A Molotov cocktail scorched the
entrance to a villa owned by a Russian couple in coastal
southern Tuscany on Sunday night, police said Monday.
The fire bomb started a blaze at the entrance to Villa Pontello
at Castiglioncello near Livorno, owned by a 39-year-old Russian
builder who restructured the building and who spends time there
with his wife during their holidays.
Police said the attack, which caused slight damage, may have
been a copy cat incident after similar incidents involving
Russian property in Italy after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The builder, who is said to have various construction and
property assets in Italy, and his wife were not in the property
when the attack happened.
He has another villa which he is restructuring at
Castiglioncello.
Neighbours who were alarmed by the flames called police.
The villa which was attacked bears the name of the Pontellos, a
family of Florentine building entrepreneurs who owned soccer
club Fiorentina in the 1980s and '90s.
The family sold the villa to a professional in the early 2000s,
who sold it on to the Russian builder about eight years ago,
reportedly for some seven million euros.
Villa Pontello borders Villa Godilonda, a seaside residence once
owned by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio.
A fire broke out overnight on April 5-6 at a Lake
Como villa at Menaggio belonging to Russian television presenter
Vladimir Solovyev, a major supporter of Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
The villa has been seized by the Italian authorities as part of
the sanctions imposed on Russia following Moscow's invasion of
Ukraine.
Arson is suspected as tyres were used to start the fire, sources
said.
The blaze was quickly put out by firefighters, the sources
added.
Someone wrote 'V. Solovyev killer' and 'no war' in red paint on
a gate, daubed red paint on the walls of another villa, and put
red paint in the swimming pool, Carabinieri said.
The anchorman had recently fulminated on air against the seizure
of his three villas on the lake worth some eight million euros.
One of the other villas was also vandalised.
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