto
Carlo Riva, and Marina di Imperia
in Porto Maurizio – after a ten-year
delay – is finally being completed via
an improvement project that will also
benefit the city and its environs.
Rebuilding Riva
Porto Carlo Riva, the icon created by
engineer Carlo Riva, has been rebuilt
following the devastation caused by
a major storm in 2018. A new 7m
(23ft) high breakwater, comprising
170,000 tons of natural boulders, has
been tested, and Argo company Bizzi
& Partners, headed by Davide Bizzi
is managing the development.
The ‘recovery’ of the marina has
delivered a concept that brings
it closer to the city, a benefit that
is appreciated and supported by
the mayor, Carlo Bagnasco, and
Giovanni Toti, president of the
Ligurian region.
The marina pays an annual fee for
maintaining the port (which belongs
to the municipality, with concessions
to maritime associations and small
nautical entities) and reserves a
portion of the new berths and newly
created space for public use. It also
pledges support at €50,000 a year
to help fund the highly popular July
celebrations of the Madonna. The
money is intended to cover the
costs of renting barges, which will be
put to sea as firework firing stations.
Previously, the fireworks were released
from the harbour breakwater which
meant relocating the yachts.
The newly created areas in the
marina will be used for a yacht club,
tourist hotel, shipyard, 300-space car
park, a series of nautical cabins, a new
restaurant, pub and port offices. More
than 190 new berths and new fixed
piers have been added to completely
rebuild the port at a cost of almost €80
million. The current concession lasts
until 2056 but the municipality will soon
be focusing on granting an extension
to this.
Since early October, all members of
Porto Carlo Riva during work phase
(left) and CGI of completed port
(below).
the original management team and
four new members of staff have
been working at the marina and the
entire port system is expected to
employ around 100 people. Bizzi &
Partners is, meanwhile, involved in
other nautical tourism projects (see
inset story).
The long road to
Imperia
Marina di Imperia’s journey to
get to where it is today has been
lengthy and frustrating, starting with
a blockade on work in 2014 and
removal of the state concession,
which has now been issued at 65 years
following a detailed economic/financial,
urban and construction assessment.
The entity at the helm of the marina
regeneration is Go Imperia Srl,
which deals with services related to
employment and protection of public
property. In the instance of Marina di
Imperia, the value of port activities,
together with the regeneration of
original income and new added-value
income, raised awareness of the
positive economic impact of the port on
the city. Guido Corradi, a bank manager
and new president of the board of
directors, will start the relaunch phase
based on accurate market research.
Like every marina development,
response is mixed but Imperia mayor,
Claudio Scajola, recognised the
challenges last year, admitting “it was a
www.marinaworld.com – November/December 2023
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