An eco-friendly project

From Venice to Mantua, sailing along the rivers and canals on the Ave Maria, a ship built with a genuine commitment to responsible conservation of the river's natural landscape. An integrated tourist project aimed at territorial regeneration and development of the southern Veneto areas.

The Ave Maria navigates parallel to the bicycle paths that wind along the Fissero and Bianco Canals, creating a unique opportunity to discover the Veneto Lagoon islands, the Po Delta Regional Park, small, uncontaminated rural towns, and cities of artistic interest such as Venice, Mantua, Adria and Ferrara. Our guiding principle is to support both long-term development and the cultural and economic improvement of the communities in our host regions.

 

Ethical and environmentally sustainable: it’s easier said than done

The Ave Maria is the first river vessel in Italy to be built in compliance with European safety standards and to be certified by the international board Bureau Veritas.
Regeneration and construction of the Ave Maria was partnered solely by the Banca Etica financial institution. The economic aspects as well as the strong social and environmental principles of our business project propelled the bank’s financial support. 

 

Energy conservation

The Ave Maria is a project that is strongly connected to its territory: construction was achieved at virtually zero production miles. In fact, the companies who rebuilt the ship all gravitate around the Veneto area. They are situated along the Mantua-Venice axis where a deep-rooted mastery of the shipbuilding craft exists due to the extensive tradition in naval construction. The leader in this field is Sogemi, one of the last surviving shipyards on the Mantua lakes.
The barge is equipped with an innovative air conditioning system that is able to recover the thermal energy of the exhaust air, providing significant energy conservation, and we’ve installed a completely LED-based lighting system.

 

Responsible conservation of the rivers and preservation of the local communities

The barge has a state-of-the-art greywater purification system: by the time they are discharged into the canal at the end of the process, they are certified white waters.
Cleaning liquids and detergents used onboard for cleaning and maintenance are solely biodegradable.
We comply with environmentally friendly standards for disposing used oil and anti-freeze.
The speed of the barge is maintained within established limits aimed at minimizing the erosion of the riverbanks and disruption of the natural ecosystem. 

 

What is more...

Sorted waste recycling is carried out in all areas of the barge.
Low-flow aerators are installed on all faucets for effective water conservation.
The cruiser has a sophisticated micro filtering system of the drinking water offered at meals and the water supplied to the kitchen.
The fresh meals served in the restaurant are produced with zero food miles, bought daily by our master chefs on location with their own bike and cart!

 

A special thanks to our main partners:

 

- Banca Etica

- Bureau Veritas

- Cantieri Sogemi - Mantua
- Arredamenti Mario Moretti - Paese TV

- Traverso & Vighy Architetti Associati - Vicenza
- P.Eng. Disperdi - VE  &  Ing. Signori - Vicenza
- P.Eng. Sabbattini - Studio SIA - Bolzano Vic. VI
- PMT electromechanical engineering - Busseto RE
Last but not least: Sergio Toniato with TecnoEspe, Idroteck and GIPA for the awning; ivdesign for the cabin chairs.

And: IVM generators, Nicetto woodworks, Mareno Cucine, Winterhalter, Vetreria Romagna, Sedia Elite, Contral, Philips Lighting, ORVmanufacturing, Model System, Tecnicomar purifiers, Segnobit, no.parking comunicazione.