Navicella Sardegna Award  0 Comments

The Sardegna Oltre il Mare Association has been coordinating the award ceremony of the Navicella Sardegna Award for 22 years, and this year it will take place on Saturday September 2nd 2023, at 8 pm, at the Mario Ceroli’s Theatre in Porto Rotondo.

The jury will choose the 7 winners among those who, with their commitment, have brought national and international prestige to the island and contributed to enhancing the heritage of civilization, culture, intellect and traditions of Sardinia in the world, of which Sardinians are proud of. The jury will reward them with 7 Nuragic silver ships specially made by the skilled Cagliari’s goldsmith Bruno Busonera, reproducing the famous Nuragic bronze statuette of the Sardinian Ship from Bultei, a precious symbol of the immense Sardinian Nuragic culture.

The Sardinian ship also bears witness to the great familiarity of the Sardinian people who had, and still have, with the sea and navigation. Many Sardinians who left the island in much more recent times, chose the sea route, on ships and steamers, driven by the need to look elsewhere for work and economic security for themselves and their families.

The award has been given to many personalities, one for all to the President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga. Among the winners over the years, there is the Ferrari designer, Flavio Manzoni, the founder of Porto Rotondo, Luigi Donà Dalle Rose, the Sassari Brigade, the artist Maria Lai, besides scientists, journalists, writers, doctors, researchers, sportsmen, musicians, actors and television personalities.

Since the 2015 edition, a special prize has been added to the 7 silver ships, a plaque dedicated to Olimpia Matacena Collini, for many years the true organisational soul of the event, prize ascribed to personalities from the world of communication (journalists, publishers, advertisers, photographers).

Olimpia Matacena Collini, who sadly passed away a few years ago, was a great woman, is still vividly remembered by those who knew and respected her. She was the precursor, already in the 80s, of the communication power, widely used today with the available media which however did not exist then.

The Navicella Sardegna Awards ceremony enjoys the patronage of Olbia Municipality, Sardinia Foundation and Porto Rotondo Consortium and is supported by the sponsors: Banco di Sardegna, Welcome to Sardinia, Eurotarget Viaggi, Hotel Sporting, Hotel Abi d'Oru, Hotel Villa del Golfo, and Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, which has been sponsoring the event since its beginning.

"Sardinia is something else. Enchanting spaces and distances to travel-nothing finished, nothing definitive. It is like freedom itself.”  (D.H. Lawrence)

Written by Daniela Toti