Giovanni (Nino) Zoncada was born in Venice in 1898 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (Venice). In 1923, he began working in the interior and furnishing department of the Cantieri Navale Triestino of Monfalcone, becoming one of its directors by the end of the following decade. He joined forces with the Milanese architect Gio Ponti in the late 1940s and they worked together on their first project, the refurbishing of the CONTE BIANCAMANO, followed shortly thereafter by the CONTE GRANDE. Gio Ponti, of course, is possibly the most celebrated Italian designer of the 20th Century, which speaks highly for Zoncada, who is not as well known outside of ship history, but whose work may be the most important of the era. Zoncada designed or contributed to almost every major transatlantic Italian liner of the 1950s and 1960s, including: GIULIO CESARE, AUGUSTUS, ANDREA DORIA, CRISTOFORO COLOMBO, LEONARDO DA VINCI, MICHELANGELO, and RAFFAELLO. In addition, he designed practically the entire Costa fleet from the ANNA C refit in 1948 (including the brilliant EUGENIO C of 1966) all the way through to the CARLA C (ex FLANDRE) in 1968. OCEANIC, AUSONIA, GRIPSHOLM, STELLA OCEANIS, and STELLA SOLARIS are but a few more outstanding ships to emerge from his studios. Zoncada died in 1988 and the STELLA SOLARIS was his final commission.

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For more information on Zoncada, one cannot praise the efforts of Italian authors Maurizio Eliseo and Paolo Piccione enough for their brilliant book, TRANSATLANTICI, available on Tormena Press. Also, Paolo Piccione and Matteo Fochessati's CROCIERE NELL ARTE and ARTE IN VIAGGIO are two invaluable references.

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​These tables are incredibly heavy and solid and were used in the STELLA SOLARIS' suites as well as some of the larger cabins. Their wood grained formica laminates and minimalist design scream midcentury modern. The brass toned anodized aluminum trim is very eye-catching. These are in extremely limited supply.