The Valdettaro Group has its shipyard at Le Grazie in Porto Venere, in the Gulf of La Spezia. It was founded in 1917 and specialises primarily in vintage and classic boats: storage, maintenance and restoration of wooden hulls.
The vessels that leave his workshops are boats with a documented history. Umiak Secondo, an 18-metre Sangermani built in 1956, has had its bulb removed, the replacement of around forty per cent of the mahogany planking and over thirty per cent of the Slavonian oak frames, and a new 12-millimetre teak deck. Virginia, a Scia 40 designed by Carlo Sciarrelli, had its deck, interiors, plumbing and engine overhauled. The schooner Freya, also designed by Sciarrelli, came through the shipyard for work on the hull and rigging, which were protected with twelve coats of clear varnish. Over the years, the shipyard has also worked on Chaplin and Corsaro II, two Italian Navy vessels, and the 1932-built Vera Mary.
The shipyard is working on training master shipwrights. A work placement programme run by CISITA in La Spezia has led to the recruitment of several young people, including Gabriele Bernasco, the great-grandson of Alessandro Valdettaro, who is learning the trade from cabinetmaker Daniele Pollastro. The craft of restoring wooden boats is passed down within the workshop, and the shipyard has chosen to continue this tradition.
At Alle Grazie, the Valdettaro Group supports and co-organises ‘Le Vele d’Epoca dell’Alto Tirreno’, the regatta known as the Trofeo Valdettaro, together with the Italian Naval League of La Spezia, the Italian Navy’s Sailing Section and ASD Forza e Coraggio.
The gathering is the setting for the photographic series *Trofeo Vele d’Epoca dell’Alto Tirreno*, produced by Opera Viva in 2026.