Costa Serena to be Christened May 19

Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be christened on May 19 in Marseilles. The ship’s godmother will be actress Marion Cotillard, while the master of ceremonies will be Gerard Holtz, a French television journalists. The young Chef Pascal Barbot, with three Michelin stars, in a joint effort with Italian Chef Ettore Bocchia, will whip up magical delicacies during the gala dinner for about 1,200 guests. Three major French stars” will play the leading roles in the christening of the Costa Serena, the new flagship of Costa Crociere and Italian seafaring (114,000 dwt and a capacity of 3,780 passengers), undergoing the final fitting out stages at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa. Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be the first cruiser to be christened in Marseilles. The official christening ceremony will be held in the city’s port on the evening of 19 May 2007. The Costa Serena’s godmother will be the beautiful French actress Marion Cotillard, a real talent in the French cinema world who’s also stepping into the international limelight thanks to her leading role in the soon-to-be-released film “La vie en rose”, dedicated to the life of Edith Piaf. According to tradition, she will cut the ribbon to break a bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull. Then, to bring the ceremony to a close, the Marseilles Opera Chorus will seal this alliance between the Italian company and the French city with “symbolic” opera arias of the two countries. For this event, the master of ceremonies will be Gerard Holtz, one of France’s most highly esteemed television journalists.