Tilman Fertitta, the 68-year-old Texas billionaire and owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, who was appointed U.S. ambassador to Italy by former President Donald Trump in December and confirmed by the Senate in April, did not immediately move into the ambassador's official residence in Rome, Villa Taverna.
Instead, Fertitta, a household name in the hospitality industry and owner of the Landry's chain of restaurants and casinos, spent about three and a half weeks on his $150 million yacht, the Boardwalk, while the mansion underwent interior renovations. According to a spokesperson for his company, all of the costs for the improvements were covered by Fertitta himself and the historic structure of the villa was not affected.
The 77-meter-long yacht, equipped with 12 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a professional kitchen, six bars, a mosaic pool and a helipad, served as a temporary residence for the ambassador. During this time, he reportedly used the helicopter to attend official engagements, a practice that has raised concerns among some local residents.
Villa Taverna, a 15th-century villa with rich gardens and art collections spanning the period from antiquity to the 19th century, has been rented by the American Embassy since 1933. On July 10, Fertitta officially moved into the villa and a few days later hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a celebration in honor of US Independence Day.
The Ambassador also introduced a new collection of American art at the residence, in collaboration with the State Department's "Art in Embassies" program, emphasizing art as a bridge of communication between cultures.
