“Italy cannot become the free escort for the private megayacht of the United States ambassador,” said Avs deputy and co-spokesperson of Europa Verde, Angelo Bonelli. The accusation is that air and naval means of the Guardia di Finanza and the Coast Guard are being used to escort Tilman J. Fertitta’s tour of Italian coastal cities, the United States ambassador to Italy.
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The diplomat is carrying out the Coastal Diplomacy 250, a journey of events and meetings launched on June 13 to celebrate 250 years of American independence. The means of transport is the Boardwalk, a 117-meter yacht with two helipads, pools, a spa, a gym, and a small golf course. Value: 450 million dollars. A luxury that, according to Bonelli, could prove costly to protect: “How much does all this cost Italian citizens?”
Born in Texas to a family of Sicilian origins, Fertitta is an entrepreneur active in catering, hotels, and entertainment, and is owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team. His appointment as ambassador to Italy and San Marino was proposed by Donald Trump, to whom he is linked by a personal and political relationship.
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Fertitta left on June 13 from Civitavecchia on a tour of at least 13 Italian regions that includes meetings with local politicians, entrepreneurs, and military representatives. The goal is to consolidate relations between the United States and Italy. Naples, Vibo Marina, Palermo, Cefalù, Gallipoli, and Bari, up to the announced stops in Venice, Trieste, Genoa, and Sardinia. In the Venetian capital, he is expected on July 18 to attend the “Redentore fireworks,” the fireworks show that annually celebrates the end of the 1575-1577 plague epidemic. However, the details of the visit are currently kept confidential.
According to Bonelli, the trip has benefited from protection measures corresponding to the first level of risk, the highest protection, provided for people most exposed to threats. It would not be “a simple assistance, but a massive maritime security and police device.” For this reason, the Avs leader has requested a parliamentary inquiry: “Why must the security of a United States ambassador navigating with his private megayacht be guaranteed (…) with resources of the Italian state? Why are American security apparatuses not employed?”
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