Stormy harbour: US diplomat’s yacht causes a stir in Italia
Financial Times: the tour has sparked protests over the massive security operation funded by Italian taxpayers
The “Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy Tour”, which the US Ambassador to Italia, Tilman Fertitta, undertook to mark the 250th anniversary of the Constitution of the United States of America, and the controversy it sparked, have made the front page of the European edition of the Financial Times.
The article, entitled “Port in turmoil: US diplomat’s yacht irritates Italia”, reports that the superyacht docked in Venice yesterday as part of a two-month “coastal diplomacy” tour that will visit 13 Italian cities and seaside resorts. Fertitta, whose billion-dollar empire includes the Houston Rockets basketball team, is inviting political, business and military leaders to visit him on the Boardwalk, which features a swimming pool, a mini-golf course and helipads.
However, as the article points out, the tour sparked protests over the massive security operation funded by Italian taxpayers, at a time when President Donald Trump was launching verbal attacks on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The article then quotes Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, who “did not provide an estimate of the cost of the security operation, but stated that Rome is obliged, under the Vienna Convention, to guarantee the security, the freedom and dignity of foreign ambassadors in Italia, including through ‘the provision of a special guard’ if necessary’.”
The FT also explains that Fertitta and the US Embassy in Rome have not commented publicly on the criticism, and that the US State Department has not responded to a request for comment, but notes that the ambassador’s arrival was met with protests in Venice yesterday.
