Exhibitions in Milan: the life and exploits of Admiral Agostino Straulino

The exhibition is organized by the Italian Naval League at the Big Santa Marta space

The Italian Naval League is on display in Milan for the final event of the traveling exhibition dedicated to Admiral Agostino Straulino, scheduled for Friday, July 25th at 7:00 PM at the Spazio Big Santa Marta (Via Santa Marta, 10). Promoted by the Italian Naval League and sponsored by the Italian Navy, the exhibition recounts the life and exploits of Admiral Straulino, an epic figure in sailing and Italian naval history, through information panels and multimedia contributions curated and made available by the Cantiere della Memoria, a permanent cultural project of the 'La Nave di Carta' association. Agostino Straulino is considered a true legend of 20th-century sailing. Born in Lussinpiccolo in 1914, he learned to sail as a child by crossing the Kvarner Gulf to go to school. After graduating from the nautical school in Venice (1932), he entered the Naval Academy in 1934, beginning a brilliant military career.

An internationally renowned sailor, he won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games and the silver medal in Melbourne in 1956 in the Star class. He also achieved significant international success in the 5.50 International Tonnage (SI) class on the Grifone, winning the World Championship in Naples in 1965. Between 1964 and 1965, he commanded the training ship Amerigo Vespucci, which earned him legendary status: his famous sailboat exit from the Taranto canal was acclaimed. In 1973, he won the One Ton Cup with Ydra. In 2001, he was awarded the title of Cavaliere di Gran Croce della Repubblica Italiana. At 88, he was still winning regattas, including the Naples Over 60 for five consecutive years. He died in Rome at the age of 90 in 2004 and was buried in his native Lussinpiccolo, of which he said: "There I understood the sea, and the sea welcomed me among its inhabitants. There I met the wind and made it my friend."

Today at 7:00 PM, a presentation event will be held at the Spazio Big Santa Marta on another prominent figure in the Italian navy: the life of Commander Angelo Belloni (1882-1957), submariner and visionary inventor, will be recounted by his nephew and LNI member Angelo Maria Belloni. On Friday at 7:00 PM, the exhibition's closing ceremony, introduced and moderated by Federica Manoli, LNI regional delegate for Lombardy, will feature a speech by Admiral Donato Marzano, president of the LNI, and a testimony by sailor Mauro Pelaschier. The evening will feature a musical performance by singer Eleonora Rindi. After stops in Naples, Rome-Ostia, Pomezia, Trieste, Ancona, Portoferraio, Messina and La Spezia, the exhibition will remain open at the Spazio Big Santa Marta in Milan until July 29 (opening days and hours: Monday-Friday, 2:00-6:00 pm) and will soon be shown in Tropea (August 10-29), Taranto (September 5-26), Crotone (October 4-26) and Lecco (October 30-November 2) on the occasion of the General Assembly of the Members of the Italian Naval League 2025.