Shipyard Benetti Yachts

The legendary Benetti shipyard traces its history to 1873 in the port of Viareggio, Tuscany, when experienced shipbuilder Lorenzo Benetti acquired the existing Cantiere Darsena Lucca yard. It built commercial and fishing vessels, as well as large three-masted schooners and brigantines for Mediterranean trade routes, mainly in wood. In 1914, his sons Gino and Emilio inherited the business and renamed it Fratelli Benetti, extending its reputation for exceptionally strong wooden hulls far beyond Italy.

The dawn of yachting

By the early 1960s, the yard had developed the 18–33-metre Tirreno, Delfino and Mediterraneo models, which proved so popular that demand exceeded capacity. Benetti yachts grew rapidly in size, culminating in the launch of the 86-metre Nabila in 1980, one of the largest yachts of its time. Built for Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi, the famous yacht appeared in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again. It later passed to the Sultan of Brunei and subsequently to Donald Trump, who renamed it Trump Princess.

Merger with Azimut Yachts and brand development

In 1985, Fratelli Benetti was acquired by Azimut founder and owner Paolo Vitelli, creating one of Italy’s largest shipbuilding groups, Azimut-Benetti. New management transformed Benetti into a technologically advanced shipyard with extensive facilities in Viareggio and Livorno. Livorno can build up to 12 steel or aluminium megayachts simultaneously, while Viareggio produces model-based yachts measuring 95–145 feet.As its name suggests, the Classic range features traditional styling, fiberglass hulls and long range at displacement speeds. The Fast series offers a sportier appearance and higher speeds, with semi-displacement hulls providing comfort in both planing and displacement modes. Created with British design studio Redman Whiteley Dixon, the Oasis range introduces a new approach to onboard space, with folding aft bulwarks forming an expansive beach club unmatched in its class.BNow, another range developed with RWD, comprises 50–68-metre yachts with steel hulls and aluminium superstructures. Its appeal lies in extensive customization combined with relatively short build times. The Benetti B.Loft series, created with Giorgio Cassetta, includes the B.Loft 58M and B.Loft 65M. The concept goes beyond the conventional yacht experience, bringing the architectural language of spacious urban lofts and multi-level beach villas onto the water. The series received recognition at the 2025 Robb Report Best of the Best awards in the marine interiors category.

Production capacity

Benetti Yachts has more than 300,000 square metres of production facilities in Viareggio and Livorno, allowing over 50 vessels from 30 to 100 metres to be built at different stages simultaneously, from hull welding to final assembly. As of 2026, its order book includes more than 60 yachts under construction, making it one of the world’s leading yards by order-book volume.