Fraglia is an old world. It was used during the Republic of Venice (also called “La Serenissima”) that was a sovereign state that lasted for 1100 years from 697 until 1797. It was a “Maritime Republic”, being a real European power controlling trades and transports by the sea.

The Italian meaning of “fraglia is “fratellanza” that could be translated with the English “fraternity” or “brotherhood”. It was used to indicate people who had the same strong interest in something, either commercial (Republic of Venice was mainly that) or even religious (“confraternity”). They were all part of the same “family”.

In 1928 the Italian poet and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio took the old Venetian word to rename the sailing club in Riva del Garda with the expression “Fraglia della Vela”.

Since then, other clubs in different parts of the Garda lake took the same definition: Fraglia della Vela Desenzano and, of course, Fraglia della Vela Malcesine.

Given the strong passion we all put in sailing our beautiful boat we could easily add another use for that ancient word: Fraglia del Contender.