As I wrote in 1948, on the occasion of the first revival of the Rivista del Diritto della Navigazione, I can’t help but recall the complex feelings I had then in succeeding as Editor of the Rivista, a role that in the past was held by my dear friend and illustrious teacher, Antonio Scialoja.

In the presentation of the first volume published in 1935 in Foro Italiano, he foresaw that the new Code would have become the general Law of Navigation, bringing together in a comprehensive and autonomous body of rules all the aspects of maritime, internal and air navigation and that the Rivista would have been the instrument for the realization of this ambitious program. And so it was. The Rivista, in fact, played an eminent role and created a useful scientific movement around it in the drawing up of the Code, with the desire, as Scialoja wrote in the preface, to work on the dogmatic construction of the institutions of the Law of Navigation.

Following the revival of the publication in 1948 (which had been interrupted due to the serious events of war at the time), the Rivista had a long and productive life, which allowed us to bring significant contributions to the development of the Law of Navigation.

The events which brought us to the last suspension of the publication in 1972 are luckily of quite another magnitude; and allow us, therefore, to resume publication in full force.

I believe I am expressing the sentiment of the Aracne publishing house that receives the succession, in saying that it is conscious of the historic value of this Rivista which has the aspiration to continue in its function as a center for propelling scientific and intellectual life.

I wish to thank in advance, dearest Elda Turco Bulgherini, my youngest student, to whom I have passed the torch as Editor who, I am certain, will succeed to lead with extraordinary capacity all of those who intend to contribute, in accordance with their respective resources, to the progressive building of the Italian modern science of the Law of Navigation, founded by Antonio Scialoja.

We are proud to continue the journey.

Antonio Lefebvre d’Ovidio

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May 2010