New York - The Nesea, a 13-meter sailboat that set sail from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, last September, has arrived in New York to deliver the flag of Genoa’s National Museum of Italian Emigration (MEI) to Ellis Island.
At the helm is Neapolitan architect and sailor Francesco Felice Buonfantino, who crossed the Atlantic to Martinique before sailing north through the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and up to Florida. From Miami, the vessel navigated the Intracoastal Waterway - the massive inland route stretching along the U.S. East Coast to New York - symbolically retracing the historic journeys made by generations of migrants heading to North America.
The voyage was far more than an ocean crossing; it was a deeply meaningful journey linking the heritage of Italian migration to the present day. Buonfantino himself is the architect behind Genoa's MEI, a national museum dedicated to preserving the stories, emotions, and hopes of the millions of Italians who left home in search of a better future. He also heads Gnosis Progetti SpA, the design firm behind the upcoming Italian Migration Museum in Naples.
Departing from Castellammare del Golfo evokes one of the most resonant images in Italian history: a nation defined for generations by departures, long waiting periods, vast distances, and eventual returns. Today, a small crew has charted a modern course to the very shores that once welcomed millions, creating a living dialogue between memory and modernity. (9colonne)