Aroya, Romantika Host Mediterranean Games Athletes in Taranto
Romantika will add space for 1,200 attendees, who will use Aroya for meals and other services while delegations travel to venues across Taranto.
Aroya Cruises’ 150,695-gross-ton Aroya arrived at the Italian Navy’s Chiapparo Naval Base in Taranto on Aug. 16 to serve as the principal accommodation ship for the Mediterranean Games, which open Aug. 21. Tallink’s Romantika has joined the vessel, creating a two-ship floating village for athletes, officials and support personnel.
Organizers are using the berthed vessels in place of a conventional athletes’ village. Aroya Cruises said more than 4,000 athletes from 26 countries will be hosted during the competition, which runs through early September.
How the floating village will operate
Aroya will remain at the base throughout the Games. Delegations will travel from the ship to competition venues across Taranto. Participants represent countries on three continents, and the opening ceremony is scheduled for the city’s renovated Iacovone Stadium.
Built by Meyer Werft and delivered in 2017 as World Dream, the 335.2-meter Aroya has 1,686 cabins and capacity for 3,376 passengers. Romantika, a 40,803-gross-ton cruise ferry built in 2002, will accommodate an additional 1,200 attendees. Those staying aboard the Tallink vessel will use Aroya for meals and other services.
Local officials who attended Aroya’s arrival included Alessia Maurelli, the former captain of Italy’s rhythmic gymnastics team and mayor of the Mediterranean Village, and Mediterranean Games General Director Carlo Molfetta.
Aroya’s post-Games deployment
The Taranto assignment follows Aroya Cruises’ second consecutive summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean. After repositioning to Galataport Istanbul in early June, the ship operated seven-night cruises calling at destinations including Bodrum, Marmaris, Piraeus, Mykonos and Alexandria.
Following its work in Italy, Aroya is scheduled to begin a two-part repositioning to the Red Sea. The first sailing will run from Marmaris to Istanbul with calls at Alexandria and Kas, followed by an eight-night voyage from Istanbul to Saudi Arabia via Bodrum, Marmaris, Port Suez and Sharm El Sheikh.
After arriving in Jeddah, the ship will resume Red Sea itineraries before returning to the Mediterranean for the summer 2027 season.
