Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, was sighted on holiday in Turkey, on board the “Lana”, the Italian-made gigayacht built by Benetti in Livorno.

According to local Turkish sources, including the “Daily Sabah,” Bill Gates visited the south-west coast of Turkey, during a cruise around the Aegean, on board the luxury gigayacht, Lana, together with the logistics support catamaran, Wayfinder. Lana, flying the Caymen Islands flag, was anchored off the coast of Kuşadasi, in the western province of Aydin.

The m/y Lana, 107 metres long, with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, was delivered in 2020 to its owner, and won the “Yacht of the Year” award for vessels over 270 feet. Its beam is 15.2 metres and it has a gross tonnage of 3,900 tonnes. It is equipped with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system and offers its passengers a large pool, a helicopter landing pad, a spa and a number of toys and tenders. The cost, for a week’s charter, would be around 1.8 million euros.

Also according to the “Daily Sabah”, after relaxing on board, Bill Gates flew by helicopter to the “Meryemana House” the home of the Virgin Mary, in the Selçuk district of Izmir, a Turkish city in the west where it is believed the Assumption of the Virgin Mary took place. This is the second time the American billionaire has visited this sacred place (although the Vatican has never confirmed it): the first time was in 2005, together with his ex-wife.

Gates was seen in Turkey also in July of this year, when he dined with friends in the tourist town of Bodrum. The Lana was in roads for quite a while, clearly visible and recognisable, thanks to its unmistakable shape. Liguria Nautica “met” the Benetti gigayacht when it was docked in the Port of Genoa, where we made a video of it.

Giuseppe Orrù