The old port fills with people and the waters in front are teeming with festively decorated boats. The program has been the same for centuries: in the morning, mass is celebrated at the Mariners’ Sanctuary, the sixteenth-century Basilica of San Francesco da Paola, where in the cloister you can visit an exhibition of ship models, maritime paintings, vintage photos, and ex-votos, which tell the saga of Genoese seafaring.
The sanctuary square also offers a magnificent view of the city of Levante. In the afternoon, the event moves to the Calata degli Zingari, from where the naval procession departs, led by the Coast Guard boat with the statue of the saint, followed by a long procession of fishing boats, harbor pilots, sailboats, and private motorboats.
Outside the outer breakwater, a wreath of flowers is thrown into the water in memory of those lost at sea, at the very spot where, in 1970, the British merchant ship London Valor sank. The return is accompanied by the sound of sirens and ship bells, which mark the start of the colorful celebration along the Old Port, animated by music, band concerts, games, and folk performances.
