Fig.: a heavy burden of guilt that becomes an obstacle to success; a heavy burden

 After years of successful management, Mr. Brown is now an albatross round the company's neck, following the flop of his ambitious, expensive and very controversial project

Dopo anni di successi aziendali, il sig. Rossi è diventato un peso per la ditta a causa del fallimento del suo ultimo progetto, molto ambizioso, dispendioso e controverso

My relatives own a little, cozy cottage in the country that was their haven for the weekends, but now that they cannot travel anymore, it has become an albatross around their neck since they cannot either sell it or use it

I miei parenti hanno, in campagna, un cottage carinissimo che si sono sempre goduti durante i fine settimana, ma ora che non possono più viaggiare, la seconda casa è diventata una pietra al collo perché non riescono né a venderla né a sfruttarla

During his campaign for the White House, Ronald Reagan described certain provisions of the Clean Air Act of 1970 as an albatross around the neck of U.S. industry and an impediment to economic growth

Durante la campagna elettorale per la corsa alla Casa Bianca, Ronald Reagan ha paragonato alcune disposizioni del “Clean Air Act” del 1970 come una pietra al collo dell'industria americana e un impedimento alla crescita economica

There's no doubt that owning a castle is very prestigious, but the keeping-up costs are a millstone around my neck and they are just killing me

Avere un castello di famiglia è senz'altro prestigioso, ma i costi di manutenzione sono una pietra al collo e mi stanno ammazzando

This phrase's origins are found in the New Testament, Matthew 18:6:
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Its present figurative use was first recorded in a history of the Quakers (c. 1720)