INTERNATIONAL TIBER SKIFF — 1st Edition

Rome's first international single-scull regatta. 26 September 2026

For three days this September, a stretch of the Tiber between Ponte Milvio and Ponte Sant'Angelo becomes an open-air stage for sport, environmental sustainability, scientific outreach and civic participation.

Now in its third edition, WE CAN BLU IT! 2026 is focussing its efforts on the Tiber in order to restore it to its rightful place at the centre of Roman life. This river carries the city's history, and a genuine hope for tomorrow. The goal is to bring citizens, students, athletes, tourists, institutions and businesses back to the river, to experience it as a shared resource. A home to real biodiversity, and a place where different communities meet.

From Rome to Ostia, the project follows the Tiber all the way to the sea, uniting people and places around one shared vision for its future.

Press release

Many streams, one river

Sport

The Tiber becomes an international sporting arena. Sport brings the river back into focus, reminding us it deserves both our protection and our presence.

Environmental action

Clean-ups, riverbank restoration, water and microplastic monitoring and data collection. Together, they turn good intentions into results you can see on the ground.

Participation

Schools, citizens, associations, institutions, companies and scientific partners all take part in a programme that turns the banks of the Tiber into a place of learning, conversation and shared responsibility.

International Tiber Skiff

The Tiber Skiff is the brainchild of Marco Giustiniani, the technical director at AS LUISS, and is organised by the Lazio Committee of the Italian Rowing Federation. It is an international single-scull race held on 26 September on the Tiber, between Ponte della Musica and Castel Sant’Angelo.

As part of the programme of WE CAN BLU IT! 2026, the Tiber Skiff uses the medium of rowing to bring the Tiber back to its rightful place at the centre of city life. Once again, the river becomes somewhere to compete, to connect with the environment and to take part in public life.

Equipment hire

Participants travelling from outside Rome who need to hire a Filippi boat and Concept2 oars can get in touch at marcogiustiniani73@gmail.com.

Almaviva Blu Race

The Almaviva Blu Race 2026 is a 400-metre match race, with crews competing in eight-oared gigs. It takes place on 27 September beneath Castel Sant'Angelo, and includes Special Olympics athletes. As part of the WE CAN BLU IT! 2026 programme, it brings a high-visibility competition to one of the most recognisable places in the city, combining sport, inclusion and public participation. Once again, the Tiber becomes a meeting point, a place where sport is a way to raise awareness, bring people together, and share responsibility for the river.

Three days on the Tiber

25 September
Action & Community

The opening day belongs to schools and local communities. At 9:30, the Tiber Clean Up brings together schools and universities from the area. At 17:00, the Sustainability Village hosts the round table 'Plastic doesn't play sport', held in collaboration with ISDE Italia – Doctors for the Environment.

26 September
Sport & Policy

The day moves between environmental action, sport and culture. At 10:00 there's the Clean Up at Ostia; at 12:30 the Tiber Skiff brings the first edition of the international single-scull race to the Tiber. At 19:00, on the left bank beneath Ponte Sant'Angelo, the day closes with Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons, performed by the Filarmonica Città di Roma, with Matteo Morbidelli on violin and Maestro Lorenzo Porzio conducting.

27 September
Follow the Stream

The final day follows the Tiber down to Ponte Sant'Angelo. At 10:00 the Almaviva Blu Race sets off, starting at Ponte Umberto I and finishing at Ponte Sant'Angelo. At 13:00 comes the Special Olympics Match Race, followed by the Canoe Match Race and the closing prize-giving. It's an ending that restores the Tiber to its rightful place at the centre of city life, through sport and open, shared participation.

We are family

WE CAN BLU IT! 2026 brings together institutions, universities, sporting federations, scientific bodies and environmental associations around one shared goal: putting the Tiber back at the heart of the city, and building a new culture around water as something we all share.