The bottle smashes against the starboard bow to name MSC Preziosa
MSC Preziosa is named! In a two-hour ceremony in Genoa, the Italian cruise line’s latest 140,000-tonne arrival was christened in spectacular style with music, dance, fireworks – and Sophia Loren.
Hundreds of guests gathered in a glass marquee on the quayside with Preziosa looming at the front and little cousin MSC Opera behind. Just the other side of Preziosa was sister ship Splendida. During the evening, the three came together in a Close Encounters-style light show with large orbs on their bow flashing colours in sequence.
MSC boss Pierfrancesco Vago welcomed the fleet’s 12th ship, making the family-owned company the world’s third biggest cruise operator. Singer Gino Paoli, composer Ennio Morricone and acrobatic dances by the Preziosa entertainment staff entertained the international audience before godmother Sophia Loren was welcomed to the stage.
As she cut the ribbon, the traditional bottle smashed against the starboard bow, sparking a fireworks display that flashed over the building, lighting up Genoa and sending the guests back on board to toast Preziosa in style.
Sophia Loren cuts the ribbon that sent the bottle crashing on to Preziosa’s starboard bow
With Preziosa lit in the background, composer Ennio Morricone conducts the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra
Singer Gino Paoli commands the stage – pictures supplied by MSC