Monfalcone (Italy)

Monfalcone is an Adriatic port town and a major shipbuilding center located on Trieste Gulf in Northern Italy's Gorizia province (Friuli Venezia Giulia region). The town has total area approx 20 km 2 (8 mi2) and population around 30,000. Port Monfalcone (locode ITMNF) also houses one of Fincantieri's cruise shipbuilding yards.

Port Monfalcone is approx 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Grado and approx 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Trieste. Downtown's train station is a junction of the railway interlinking Venice-Trieste and Udine-Trieste.

Among the town's best-known tourist attractions are Rocca di Monfalcone (16th-century fortress), World War I Park, the Karst Plateau (region that extends across the Slovenia-Italy border, with remains of ancient castellieri/protohistoric fortified settlements/villages from the Bronze and Iron ages), Santuario della Beata Vergine Marcelliana (mid-19th-century church), Duomo di Monfalcone (St Ambrose's Cathedral/20th-century), Palazzetto Veneto (mid-15th-century palace), important archaeological sites - Roman villas ruins (closed to the public) and Roman thermae/balneae (baths).

As cruise port, Monfalcone for the first time started homeporting operations with MSC Musica in 2022 (Maiden Voyage departing on May 1, 2022). The itinerary program was based on 7-day roundtrips from Monfalcone and from Bari (alternative homeporting). Prices started from EUR 600/USD 680 per person with double occupancy.

Cantiere navale di Monfalcone (shipyard)

Large-scale shipbuilding in Monfalcone started in 1908.

The shipyard "Cantiere navale di Monfalcone" (1907-founded by the Cosulich family) is located in the Panzano district and is currently owned by Fincantieri SpA. This is Fincantieri's largest (by area and capacity) shipbuilding facility and specializes in the design and construction of large-sized cruise liners.

The shipyard currently has capacity to construct 3x large vessels simultaneously.

During WW1 (1914-18) there were constructed mainly submarines but the yards were almost abandoned due to their close proximity to the front. At the end of the war, the shipyard was heavily damaged.

Aeronautical workshops started production in 1923 when the Cosulich family founded the company Officine Aeronautiche (owner of SISA-Italian Air Service Company since 1921). In the following years, here were produced numerous commercial and military aircraft. At the end of WW2 (1939-45), in March 1944, the British heavily bombed the shipyard and completely destroyed the Air Force Workshops and all the aircraft under construction. While the shipyard was rebuilt, the aircraft building was terminated permanently.

In 1966, the Italian government reorganized the shipbuilding industry and created the company "Italcantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani" into which were merged Trieste's shipyard "Cantiere Navale di Sestri Ponente" (submarines, aircraft carriers, semi-submersible crane ships, passenger liners) and "Cantieri Riuniti dell Adriatico" (building of ships, propulsion systems, large diesel engines, airplanes, railway tracks, electromechanical units).

The shipyard's first famous Transatlantic ocean liners were Saturnia (1927-built/1965-scrapped, capacity 1775 passengers) and Vulcania (1928-1974, capacity 1780 passengers). For the Italian Royal Navy, here between 1933-1967 were constructed submarines, torpedo boats, as well as the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.

In 1984, Italcantieri was acquired by Fincantieri (back then a financial company) and incorporated, taking direct control of the shipbuilding activities. Following Fincantieri's acquisition, the Monfalcone yard ceased the military shipbuilding/repairs and continued with exclusively cruise shipbuilding.

Today, Fincantieri's Monfalcone plant covers land area approx 787,000 m2 (8471198 ft2), of which 252,000 m2 (2712505 ft2) are covered facilities. The cruise ships are constructed at a large drydock (sized 350x56 m / 1148x184 ft) fitted with two 400-ton gantry cranes.

The shipyard also has two quays/berths for additional outfitting with lengths 515 m (1690 ft) and 550 m (1805 ft).

Besides Monfalcone, Fincantieri also owns the merchant shipbuilding yards Marghera (Venice), Sestri Ponente (Genoa), Ancona, Castellammare di Stabia (near Naples) and Palermo (Sicily). The company also owns the naval shipyards Riva Trigoso (Genoa) and Muggiano (La Spezia).

Monfalcone cruise terminal