
Boating in a Portrait | Giangi Razeto “I’m a creative of the sea. If they took it away from me, I would lose my creativity.”
Giangiacomo Razeta, Giangi for his friends, is the creative behind the company F.lli Razeto & Casareto in Sori, makers of handles for vessels. This is how new products are created, in a mix of creativity and passion for the sea.
Giangiacomo Razeto, Giangi for his friends, is the creative behind the company F.lli Razeto & Casareto in Sori, specialised in making handles for vessels. Born in 1969 in Camogli, Giangi, together with his brother Andrea, has always been at the front lines with the entrepreneurial world and with the clients of a well established business like theirs, specialised in the manufacture of accessories for shipping and pleasure boating, especially locks and handles for furniture and doors, which spring from the pencil and creativity of Giangi. The concept then passes on to manufacturing with a high technical profile, with design solutions that can range through to full custom solutions.
Giangi Razeto, a handle is a handle. How can you express your creativity by designing an object for daily use?
I think I have serious mental issues [he laughs]. I concentrated so much on handles that I only seem to reason in “key” with handles. And I can see them in all their possible combinations. I fear it may not be a distinction…
What is the design you are closest to and why?
Certainly OSSH, the illuminated handle for fire doors, because it is an object of daily use but it can “think” and contribute to saving human lives in case of fire.
And what is the product that you dream of designing?
It is a development of the OSSH handle. I discovered that during a fire, in the smoke it often happens that fire fighters die looking for people who may not even be there. I would like it that our handle be capable of signalling rescuers about whether or not there are still people in danger.
Do you feel you are a man of the sea or a creative?
If they took the sea away from me, I would no longer be creative. I’m a creative of the sea.
A sail boat or motorboat?
I was a competitor on the optimists and will always be a sailor! I’m thinking of going back to sea to transmit my passion to my son. But I love all types of boats. I had a Boston 13 which I miss; I dream of putting my grandfather’s old skiff back in the water; I would really love to have a Franchini Open.
Giuseppe Orrù
Photos by Claudio Colombo
BOATING IN A PORTRAIT A project by Liguria Nautica and Claudio Colombo showcasing a gallery of Ligurian people or those who have ties with our region, who have left their mark on Italian boating, or who have deep rooted connections with our sea. For each of them, we present a photographic portrait take by Claudio Colombo and an interview with our journalist, Giuseppe Orrù, to better know each person, in their personal lives as well.
You might also be interested in


Fulvio De Simoni: “There are a lot of first boats: the first in the studio where you learn, the first in your own studio, the first you created on your own.”
The architect Fulvio De Simoni is one of the most famous pleasure boat designers in business today. His anti-conformist behaviour is clearly reflected in his designs.

Francesco “Cicco” Rapetti: “Spending 10 years with Alinghi, and the best crew in the world, was and is an honour that will stay with me forever”
Francesco Rapetti, known as “Cicco”, has taken his place in the history of Italian sailing and the America’s Cup for having been the first Italian to win the Cup and, until now, the only one to have won it twice, both as a challenger and defender leading a crew.

Andrea Henriquet: “I fell in love with sailing using a 3-metre launch and the adventures told to me by my father and my family of sailors”
Andrea Henriquet is a sailor born in 1961 in Sestri Levante. Skipper and world champion in sailing, he took part in a round the world tour and some of the most important sailing competitions. He is now a sailing instructor and works in training.

Andrea Balistreri is the youngest master craftsman in Italy: “I work with my father who taught me to take pride in the trade”
Michele and Andrea Balistreri, father and son, are two master craftsmen from La Spezia. They are two of the last artisans building boats for the Palio del Golfo and who still do caulking
