Roman Abramovich has upset Venetians by mooring his boat in the centre of the city
The residents of Riva dei Sette Martiri on Venice’s Grand Canal are used to having an uninterrupted view of St Mark’s Basin – when Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s £115m, 377ft superyacht Luna isn’t in town at least.
Ever since Abramovich and his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova arrived in Venice for the Biennale last week, residents have been grumbling that Luna is ruining the city’s ancient lagoo, according to The Guardian.
Venice’s mayor, Giorgio Orsoni is threatening a new tax on
vessels such as the Luna. “The boats are getting too big and blocking
the view,” he said. “These yachts are showing up to see Venice for free,
but St Mark’s Basin is being turned into a motorway and we have to
start limiting the traffic.”
“I do not recall ever seeing such a large yacht as Abramovich’s moored
so close to the Biennale,” said Enrico Tantucci, who is covering the
event for local newspaper La Nuova Venezia. “It’s like waking
up in the morning to find someone has built an office block where the
water used to be – no wonder locals have been complaining.
