REX
The legendary Rex, launched in the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa Sestri on 1 August 1931, by Margherita di Savoia, Queen of Italy, was the greatest ocean liner of all time to bring the tricolor to the seas.
In the summer of 1933, the only Italian ship, conquered the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic for the fastest crossing between Europe and the United States, taking 4 days, 13 hours and 58 minutes to travel, with an average of 28.92 knots, the 3,181 miles of navigation.However, the Italian flagship had the merit of introducing great changes in the outfitting compared to many foreign transatlantic liners, making it a true progenitor of modern cruise ships.The Rex was equipped with air conditioning, luxury cabins with private balconies, large open spaces for games and two beaches with swimming pools so large that they were the envy of many modern-day cruise units. Complementing these amenities there was a restaurant-veranda overlooking the sea and a large spa even equipped with UVA lamps for artificial tanning.Many celebrities have traveled aboard the Rex, such as Primo Carnera, Tazio Nuvolari, Arturo Toscanini, Tyrone Power, Gianni Agnelli.
It was laid up in Trieste in 1940 and bombed by the allies off the coast of Koper in 1944.
Even today, the Rex remains a myth and the few surviving objects of the ship are sought after by collectors.