Costa Cruises has taken delivery of its new cruise ship Costa Firenze, the fourth of its Vista-class, with three more on order from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

Fincantieri handed over Costa Firenze to the Italian cruise line on Wednesday, with the 135,500-gross ton, 5,200-passenger cruise ship due to cruise in the Mediterranean initially before repositioning to China via Dubai.

Costa Firenze has been delivered by Fincantieri.

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The handover was carried out remotely due to the social-distancing requirements of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the event was hailed by Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia as a sign of hope of the beleaguered cruise sector.

“The handover of the new Costa Firenze is a sign of hope and restart for the whole cruise and tourism ecosystems,” he said. “This ship represents the most tangible evidence of the will of our group to restart.”

Costa Firenze’s ship’s bell is presented to her captain as part of the handover ceremony.

“Our hope is that people will soon be able to travel again and that more ships will set sail and contribute to the revitalization of tourism in Italy, Europe and globally,” Thamm added.

Costa Firenze is the latest in a 6-billion euro fleet investment program by Costa Cruises. The line has seven new cruise ships on order with Fincantieri, with deliveries through to 2023, and of its current 14-ship fleet, 11 were built by the shipyard.

Costa Firenze’s interior decor is inspired by the Italian city of Florence from which she takes her name.

“Costa Firenze is the third cruise ship we have delivered since September and we are pleased that the name of this unit recalls one of the most famous cities of art in Italy and in the world,” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri.

“The delivery is an important moment because it is the concrete demonstration that the company is getting back to its normal production activity,” he added.

Costa Firenze’s interior design is a celebration of the Tuscan city of Florence, regarded as the cradle of Renaissance art and culture.

A rendering of the pool bar aboard Costa Firenze.

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The ship’s public areas are intended to reflect the harmony of a stroll through a Florentine street or square, while its eateries and cafes are based on great Mediterranean cuisine, with a wide choice of dining options across 13 bars and seven restaurants.

The ship has been designed with family cruising in mind, and offers kids areas and facilities across several age groups, along with some new features such as a an “adventure park” on the sun deck.

The adventure park aboard Costa Firenze.

Costa Firenze will first sail in the Mediterranean in 2021, providing two different week-long itineraries in the western Mediterranean.

The first, available from February 28th, 2021, includes the Italian destinations of Genoa, La Spezia – with excursions also departing to Florence – and Naples, as well as Valencia, Barcelona and Marseille.

The second, available from May to October, 2021, includes Genoa and Civitavecchia, with excursions to Rome, as well as Naples, Ibiza, Barcelona and Marseille.

In November next year Costa Firenze will reposition to Asia, joining her sister ship Costa Venezia, which was also built by Fincantieri and launched in March, 2019. She too cruised via Dubai on her way to China.

Costa Group is the European arm of the Carnival Corporation cruise company, the largest in the world, with nine cruise lines in its portfolio representing 45% of the global cruise market.