HOW A TURIN STUDENT’S CHARTER BUSINESS BECAME ONE OF ITALY’S DEFINING YACHT BRANDS
A Student in Turin
Azimut was founded in 1969 by Paolo Vitelli, then a university student, who began by chartering sailing boats to people in Turin. In 1970 the Amerglass brand chose his company to distribute its boats in Italy, and from distribution it was a short step to building. The AZ 32 Targa arrived in 1977, a compact fibreglass cruiser that Azimut itself has likened to the Ford Model T of the boating world: not the finest boat ever built, but the one that put cruising within reach of a great many more people.
Scaling Up
The ambition grew quickly. In 1982 the yard unveiled the 105-foot Failaka, which Azimut describes as the largest fibreglass production yacht of its day, and in 1985 it acquired Benetti, the Viareggio shipyard that had been building boats since 1873 and is often credited with defining the modern megayacht. The combination was unusual: a young, industrial approach to production alongside one of the oldest names in Italian shipbuilding. Today Azimut’s production is centred on a large facility at Avigliana, a short drive west of Turin, with the group’s headquarters in Viareggio.
A Design Language, Not a Single Look
What makes an Azimut an Azimut is less any one feature than a consistent attitude. The lines are sculpted but not fussy, the glazing is generous, and the interiors lean on natural light and clean surfaces rather than ornament. Across the range the same discipline holds, whether the boat is a compact flybridge or a long-range yacht of twenty-five metres. It is the kind of coherence that only comes from a brand that has been refining a point of view for more than half a century.
Reading the Range
The range is organised into families, and understanding them saves time. The Fly line is the classic flybridge cruiser, with a large upper deck for dining and sunbathing. The Atlantis line is built around an open, outdoor-living layout, while the S models are the sports yachts, with more emphasis on the helm and the cockpit. Grande yachts, from around the twenty-metre mark upwards, bring the proportions and crew arrangements of a larger yacht while keeping the brand’s look. Models such as the Azimut Fly 53 and the Grande 25 Metri sit at very different points on that spectrum, and the right choice depends on how and where you intend to cruise.
Living With an Azimut
On board, the emphasis is on light and flow. Large side windows give the saloon a sense of connection to the water that few rivals match, and the layouts are generous without feeling cavernous. The interiors are what people remark on first, which is revealing. Many yacht brands compete on performance figures; Azimut competes on how it feels to spend a week aboard.
Choosing Your Size
Azimut is one of the few builders whose range lets an owner stay within a single design language across a very wide span of sizes. A first-time buyer might start with a compact flybridge of fifty feet or so, learning the habits of the boat. A family that has outgrown it can step up to a larger Fly or an Atlantis, and an owner ready for crew can move on to a Grande. The layouts evolve but the logic carries over, which makes each step less daunting than changing brands. It is also a practical advantage when the time comes to sell: the market knows the models, and a well-kept boat is easy to value against comparable sales.
The Map to Modern Luxury
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What to Look For When Buying
Azimuts are produced in volume, which means the second-hand market is deep and the choice is wide. That is an advantage, but it rewards discipline. Compare boats of the same model year and engine configuration, because specifications changed over the production run. Ask about engine hours, service history and any refit work, and look carefully at the condition of the teak, upholstery and canvas, which age faster than the hull. A survey is essential, and where the boat has seen charter use, ask how it was maintained.
To see how the range looks in practice, browse The Yacht Collection’s selection of Azimut yachts for sale, where each boat is chosen for condition and specification. The brokers at The Yacht Collection can help you compare the flybridge, sport and Grande lines before you commit to a viewing.
Confidence Without Noise
Azimut’s great achievement is making design feel ordinary in the best sense: unforced, consistent, lived in. The boats do not demand attention, but they reward it. After more than five decades the formula still works, and the second-hand market suggests the owners agree.
