“Diadema”, the heart of the giant / GALLERY

Genoa - The new Costa Cruises flagship will sail under an Italian flag on November 7th, after her christening in the port of Genoa. The fifteenth ship of the group, the “Costa Diadema” is being presented as the “Queen of the Mediterranean”. Built with a cutting-edge design, it aims firstly to impress, starting with her imposing size. The ship, built at the Marghera shipyard, has a tonnage of 132,500 tons, is 306 metres long and 37 meters wide.

It holds 15 decks, one more than the rest, 1,862 cabins and is able to host almost five thousand passengers and a 1,253 crew. Apart from the impressive numbers, the look proposed by Joseph Farcus deserves analysis; from the general impression to the minutest detail it aims to excite the guests. The Miami based architect is a veteran in the design of cruise ships and has been collaborating with Costa since 2000. He has admitted that one of his idols is the Catalan Antoni Gaudi, designer of the phantasmagoric Barcelona cathedral, fruit of an almost unhinged imagination.

So, it does not come as a surprise when many of his choices are aimed at creating an emotional impact. The christening ceremony is scheduled to start at 17.00 and will go on until midnight, with cocktails, a gala dinner and performers. The guests will be welcomed by CEO Michael Thamm and the ship’s captain at the Eliodoro Atrium. The ship’s interiors are almost psychedelic, dynamically illuminated by an everchanging and playful combination of yellow and blue lights, four panoramic elevators and aerial staircases.

And if this sounds like a gigantic discotheque, wait for the fourth deck, which is dedicated to shopping and is the largest of all Costa ships. The atmosphere here is reminiscent of the American Malls or the huge shopping centres in Dubai: lights, reflections, lots of glass, with much to look at from every corner. One of the novelties is the presence of several artworks commissioned of a group of artists coordinated by the artistic directors Casagrande & Recalcati. Another new concept is the restaurant area on the fifth deck.

It offers a variety of options, from the Dresden Garden Beer house, with a simple decor dominated by raw wood, to the most exclusive Samsara restaurant. There is also a pizzeria featuring a young look with colourfully striped upholsteries and furniture and a Japanese restaurant, the Tepennyaki, where guests sit around a granite counter and put the chef’s culinary abilities to the test, dish by dish. The main pool called the Lido Diana is located on the tenth deck. It features white fiberglass walls and teakwood details, like those found on yachts. One of the most significant innovations is the terrace that surrounds the whole ship on the fifth deck. It is the longest of the fleet and creates a 500m-long promenade.

Lined with bars and restaurants, it gives the guests the wonderful feeling of dominating the sea. Being able to sit outdoors and look at the sea view in such proximity to the water, renews the relationship between man and sea, an aspect of the cruise experience that was almost lost in the last generation cruise giants.