Muggia and the Silver Super Yacht.

During our short stay in Trieste we popped over to Muggia, back to the Istrian Peninsula we had so enjoyed when visiting Rovinj (Croatia) and Piran (Slovenia). Muggia is just a 30 minute ferry ride from Trieste, and the only municipality on the Istrian peninsula that remains within Italian territory.

Muggia è piccola and, as the main museums were closed, it took little time to wander the colourful streets and see the main sights including the Duomo, the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi and a small castle. But we enjoyed our tootle around and the ferry ride there and back on the glistening Adriatic.

The ferry ride also brought home to us the scale of the port of Trieste, the largest port in Italy and an important maritime hub linking the Mediterranean to landlocked European countries.

But one unusual vessel further off the coast caught my eye - a huge sleek silver yacht that must have cost an eye watering sum. The French commented that it’s most likely owned by a Russian oligarch ☺️

On the journey back, I searched ‘silver yacht moored off Trieste’ … and the result:

‘The silver yacht moored off Trieste is Sailing Yacht A, a massive 143-meter luxury vessel that has been impounded by the Italian government since March 2022.

Key Facts About the Yacht
* Owner: The vessel belongs to Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian billionaire subject to European Union sanctions.
* Seizure: Italy's Guardia di Finanza seized the mega-yacht in the port of Trieste following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.
* Design: Designed by famous creator Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug, it features a striking silver hull and three towering carbon-fiber masts.
* Upkeep Costs: The stationery ship remains a financial burden for the Italian state, costing tens of thousands of euros every day just to keep its electrical and air conditioning systems running.’ 🥺

Next stop - Venezia. ❤️ 🇮🇹 ❤️Read more