Trieste is today hosting the naming event of Costa Favolosa (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total guests), the largest cruise ship flying the Italian flag and the new flagship of Costa Cruises, Europe’s number one cruise company.

The naming ceremony and inauguration of the Costa Favolosa will be streamed live from 10:30 pm at www.costafavolosa.com, on Costa’s mobile website www.costacruise.com, on the “CostaLive” iPad application and the iPhone/Android application.

Costa Favolosa’s naming event has been included among the official celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.  The venue for the show is Piazza Unità d’Italia – Trieste’s pride and glory, and the biggest European square directly on the sea.

The godmother of Costa Favolosa for the ceremony in Trieste is Italian actress Margareth Madè, best known for her starring role in the movie Baaria. In keeping with tradition, Ms. Madè will be invited by the ship’s Captain Ignazio Giardina to cut the ribbon and break the bottle of Aneri prosecco wine break the bow of the flagship.  The Master of Ceremonies for the occasion will be television journalist Cristina Parodi.

The naming of Costa Favolosa will be part of a show entitled “Tribute to Beauty”:  and the performing artists will include renowned pianist Ludovico Einaudi, actor Alessandro Rossi and dancers from the Teatro alla Scala Ballet School.  The inaugural event will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display at sea.

The gala dinner marking the occasion will be held on board the ship herself for around 2,000 invited guests.  The menus have been devised by two of Italy’s top international Michelin-star chefs:  Massimo Bottura and Carlo Cracco.  The evening’s cuisine will be based on produce and recipes from Italian tradition.

“We are elated at the naming of the Costa Favolosa, and we wish to share this emotion with the whole city of Trieste, which is why we are staging this exceptional inaugural event dedicated to Italy and to beauty, both of which are epitomised by this splendid ship,” said Costa Crociere S.p.A. Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi.

About 3,000 Costa Cruises employees and 7,000 external workers contributed to the construction of the ship. Most of the 500 companies involved in the shipbuilding activities are Italian. The total cost of the investment in the new building undertaken by Costa Cruises is worth approximately 510 million euros.

The new flagship is a “contemporary enchanted castle” with entertainment and hi-tech attractions which are perfect for a “fairy-tale” holiday: a wellness area extending over 6,000 m²; new suites with Jacuzzis and verandas; an Aqua Park for children; virtual reality experiences; Grand Prix race car and golf simulators; and the best of Italian and international cuisine.

Costa Favolosa will depart from Venice on 4 July 2011 on her first voyage, a three-day mini-cruise.

Throughout the summer of 2011, Costa’s flagship will sail eight-day cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean, calling in Turkey, Greece and Croatia. Next winter, the Costa Favolosa will sail to the exotic seas of the Arab Emirates and Oman, offering her guests dream holidays in the mythical and fabulous area of the Arabian Nights.

Weighing in at 114,500 gross tonnage and with accommodation for up to 3800 guests, Costa Favolosa was built by Fincantieri at its Marghera (Venice) yard and is the largest cruise ship afloat flying the Italian flag.

The main innovations include six new veranda suites with their own Jacuzzis, and a new entertainment area parading the marvels of virtual reality in the 4D Cinema and PlayStation World.  There’s also a new children’s open-air Aqua Park water playground with its own pirate galleon.

Her grand inaugural cruise, will leave Venice on 7 July: an 11-day itinerary taking in Greece, Turkey and Croatia with stopovers in Bari, Izmir, Istanbul (Turkey), Mykonos, Piraeus, Olympia (Greece) and Dubrovnik (Croatia). For the rest of this summer season the Costa Favolosa will be leaving from Venice every Sunday and Bari every Monday on eight-day cruises stopping in Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia).

In winter 2011/12, the Costa Favolosa will be deployed on seven-day cruises out of Dubai on the following itinerary: Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Khasab (Oman) and Dubai.