The Symphony remained at anchor for the whole day on Friday off Via Caracciolo, a short distance from Castel dell’Ovo. Bernard Arnault’s super yacht was not allowed to dock at Mergellina, the only reference port in Naples for large boats. And so the patron of Lvmh – a multinational which owns luxury companies including Christian Dior, Bulgari, Fendi, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot – after a glance towards Capri and the Gulf, headed towards other ports. Where to dock and go ashore is not a problem.
Even Barry Diller, CEO of a company active in the field of cinema and media owned by Expedia and Tripadvisor, has given up on Naples. With his Eos — a three-masted schooner that the billionaire, husband of the designer Diane von Fürstenberg acquired in 2009 — he headed elsewhere. Not even his sailing ship – one of the largest private sailing yachts in the world, 90 meters long – according to the Regulation that the Harbor Master’s Office has introduced this year, cannot enter the port of Mergellina for safety reasons.
The rule
A provision against which the leader of the Neapolitan industrialists Costanzo Jannotti Pecci thundered, pointing his finger at a law that prevents luxury tourism from heading to Naples. A rule that imposes a stop to boats longer than 75 meters which are forbidden to enter the marina. Massimo Luise is one of the administrators of the Mergellina pier, that of VIPs. And he is always reluctant to comment on ordinances. «There are rules and we respect them, but in this case one cannot fail to note that the repercussions of this provision are considerable. Starting this year, the impossibility of welcoming a category of boats of enormous prestige will result in the loss of important figures for our territory in economic terms: from 50 to 100 thousand euros per day only for related industries. Tens and tens of millions in a season».
The other stopovers
The boats that don’t stop in Naples go far. Luise says that many remain in the Mediterranean, but head for Malta, Spain and France. «It is a pity for Naples, which is a special city full of culture and tradition and with a reference airport, that it can no longer welcome guests of the caliber of Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bezos and Jennifer Lopez who have been here. I trust that the competent bodies, which have always supported the tourist industry of excellence, will once again find a solution that can combine safety with the economic and image benefits that our city needs. Tourism is our oil – she adds Luise -. And we cannot forget that what moves following a maxi yacht is remarkable. At least ten more travel with each boat and the occupants arrive with private planes and need services that Naples has been able to provide up to now: it has been welcoming and proactive from various points of view. It is a limitless city with natural, artistic, archaeological beauties, great appeal. It really offers a lot.”
The restrictions
The damage also relates to business since there are those who have made their base in the city to do business and evaluate investments in the area. With the new rules, to be very clear, not even the loyal Dolce and Gabbana will be able to land with the new boat. Nor think of having a party here like the one they organized a few years ago which brought dozens of ships over 30 feet to Naples and in a few days moved millions, money from which the whole Gulf benefited.