Antonio Lefebvre d’Ovidio, the founder of Silversea Cruises, passed away on February 5, 2011.

Antonio Lefebvre was born in 1913 and was a maritime lawyer and professor before acquiring cargo ships and ferries in the Adriatic. He later owned Sitmar Cruises which was merged with Princess Cruises in 1988.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Lefebvre had a vision that foresaw an exciting journey through a tantalizing mix of innovation, romance and passion. The vision was a cruise line so far ahead of anything that had gone before that it would create a whole new category for itself in ultra-luxury, six-star cruising. Today that vision is known as Silversea Cruises.