Gozzi, Tartane and Leudi: The Boats of Ligurian Maritime Memory

Dawn at Boccadasse tastes of salt spray and ancient wood. When the first rosy light touches the pastel-colored houses of the village, the boats moored along the pebble beach seem to emerge from an eighteenth-century painting. Gozzis with sinuous lines, featuring cobalt blue sides and white trim, rest alongside more modern fishing vessels. But it is here, in this small amphitheater by the sea, that one can still tangibly touch Genoa’s maritime memory.

The relationship between Ligurians and their boats goes beyond simple functionality. It is a bond rooted in the deepest foundations of a maritime civilization, the one that made Genoa the Superb of the seas. Every type of vessel tells a story: the gozzo speaks of daily fishing and families who lived from the sea, the tartana evokes great catches with drift nets, the leudo whispers of commerce along the coast and goods traveling from village to village.

Today, while large cargo ships cross the Tigullio Gulf bound for the commercial port, these traditional boats endure as custodians of ancient wisdom. They are not museum relics: many still navigate, carrying with them the scent of tar, the sound of wood creaking beneath the waves, the memory of generations of sailors who have crossed these same waters.

The Ligurian Gozzo: Poetry in Motion on the Sea

If we had to choose a vessel that represents the maritime soul of Liguria, the gozzo would undoubtedly be the ideal candidate. With its slender bow and round stern, this 6-8 meter boat tells a story of refined naval engineering, born from centuries of navigation experience along the rocky coasts of the Ligurian Sea.

The traditional gozzo is built entirely of wood, following techniques passed down from father to son in artisanal shipyards. The planking is made with maritime pine boards, while the framework uses oak to guarantee strength and flexibility. The characteristic “small boat” shape — with a sharp bow that cuts through the waves and a wide stern that ensures stability — arises from the practical needs of Ligurian coastal fishing.

“O gòsso o l’è a barca do pescatô, ma o l’è anche a barca de chi o vêu ben o mâ”

— Genoese proverb: “The gozzo is the fisherman’s boat, but it is also the boat of those who love the sea”

Originally propelled by oars or a small triangular Latin sail, the gozzo has adapted to modern times by welcoming diesel engines or outboard motors. But its essence remains unchanged: it is the vessel that allows you to approach rocky shallows, to fish in the mixed seabeds between Portofino and Cinque Terre, to navigate even when the sea is rough and other boats remain in port.

In Genoa, the most beautiful gozzis can be admired in the small harbor of Boccadasse, where many fishermen keep the tradition alive. But also at Porto Antico, among the historic boats of the Galata Museo del Mare, perfectly restored specimens are preserved that testify to the evolution of this masterpiece of naval carpentry.

The Tartana: Queen of Drift Nets

Larger than the gozzo but smaller than the leudo, the tartana represents the evolution of Ligurian fishing toward more refined and profitable techniques. Between 12 and 15 meters long, this vessel was specialized in fishing with drift nets, a technique that required precision, experience, and a boat capable of delicate maneuvers near the coast.

The tartana is recognized by its more massive shape compared to the gozzo, with a wide working deck that allowed the handling of long nets. Its construction followed criteria of robustness: it had to withstand the weight of nets full of fish and the hardships of work that often lasted from dawn to dusk. The rigging was particularly well-maintained, with the classic Latin sail that allowed navigation even with headwinds.

Tartanas were the symbol of professional Ligurian fishing between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Every coastal village owned at least one, often managed by a society of fishermen that divided revenues and labor according to rules established by tradition. Fishing with the tartana was an art: you had to know the seabeds, interpret the winds, be able to “read” the sea to understand where to cast the nets.

Today original tartanas are extremely rare. Some specimens are preserved at the Naval Museum of Pegli and the Galata Museo del Mare, where you can admire the construction techniques and fishing tools used. But their memory still lives on in the stories of the oldest fishermen in Camogli, Recco and Rapallo, who remember the times when these elegant boats dotted the horizon of the Golfo Paradiso.

The Leudo: Merchant of the Small Sea

If the gozzo was the fisherman’s boat and the tartana that of organized fishing, the leudo represented commerce. These vessels of 15-20 meters were the cargo ships of the “small sea,” the one that connected Ligurian villages in a thick and vital system of commercial exchanges. Oil, wine, flour, salt, bricks, timber: everything traveled on leudos along the routes that branched out from Genoa toward Ponente and Levante.

The leudo distinguished itself for its cargo capacity and the robustness of its construction. The hold was designed to transport various goods, with movable partitions that allowed adapting the space to needs. The sail was proportionally larger compared to other boats, because the leudo had to make the most of the winds to cover longer distances with heavy loads.

Navigation of the leudo required particular skill: you had to perfectly know the winds, currents and ports of a coast that was often difficult, where every village had its own landing characteristics. The captains of leudos were respected figures, holders of nautical knowledge that went far beyond simple boat handling.

“The leudo was the road of the sea. Without it, every village would have remained isolated”

— Testimony of Nicolò Gaggero, last builder of leudos in Varazze (1920-2010)

The advent of coastal roads and then railways progressively reduced the importance of leudi, leading to their near-total disappearance in the early decades of the twentieth century. Today, only a few perfectly restored specimens still sail for special events or historical gatherings, bringing back to life the majestic elegance of these cargo vessels.

The Shipyards of Memory: Where Tradition is Born

The construction of traditional Ligurian boats is an art that resists the passage of time in small artisanal shipyards scattered along the coast. Magical places where the scent of resin mingles with the sound of planes, where master carpenters pass down techniques dating back to the Middle Ages, where every boat that takes shape is a piece of history coming back to life.

In Varazze, the Cantiere Costaguta keeps alive the tradition of the Ligurian gozzo with methods that grandfathers would recognize without difficulty. Here, every element of the boat is born from the craftsman’s hands: from the ribs shaped one by one, to the hull planking that is bent with steam to follow the curves of the hull. The choice of wood follows ancient rules: Swedish pine for the planking, Slavonian oak for the framework, mahogany for the finishes.

The process of building a traditional gozzo requires months of work. It begins with the keel, the “spine” of the boat, on which the ribs are mounted to define the shape of the hull. Then the planking, board after board, following curves that exist only in the experience of the master carpenter. There are no technical drawings: the form lives in the memory and hands of one who has learned the art by watching and practicing.

Other historic shipyards survive in Camogli, where the Gambaro family continues to build gozzi following projects passed down from the company’s founder. In Chiavari, the Salghetti Drioli shipyard has given life to generations of boats that have sailed throughout the Mediterranean. Each shipyard has its own variants, its own “secrets,” but all share the same passion for a craft that is much more than a job: it is the guardianship of a maritime culture.

Museums and Memories: Where to Encounter History

For those who want to deepen their knowledge of traditional Ligurian boats, Genoa offers extraordinary places where maritime memory takes shape in collections unique in the world. The Galata Museo del Mare, in the heart of Porto Antico, houses the most important collection of historic vessels in the Mediterranean.

Here you can board a perfectly restored gozzo from 1926, touch the fishing tools used on tartane, and admire scale models showing the evolution of Ligurian shipbuilding through the centuries. The section dedicated to traditional fishing tells not only the story of the boats, but also the lives of those who used them: fishing families, seasonal cycles, and techniques passed down orally from one generation to the next.

The Pegli Naval Museum houses an extraordinary collection of models of leudi and tartane, crafted with meticulous precision by artisans who wanted to preserve the memory of boats now long gone. You’ll also find the nautical instruments used by captains: compasses, sextants, nautical charts that tell the story of how people navigated when GPS was still science fiction.

But perhaps the most fascinating museum is the open-air one formed by the historic harbors along the coast. In Boccadasse, Camogli, and Vernazzola, traditional boats still in use mingle with historic ones, creating a living tableau where past and present blend together in the golden light of the Ligurian sunset.

The Sea of the Genoese: When Tradition Meets Modernity

For today’s Genoese, traditional boats are more than just historical memory: they are part of an ongoing relationship with the sea that continues to evolve while maintaining deep roots. Every weekend, gozzi loaded with families depart from the harbors of Nervi and Boccadasse for fishing trips or simple cruises along the coast. The ritual is always the same: the boat is prepared at dawn, the engine is checked, supplies are loaded, and then off toward the deep blue of the Tigullio Gulf.

Many Genoese have inherited their boat from their father or grandfather, along with the knowledge needed to handle and maintain it. They can read the sea like their ancestors: they understand when the wind is changing by observing the clouds over Monte di Portofino, they recognize the best fishing grounds from the water’s color, they interpret seagull behavior to locate fish schools.

Sunday morning in Boccadasse is a spectacle that has repeated itself for generations. Families gather around the gozzi for the day’s preparation at sea: children learn to tie knots, grandmothers prepare focaccia and farinata for lunch on board, fathers check that everything is in order for safe sailing. It is a ritual that keeps alive the seafaring spirit of a city that, despite modernity, has never stopped looking toward the sea.

Navigating Through History: Practical Advice for Enthusiasts

Those who want to explore the world of traditional Ligurian boats have several options, from the curious tourist to the enthusiast who wants to learn the art of traditional sailing. The best period to visit shipyards and museums is from April to October, when mild weather allows you to fully appreciate the maritime dimension of Ligurian culture.

For visits to artisan shipyards, it is advisable to contact master carpenters in advance: they are often willing to show their work and share anecdotes about boat construction, but they need to organize their time around their work commitments. Costs for a guided tour vary between €10 and €20 per person, often with the possibility of purchasing small nautical craft items.

Nautical museums offer discounted rates for families and groups. The Galata Museum of the Sea also offers educational workshops where you can try your hand at building a gozzo model, following traditional techniques. During summer, many maritime villages organize regattas of vintage boats that offer the opportunity to see perfectly restored gozzi and leudi sailing.

For those who want to experience traditional sailing, some ship owners offer trips on historic gozzi departing from Camogli, Portofino and Cinque Terre. Rates vary from €30 to €80 per person, depending on duration and services included. It is a unique way to feel beneath your feet the wood of a boat that carries centuries of maritime history.

“Whoever sails on a gozzo does not merely move: they dialogue with the sea”

— Popular saying among the fishermen of Camogli

Traditional Ligurian boats are much more than simple means of transport: they are floating libraries that preserve the wisdom of a unique maritime civilization. In every curve of their hull you can read the history of a people who made the sea their main pathway, in every knot of their ropes echoes the voice of generations of sailors who sailed these waters with respect and passion. Visiting Genoa without knowing these stories would mean losing an essential part of the soul of this extraordinary city.

If the call of the sea and its traditions is making you dream of a Genoese escape, know that our residences await you in the heart of the city, just steps away from the places where this history continues to live. Because the best way to understand the maritime soul of Genoa is to experience it from within, with the time and tranquility that only an authentic stay can offer.