FRECCIA AZZURRA: floating cultural hub

Hello, we are Batipai! In Chioggia, near Venice (Italy), we are restoring Freccia Azzurra, the last sailing burcio. We want to give a new life to this large and ancient boat, preserving her historical value and imagining a new way for her to be. We want to transform Freccia Azzurra into a floating and moving cultural hub: an on-board living space from which to run events, artistic performances, workshops and to create opportunities to meet-up, discuss and act for water and environment preservation.
We have carried out important structural works on the boat’s hull, and we have already raised part of the needed funds to tackle the last and most demanding phase of the restoration on the interiors and main deck.
But Freccia Azzurra can't wait anymore! This is why we ask for your support, with the aim to cover the final repair costs and realize together the dream of welcoming people on board starting from summer 2023.

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***Update***

Friends, numbers don't lie! The counter shows that we have exceeded € 15,000!

This means that the first, vital objective of this crowdfunding campaign has been achieved, allowing us to cover the costs of all the materials needed to restore Freccia Azzurra.

However, much remains to be done in the upcoming weeks to complete the work and have the boat ready to welcome you on board. So now we do not stop, but rather we continue at full speed towards the second objective of the campaign: € 30,000.

The additional amount collected will allow us to continue the work, helping us cover the costs of specialized local professionals who are guiding and supporting our volunteers in carrying out the restoration.

Let's keep dreaming together! The goal of transforming Freccia Azzurra into a floating and moving cultural hub is ever closer. Support the project, and spread the voice! Your help is truly precious, now more than ever!

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Freccia Azzurra: the last sailing burcio

Wonder. Echoes of memory. Belonging to our place. Resistance. Future.

This is what we felt when in 2017 we saw for the first time Freccia Azzurra, a large 1957 wooden burcio more than 21 meters long, the last one still sailing.

Freccia Azzurra had been laid up for demolition. Like all the other burci, ancient river boats used for centuries for work and transport along the waterways connecting Venice and its lagoon to the mainland, the last one was now about to disappear forever.

An exciting adventure began for us that day.

We decided to save Freccia Azzurra and to restore her in order to preserve her historical value, imagining a new way for her to be on the water. A new use that will be different from the past, with a purpose in the present and the ability to look at the future, starting from what was at risk of being forgotten forever.

The project: a floating cultural hub

The goal of our project is to transform Freccia Azzurra into a floating cultural hub:

• a living museum where the past becomes present and evolves towards a different idea of tomorrow;
• a traveling platform on board from which to run events, artistic performances, workshops while being immersed in nature;
• a space open to all, where people can meet, regenerate culture and community, discuss, create new opportunities and ideas;
• a sentinel to guarantee the sustainable future of our waterways: a means to reconnect with them, to contribute to their protection and to give them a new voice;
• a champion to spread a message of change wherever there are people ready to listen it.

What has been done so far, and what needs to be done now

In recent years we have carried out important structural work on the hull of the boat. We have removed the crane and the old engines, and carried out a 3D photogrammetric study to keep a record of the work. Now everything is ready to complete the restoration of the interiors and the main deck over the next few months. This phase of the restoration project is challenging, urgent and vital.

• Challenging, because its total cost is approximately € 50,000.
• Urgent, because Freccia Azzurra cannot wait anymore: it is necessary to proceed immediately in order not to risk losing all the work done so far, and the boat itself.
• Vital, because completing these works will allow us to realize the dream of welcoming people on board for events and activities, in Chioggia (Venice), starting from summer 2023. Many artists, performers and experts are ready to set sail with us: they are just waiting the restoration being completed!

Together we have already raised the first € 20,000 needed to the start of the most urgent works. It’s a good start, and one achieved with a lot of sacrifices, but unfortunately it will not yet allow us to save Freccia Azzura.

>> For this reason, YOUR SUPPORT NOW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. <<

We want you to come on board with us and be part of this journey, to make it continue all together!

The funding goal

The goal of this crowdfunding campaign is to raise the remaining € 30,000 in order to cover all the costs foreseen in this phase of the restoration. More specifically:

>> BY ACHIEVING THE FIRST € 15,000 <<
FIRST GOAL

Your generosity will help us cover the costs of the materials needed to restore Freccia Azzurra’s interiors and main deck and the running expenses for the volunteer team:

• timber: € 7,500
• nails and metal components: € 2,500
• paints and coatings: € 2,500
• volunteers (meals, equipment, protective tent): € 2,500

This is the minimum goal to be achieved in order to ensure the continuation of the project. If you help us, the Italian bank CiviBank will increase the value of your donation by supporting us with an additional contribution.

>> BY ACHIEVING € 30,000 <<
SECOND GOAL

Your generosity will help us cover the costs of specialized local professionals who are guiding and supporting our volunteers in carrying out the restoration based on traditional construction techniques, at the Cimolin Shipyard in Chioggia, Venice.

And what if we exceed the second goal?

If the amount collected exceeds the set goal of € 30,000, it means that our idea will have been able to travel fast and ignite a spark in many of you: cheers! In this case, the additional amount collected will be used to carry out more quickly some of the many activities we have in mind:

• we will organize more events in new locations in addition to Chioggia;
• we will equip the boat with a boarding bridge with the aim to facilitate access on board for the elderly, people with mobility difficulties, prams and buggies;
• we will purchase new equipment to improve comfort on board and the quality of our events (audio, lights, etc.);
• we will create a documentary and a book telling the story of Freccia Azzurra and its restoration, as well as our past history connected to the water around us, of which only the last traces remain. We will put together memories, places, stories that we are searching and collecting around the Venetian area, from the mountains to the lagoon.

Who we are – Batipai Cultural Association

We are Enrico, Tommaso and Alessandra. The squerariòl (builder of traditional wooden boats), the coordinator and the communication expert.

Together with Isabel, Leonardo, Caterina, Nikolas, Matteo, Claudia, Giulia, Diego, Davide, Margherita, Fabrizio and many others, we are Batipai. Young peers, friends, and a Cultural Association born from the union of our different experiences and common passions, which since 2018 has continued to grow involving more and more people in the ideal project of a community that rolls up its sleeves and proceeds slowly but surely between water and land, commitment and tradition, in the direction of a change that starts from us.

FAQ & Rewards

Where is Freccia Azzurra located? Is it possible to visit it during the restoration? How can I donate to support the project? How can I collaborate on the project?

Here we answer to all your questions!