Italy is to send the Amerigo Vespucci tall ship on a two-year world tour to promote Italian food, wine, culture and design, the nation's defence minister Guido Crosetto said on Tuesday. Announcing the news at the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, Crosetto said the fully rigged Italian navy ship would set sail on 1 July and would showcase Made in Italy excellence at every port.

"The producers here at Vinitaly have asked me to help carry Italy's image around the world" - Crosetto said - "and the government will continue to do so."Dubbed "the most beautiful ship in the world", the Amerigo Vespucci navy training vessel was built in Castellamare di Stabia, Naples, in 1930.