People & Stories – Max Sirena

An Interview with Luna Rossa’s Sailor, Skipper and Team Director

How did your long connection with Sardinia begin?

I have been coming to Sardinia for many years. It is one of the finest regatta venues in the world. I had already raced in Cagliari in 2004 and 2008. When we decided to relaunch Luna Rossa’s America’s Cup campaign, we carried out a meteorological study of several Italian locations, and Cagliari emerged immediately as the most natural choice: an outstanding racecourse, a city able to host an international team of over one hundred people, international schools, and an airport close by. In effect, we have been based here continuously since 2014.

And how did you discover Torre delle Stelle?

We were at anchor on the boat with my wife, my son Lorenzo, and Bianca, who had just been born. At one point a small dinghy came alongside, and we asked the people on board whether they might take our son ashore to buy some pastries. They came back two hours later, and for those two hours we had not seen them return and, not knowing them at all, we were naturally a little worried. Yet out of that episode a friendship was born. They had a house in Torre delle Stelle, we went to visit them, and it was love at first sight. Today I can say that Torre delle Stelle is the place where I would like to live. It is only a matter of time.

What was it that won you over about Torre delle Stelle?

I love the sea and, in general, I tend to look at places from the water before I look at them from the land. Torre delle Stelle already has the perfect name, and at night it truly lives up to it: a sky full of stars and the village lit by its many small yellow lights. It is also a very practical place, logistically, because it is only half an hour from Cagliari. Then there is a small community of people who care deeply about it: Aquarium, Palmira, and many other beautiful realities. It is a simple, authentic place, where children can feel free. A little like when I was a child myself.

How do you imagine Torre delle Stelle in the future?

I am optimistic by nature. I believe services, planning, lighting, and roads can all be improved, but always with great care for the environment around us. Every structure, every activity should take its impact into account. Nature is this place’s greatest value. I always say that we should treat the place we are in as we would treat our own home. We are only passing through. The land remains.