In a ceremony held on Monday, at Fincantieri shipyard, Costa Crociere began construction of its new mega ship: Costa Diadema. The name, which means crown of gold and diamond, symbolizes characteristics such as sovereignty and reverence and was announced by the CEO of Costa Crociere SpA, Michael Thamm and the president of Costa Crociere SpA, Gianni Onorato. The CEO of the shipyard Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, also attended the ceremony.

The first building block of the ship - weighing 504 tons and 15.7 meters wide by 29 meters long - was lifted by a crane and placed on the bottom of the dock where the ship will be built. During the construction,1,000 workers from Fincantieri will be engaged at this mega project and other 2,500 employees of associated industries. In addition, around 400 suppliers, most of Italy, are involved in the construction of the interior  of the vessel.

The Costa Diadema will be delivered on October 30, 2014, after a total investment of 550 million euros. The Costa Diadema will be the largest cruise ship in the history Italy with  132,500 tons, 306 meters long and 37.2 meters wide. This cruise ship will be able to accommodate 4947 passengers, 1253 crew. Costa Diadema will also feature exclusive innovations in the entertainment, food and technology.