VENICE, Italy — When the U.S. ambassador to Italy pulled into Venice harbor aboard his enormous luxury yacht on Friday, he was welcomed not with open arms, but with organized protests from Italians who see his visit as an unwanted show of American wealth and power.
Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire hospitality mogul who serves as America’s top diplomat in Italy, is conducting what he calls the Coastal Diplomacy 250 tour — a journey along 13 Italian coastal regions aboard his super yacht intended to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. Fertitta described the tour in a social media post as a celebration of “our shared history, our economic partnership, and the cultural bonds that make the U.S.-Italy relationship so special.”
The vessel at the center of the controversy, named Boardwalk, stretches 117 meters — roughly 384 feet — and comes equipped with two helipads, a pair of swimming pools, and a full spa and gym.
Many of the same activist groups that demonstrated against the Venice wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez last year have now turned their attention to Fertitta’s arrival. On July 4th, protesters stretched a banner reading “Venezia non si USA” — a phrase that plays on both the Italian expression meaning “Venice is not to be used” and the abbreviation for the United States. Demonstrators made the banner the same length as Fertitta’s yacht to highlight what they described as “the dimensions of his arrogance.”
Protest organizer Stella Morion spoke with the Associated Press about the demonstration. “It’s arrogant to think he can do what he wants in a city that is ever more sold to the single culture of tourism,” she said. Morion added that demonstrators also oppose President Donald Trump’s international policies, particularly U.S. military strikes on Iran, which she argued have driven up energy costs.
“It is the umpteenth slap in the face of a city and all of the people in Venice who struggle to reach the end of the month due to an increase in prices caused by Trump’s war,” Morion said.
Fertitta has not agreed to an interview to address the tour or the protests directed at his visit.
The ambassador was sworn into his role in 2025. He built his fortune through the hospitality sector, with holdings in restaurants, hotels, and casinos. He also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets. His official biography lists his net worth at $11.3 billion, and Forbes places him among the 100 wealthiest people in the United States.
The specific details of who Fertitta will meet during his Venice stay have not been made public. He is expected, however, to attend the well-known Redentore festival on Saturday — a celebration that dates back to 1576 and commemorates the end of a devastating plague, traditionally capped off with fireworks over St. Mark’s Basin.
The tour has already taken Fertitta to the Sicilian port town of Cefalu, where his family’s ancestry can be traced to 1566, as well as a meeting with the governor in Palermo. He also stopped at the Calabrian port of Le Castella and traveled along the coastlines of Puglia and up the Adriatic Sea to Venice.
Meanwhile, Fertitta’s ambassadorship comes at a complicated time in U.S.-Italy relations. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, once considered a close political ally of Trump with shared views on issues like immigration, has seen that relationship cool following a string of social media attacks from Trump directed at her. Meloni did not attend the 250th anniversary celebrations held at the U.S. Embassy.
