About 300 demonstrators clashed with riot police in Venice on Friday evening over the arrival of the $450 million mega yacht Boardwalk, owned by United States Ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta, during the city’s annual Redentore (Redeemer) Festival.
Fertitta, a longtime ally and donor to US President Donald Trump, has been touring Italy with his family and staff aboard the luxury vessel as part of what he describes as a “coastal diplomacy” initiative marking the United States’ 250th anniversary, according to posts on his social media accounts.
His arrival sparked protests, with demonstrators carrying placards reading “Venice is not for sale” alongside banners criticising Trump.
Riot police blocked protesters attempting to reach the ambassador’s yacht, while some demonstrators hurled inflatable pool toys at officers and used megaphones to denounce the US administration.
Addressing the crowd, Daniele Giordano, secretary of the CGIL union in Venice, condemned the presence of Fertitta’s yacht during the festival.
“It is a disgrace,” Giordano said, adding that the vessel’s presence “represents the exact opposite of our idea of environmental and social sustainability.”
Another protester, Emanuele Lepore, argued that residents were fighting to preserve their city from the influence of the wealthy.
“It is almost strange that we have to struggle so much to make people understand that this city is not for sale, as any other city where people are actually struggling just to live, a city which is constantly emptied out of spaces, houses, public services, and welfare, and it is constantly sold out to billionaires,” he said.
According to Forbes, Fertitta is worth just under $11 billion and owns casinos, sports franchises and restaurant businesses across the United States.
While he has said he is personally covering the yacht’s expenses for his family and guests, neither the US Embassy nor Italian authorities have disclosed how much public money has been spent on security arrangements for the visit.
The ambassador’s itinerary includes stops at 13 ports before Labor Day, where he is expected to host local business leaders, celebrities and American citizens aboard the yacht.
The tour has required heightened security on land and at sea.
The demonstrations mirrored those held last summer against the multi-day Venice wedding celebrations of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez, organised by many of the same activist groups.
Protesters were also angered that Fertitta’s 117-metre (384-foot) yacht was moored in front of a popular waterfront area normally used by locals to watch the Redentore Festival’s fireworks display.
The festival, which commemorates the end of the devastating plague outbreak of 1576, attracts thousands of residents and visitors who gather on boats and along Venice’s canals before a spectacular fireworks finale.
The US Embassy has not publicly responded to the demonstrations. However, a spokesperson for Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the ambassador’s coastal diplomacy initiative was achieving its objectives.
The visit comes amid strained relations between President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after Trump recently reignited tensions by claiming Meloni insisted on taking a photograph with him during the G7 summit in France.
Before its current voyage, Boardwalk, which features twin helipads, had been berthed at the port of Civitavecchia near Rome since Fertitta became ambassador in 2023.
He and his family also lived aboard the yacht last summer while renovation work was carried out at the official US ambassador’s residence in Rome.
