US ambassador billionaire is accused of 'flaunting' his wealth by furious Italians by sailing his $450m six-floor superyacht to Venice

Published: 12:54, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 12:58, 25 June 2026 A billionaire US ambassador has enraged Italians for 'flaunting' his riches as he is set to sail his six-story superyacht into Venice.   Tilman Fertitta, the American ambassador to Italy is touring the European country on his vessel which is reportedly worth $450million (£341.6 million) and boasts two helipads and multiple swimming pools. The businessman intends to visit Venice's Festa del Redentore next month, which is an annual tradition that celebrates the end of the 1576 plague.  The journey has been described by the US embassy as a 'coastal diplomacy', to mark the 250th anniversary of the US relationship between Washington and Rome. But the yacht's arrival for one of Venice's most significant events has sparked fury from locals who view it as a 'slap in the face' and have protested under the slogan 'Don't Use Venice'. Federica Toninello, of Laboratorio Occupato Morion, a resident-run group that protested against Bezos's wedding, told The Times: 'This is about the exploitation of Venice.  'Flaunting that level of wealth is a slap in the face to people who are increasingly struggling to make ends meet and find a home in Venice.'   The group plans to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to stop the arrival.  Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire and the American ambassador to Italy, has enraged Italians for 'flaunting' his riches as he plans to sail his six-story superyacht into Venice He is touring the European country on his vessel which is reportedly worth $450million (£341.6 million) and boasts two helipads and multiple swimming pools (seen in in Naples) Last year, protests broke out when Amazon owner Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez got married in the picturesque city (seen) Ms Toninello added she did not think the US-Italian relations was worth honouring: 'To be honest, we do not quite understand what there is to celebrate.'  Locals are growing increasingly frustrated with Venice being used by billionaires and celebrities as a backdrop to display their outrageous wealth. Last year, protests broke out when Amazon owner Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez got married in the picturesque city.  Residents staged marches, hung banners from bridges, lit smoke bombs and threatened to blockade canals. Ambassador Fertitta owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets and is worth nearly $11 billion (£8.34 billion), according to Forbes, making him the 304th richest person in the world.  His journey, called Freedom 250, began last week on June 13 in Civitavecchia. He is currently in Naples. Mr Fertitta will then sail to Palermo and Cefalù for Independence Day on July 4. An embassy source would not confirm where the yacht will moor, but Venezia Terminal Passeggeri, the authority responsible for large vessel moorings, said there were no berths for large yachts in the area, while the Giudecca Canal would be closed during the festival, according to The Times. Ambassador Fertitta will host politicians and business leaders on the luxury vessel for 13 stops - as well as a visit to Genoa, which is Christopher Columbus' birthplace.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.