Baglietto shipyards, seaplanes and Moto Guzzi in the industrial history of Varazze. Between the late 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, Varazze was also a town marked by a strong industrial and technical vocation, linked to shipbuilding, aviation and engines. During those years, Varazze became a small but important centre of experimentation, where the sea and mechanics came together.
From 1854 to great Italian boating. The Baglietto shipyards were founded in Varazze in 1854, when a very young Pietro Baglietto started the business by building fishing boats for the local community. In just a few decades, the shipyard grew, expanding its production to include pleasure boats, racing boats and motor boats. By the end of the 19th century, Baglietto was already one of the best-known names in Ligurian shipbuilding. Varazze thus became a reference point for modern boating at a time when navigation was transitioning from sail to motor.
Speed and experimentation at sea. In the early 20th century, Cantieri Baglietto built motor yachts, fast hulls and prototypes, experimenting with new technical solutions. The focus on lightness, performance and engine power brought Varazze to the centre of a period of great industrial ferment.
During the First World War, the shipyard took on a strategic role in the production of MAS (Motoscafi Armati Siluranti), small fast boats used by the Navy.
The shipyard combined technical innovation with an image of elegance and prestige, becoming a reference point for the international jet set and recreational boating.
Seaplanes and aviation in Varazze. During the same period, Varazze was also linked to the nascent maritime aviation industry. The city was home to CIVES (Costruzione Idrovolanti Varazze e Scuola), founded in 1908 and specialising in the construction of seaplanes, aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water.
Varazze therefore hosted a section of military seaplanes, transforming its stretch of sea into an operational area for the air force. Shipyards and aeronautical workshops thus coexisted in the same urban space.
The origins of Moto Guzzi. It is in this context that the early stages of Moto Guzzi's history also took place. According to reconstructions based on documents and testimonies, in 1919 one of the first prototypes of the future brand was built in Varazze, in the CIVES factories. This episode ideally links Varazze's aeronautical experience to the birth of one of the most important names in Italian motorcycling, strengthening the bond between the city and motor culture.
