The Team

Born in Schio (Vicenza) in 1981, Alberto started working in the kitchens of Venice while studying philosophy and theatre. From the hobs and ovens of boatmen and fishermen, he moved inland near Milan where, with his two partners, he opened a restaurant. Its menu: a fusion of delicacies from Venice and Pavia, along with a progamme of cultural events. Back in Schio, Alberto dived headlong into another adventure: a resto-pub where he could further his ambition of feeding body, mind and soul through culture and cuisine.

A tireless explorer of the world and of herself, Esther’s dream ever since childhood has been to travel – even if the original idea was to do so driving a taxi. Inquisitiveness has fuelled her days and the many professions she has ventured into. London, Milan, Mannheim, Paris: in every town a new job, home and a new corner of her heart occupied by fresh friendships, unfamiliar lights, smells and quarters which, once lived in, became her home. Esther loves healthy food that will nourish both body and creativity, while her experience in fashion design colours her culinary offerings.

A seawolf ever since boarding his first boat as a toddler, Filippo is one of the few young skippers who know every bend and eddy in the River Po. His passion? – Honest, not-frills food, especially desserts, first and foremost Chef Giuliano’s fruit tart with Italian crema. Loves nature, the sea and, best of all, mountains. When not at the rudder or the dinner table, Filippo loves his sport, not least breaking into a sweat on his bike.

A skipper by nature, he names his boats after his wife and calls his crew members "ciccio" ("matey"), irrespective of size or gender. For them, Giovanni is a natural seawolf and rat-catcher. Spends most of his life between prow and poop, usually accompanied by his four-legged companion, Lapo. Old habits die hard and after dinner Giovanni will make himself comfortable under the stars, whisky in one hand and cigar in the other. His repertoire of unlikely stories, all narrated in inimitable Chioggia dialect, is legendary and appreciated by crew and guests alike.

Chef by profession but especially by passion. Enlisted in the "Girolibero-Zeppelin Navy" to combine two of his cravings: boats and cookery – or perhaps to dream of a lady at each port of call! Will happily corrupt the Headquarters with crostoli and Venetian doughnuts to be part of the crew, and people say that his cooking is better than his English (although, thankfully, he does get by in this too). Giuliano's life is increasingly happy and intense, and he manages to juggle sailing, his sweetheart Giada and their little Leonardo with the disparate passions of a vagabond.

Growing up amid sacks of flour at the family bakery, where she used to play hide-and-seek with her brother, Irene has always had a weakness for carbs. Her first berth was a picturesque agriturismo, where her second family initially took her in as a waitress. Having finished her studies in tourism, Irene set off on the Camino de Santiago and soon caught the travel bug. With a passion for wines and fine food, she tries to stay in shape by leading motley crews through the orderly cycleways of the North, the elemental beauty of Apulia and the intoxicating vineyards of Bordeaux. A stroke of luck lands her on the Ave Maria; the rest is history.

Hails from glorious Chioggia, the "other, real, Venice" – famous the world over, he claims, for the sheer number of scooters and e-bikes. Though a seawolf cub by birth, Luciano never scorns the dry land where he's passionate about his ladies (wife and two daughters) and motorbikes. Like all true seamen, he is forever seeking the optimum balance between physical equilibrium and the perfect diet... without ever finding it. Aboard our Ave Maria Luciano is the Jack of all technical trades: he'll fix anything, and if he can't fix it he'll just buy it.

A citizen of Mantova to the bone, Riccardo claims to produce, with his father, the best salami in the world. Started working at 16 and resumed his studies a few years later, becoming in a short space of time captain, engineer, helmsman and diver – hence his passion for boats and water, which soon gripped his young daughter, Vittoria. On dry land, he loves to organise a bite with his closest friends and, being football mad, he loves a good kick around too.

"Once a Vita Pugna girl, always a Vita Pugna girl!" – that's her in the words of the "The Boss" (skipper). Loves cooking and, even better, eating desserts. Her speciality? – Pannacotta with basil and lemon. Sara discovered her passion in England partly by chance and partly by intuition. She now hops from hob to hob in the galley and has fallen in love with all things maritime: the boats, the water, life on the waves. The scents and creaks of the Vita Pugna make her feel at home, although she'll always yearn for the warmth of her family and dog, Wolly.  Loves travelling, dancing and... running in the rain.