Escale à Sète continues its charm offensive to make Italy the guest of honor of the 2026 festival

W. Idiri, J.-G. Majourel et L. Arcela (de g. à d.) s’adressent aux acteurs de la filière mytilicole italienne. – DR

Une délégation sétoise est en déplacement ce week-end au festival de la myticulture de Liguri, en Italie.

The little game of seduction continues on the part of Escale à Sète, in the hope of catching the eye of the Italians and their magnificent Amerigo Vespucci (nicknamed “The most beautiful boat in the world”), in view of the 2026 maritime traditions festival. This weekend, the director of Escale à Sète Wolfgang Idiri, accompanied by a delegation from Sète, made the trip to Liguri. They participated in the mussel farming festival, Mytiliade, with the aim of defending the project of seeing Italy as guest of honor at Escale à Sète 2026.

A desire formulated as "a dream"

This new stage follows the meeting organized by the City of Sète during the Saint-Louis, during which Fabrizio D’Angio, frigate captain for the Italian embassy, ​​Rita Vullo, vice-consul general of Italy, and Laurence Martin, secretary general for the Italian maritime cluster, shared the macaronade on the Place du Pouffre…

In his quest to see one of the most beautiful sailboats in the world land in Sète, Wolfgang Idiri surrounded himself this weekend with the former maritime prefect Gilles Boidevezi, the vice-president of Sète Agglo Jean-Guy Majourel, the director of Hérault tourism Jean-François Pouget, and the president of the Mediterranean Conchyliculteurs cooperative Laurent Arcela. "We meet many personalities and seafarers, with the support of the embassies", says Wolfgang Idiri, who firmly believes in the realization of this project, and has officially presented the invitation to the Italians for Escale à Sète 2026. And the interest of the interlocutors seems obvious…

When Wolfgang Idiri brings out his best Italian accent

"We are very happy to share the problems and solutions of the Mediterranean seafarers", adds the director of Escale, who has long been formulating "the dream" to welcome Italy as guest of honour, “to celebrate its sailing ships, the richness and vitality of its maritime heritage, as well as the Italian origins of our region”.

During the speeches at the Mytiliade festival, and in the presence of the Italian Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, Wolfgang Idiri even went so far as to speak from the podium in Italian! “For the first time in my life…”

François Commeinhes writes to the minister

politics Wolfgang Idiri had in his luggage a letter from François Commeinhes, the mayor of Sète, to the Italian Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè. A letter in which he recalls the dimension taken by Escale à Sète, the involvement of its 400 volunteers, and asserts the fraternal ties which unite France and Italy. "“Italy as guest of honour” will pay an unprecedented tribute to Italy's considerable contribution to the identity and development of our territory in the heart of the Gulf of Lion, he defends. We would be honoured by your support to celebrate your destination and your maritime heritage on this great occasion." The message has been received.

In front of the audience, he said he was “impatient” to discover the festival and welcome Italy in 2026. “We wholeheartedly wish to contribute to developing together sustainable links between our territories, our destinations, our stakeholders, our sectors, our festivals, in a dynamic of virtuous tourism. We will be very happy to prepare a village “Italy guest of honor of Stopover in Sète 2026”, celebrating the richness and diversity of your maritime heritage, facing the legendary sailing school ship Amerigo Vespucci and the entire traditional Italian flotilla.” The flame is declared…

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