The Yacht Club Italiano is a yacht club in Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. It was founded in 1879 and is one of the oldest sailing clubs in the Mediterranean. This club was bestowed Royal Patronage by HRH King Umberto I of Italy

Umberto I of Italy

Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan...

 since its inception.
This club has the privilege of the use of a special ensign, the "Bandiera della Marina Militare" (Italian Navy Flag).

Its first regatta took place in 1880 in the Bay of La Spezia

La Spezia

La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...

 with 177 yachts. Today the club boasts over 1,200 members.

The Yacht Club Italiano together with the Yacht Club de France

Yacht Club de France

The Yacht Club de France is one of the most important yacht clubs in France. It was established in 1867, during the Second French Empire. This club was bestowed Royal Patronage by HRH Emperor Napoleon III and its first president was Admiral Rigault de Genouilly.In 1891, a new club was founded, the...

 runs the Giraglia Cup

Giraglia

Giraglia is a French island at the northern tip of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea, known for its lighthouse and for the Torra di Giraglia, a Genoese tower which is an Official Historical Monuments of France....

 regatta from Saint Tropez, past Giraglia, the northernmost point of Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

, to Genoa.

The club is also home to Luna Rossa Challenge

Luna Rossa Challenge

Luna Rossa Challenge is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate, created to compete for the 2000 America's CupSponsored by Prada, and beginning from 2005 also by Telecom Italia.-2000 Louis Vuitton Cup:...

, a syndicate that competes in America's Cup

America's Cup

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

races.