Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot Friday at a sumptuous ceremony with the rich and famous on an island in Venice’s lagoon, out of the sight and sound of protesters.<\/p>\n
“This city seems impossible! It can’t exist and yet, here it is!” an enchanted Bezos told a La Repubblica journalist Thursday who got close to the magnate as he whizzed around the canals by boat.<\/p>\n
But protesters had a different view, wondering how long Venice can endure: While the billionaires party, activists say the fragile city is sinking, overrun by tourists, and a victim of depopulation as locals unable to pay soaring rents are forced out.<\/p>\n
“No Kings, No Bezos” read a sign in green neon projected on the St Mark’s Campanile tower on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Sanchez late Friday posted a photo on Instagram — under a new name, laurensanchezbezos — showing her in a long flowing white dress and him in black tie, though it did not provide any indication where it was taken.<\/p>\n
Bezos and Sanchez, a former news anchor and entertainment reporter, celebrated their nuptials with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.<\/p>\n
The tech magnate, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge.<\/p>\n
Other A-list guests are staying at the Gritti Palace and the St. Regis.<\/p>\n
The couple exchanged vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore Friday afternoon, according to Italian media reports.<\/p>\n
The wedding is thought to have taken place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from Venice’s iconic St Mark’s Square.<\/p>\n
The newlyweds were to be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, son of the famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, reports said.<\/p>\n
Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino prepared the wedding dinner, while the cake has been made by French pastry chef Cedric Grolet, the Corriere della Sera said.<\/p>\n
Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.<\/p>\n
Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan’s Queen Rania, French luxury goods executive Francois-Henri Pinault, American football player Tom Brady, US fashion designer Spencer Antle, the singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n
The guests reportedly lunched Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista.<\/p>\n
The celebrations are set to end Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse.<\/p>\n
Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto’s regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans.<\/p>\n
Venice’s oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century “fishermen’s biscuits” for party bags that will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass.<\/p>\n
Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner.<\/p>\n
“They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass,” Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had a go at blowing glass.<\/p>\n
Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.<\/p>\n
Some say this wedding too brings good business.<\/p>\n
Italy’s tourism ministry said Friday it expected the wedding to bring the city nearly one billion euros, with about 895 million of that estimated to come from the “media visibility” generated.<\/p>\n
But critics say Bezos, one of the world’s richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers, is different.<\/p>\n
“Tax Billionaires”, read protest signs along canals.<\/p>\n
“In the time it takes you to read this, Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased by more than your monthly salary”, they read in English and Italian.<\/p>\n
Environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets — at least 95 — bringing the rich and famous to the city.<\/p>\n
But Samuel Silvestri, a 55-year-old salesman, welcomed the extravaganza.<\/p>\n
“Over-tourism is caused by those people who come with a backpack and their own food, and contribute very little,” he said, “not those who transform Venice into a mini-Monte Carlo. This marriage helps the image of the city.”<\/p>\n
Italy’s health ministry has issued a red heat alert for Venice for the weekend, part of a heatwave affecting much of southern Europe.<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 Agence France-Presse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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