On Board the Secretive $40M Superyacht Owned by the Second-Richest Man in Italy

Built for him, Moneikos never became a charter yacht, as many millionaire-owned pleasure craft do. This treasured toy with a noble DNA has stayed in the family and wasn’t replaced by something flashier, demonstrating its owner’s consistency and discrete spirit.

The man who is currently considered Italy’s richest, Giovanni Ferrero, inherited his father’s chocolate empire, the famous maker of Nutella. Leonardo Del Vecchio, occupying the second place, is a self-made billionaire. He wasn’t born into a rich and famous family – on the contrary, his widowed mother had to send him to an orphanage when he was still a young child. Now, at age 87, he is one of the wealthiest people in the world (ranked #51 by Forbes).

He founded his eyewear company when he was only 25 years old, after having learned about eyewear while he was apprenticing at a car and eyewear parts factory and attending a design school at the same time. Luxottica is now considered the world’s largest glasses and lenses manufacturer, making glasses for numerous luxury brands, such as Chanel and Burberry.

His beautiful Moneikos was born in 2006. Already the owner of a 50-meter (164-foot) yacht from the prestigious Codecasa Italian brand, Del Vecchio decided to upgrade. A 62-meter (203-foot) vessel with the same name was built at the Viareggio shipyard. The yard’s engineers worked with Anna Dellarole of Della Role Design, to deliver the striking ship that was said to cost $40 million at the time.

The five-deck yacht designed to offer Del Vecchio’s family even more space and comfort was built with a steel hull and a lighter, aluminum superstructure, also featuring precious woods such as dark African wenge for the floors and light maple for the walls. Its interior was described as “peaceful” and “Zen-like,” due to the minimalistic, ultra-modern approach.

Moneikos’ most striking features are the large rectangular windows and the contrasting dark strips that accentuate each level of the superstructure – as the Superyacht magazine points out, these features make it look like an ancient Mesopotamian tower (ziggurat). Hand-lacquered ceilings and monochromatic bathrooms add to the sophisticated style.

On the sundeck, an impressive gym with large sliding doors opens onto the sunbathing area. Here, an oversized swimming pool fitted with a continuous-flow generator (for aqua-therapy) is surrounded by a lavish seating area. Underneath this space, on the upper deck, is where the owner’s suite and the main dining room are located. The suite features a walk-in closet, a sprawling bathroom, and offers gorgeous 180-degree views. The dining room can seat up to 16 guests, with food being sent up by a silent dumbwaiter from the well-equipped galley.

A beautiful staircase and an elevator connect all the decks. Moving on to the main deck, which is the largest, we would find some of the seven guest cabins. All of them feature en-suite bathrooms, private lounges, and writing desks. According to the Superyacht magazine, this deck is also dedicated to kids, who get to enjoy their own dining room and a relaxation room. The babysitter’s cabin and the laundry room are also located here.

The rest of the guest cabins are placed on the lower deck, as well as the crew cabins, and the tender garage. Finally, the engine room houses the twin 2,450 hp Caterpillar engines that allow Moneikos to hit up to 17 knots (19.5 mph/31.4 kph).

At an economical speed of 14 knots (16 mph/26 kph) Moneikos can cover 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles/11,112 km). This is possible also thanks to the three generators (plus a fourth emergency one) and desalination system that keeps the fresh water supply at optimal levels.

The Italian luxury brand’s seventh-largest superyacht, Moneikos proves to be fitted for a billionaire even after almost two decades. Younger superyachts may be flashier, but there’s a reason why the elegance of these old-school private luxury toys is considered timeless. It will be up to Del Vecchio’s heirs in the future to decide whether Moneikos will stay in the family even longer.