US envoy Fertitta faces Venice protests as Trump-Meloni ties cool
U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta's arrival in Venice on a luxury yacht sparked protests highlighting local anger over energy prices and a growing diplomatic rift between Washington and Rome.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Venice on Friday to condemn the arrival of U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta aboard his 117-meter luxury yacht, the Boardwalk. Activists unfurled a banner stretching the length of the vessel reading "Venezia non si USA," a play on words merging a local phrase with the American acronym.
The scene reflected a broader cooling in diplomatic relations between Washington and Rome. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once a close Trump ally, did not attend 250th-anniversary celebrations at the U.S. Embassy following a series of social media attacks by the U.S. president.
For European consumers, the envoy's visit brought local grievances over the macroeconomic fallout of U.S. foreign policy to the surface. Protest organizer Stella Morion linked the ambassador's display of wealth directly to the economic strain on Italians, citing U.S. strikes on Iran for driving 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.
The backlash also touches on Italy's broader economic tension between high-end tourism and everyday affordability. Morion argued that docking a superyacht featuring two helipads and swimming pools in St. Mark’s Basin was deeply insensitive. “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.
Fertitta, the billionaire owner of Fertitta Entertainment, is conducting a "Coastal Diplomacy 250" tour of 13 Italian coastal regions. The $11.3 billion hospitality magnate stated the trip is intended to celebrate “our shared history, our economic partnership, and the cultural bonds that make the U.S.-Italy relationship so special.”
His itinerary has included stops in Sicily, Calabria, and Puglia, where he met with regional officials. Fertitta declined interview requests regarding the Venice protests. He is expected to attend the city's Redentore festival on Saturday, a commemoration of the 1576 plague culminating in fireworks over the basin.
