Latest news with #VeniceCanals
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Billionaire Jeff Bezos marries Lauren Sanchez in lavish Venice ceremony
The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancee Lauren Sanchez, who have travelled into space, and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Friday. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Sánchez Bezos (@laurensanchezbezos) One of the world's most enchanting cities as a backdrop? Check. Star-studded guest list and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavour? You bet. And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night, and Sanchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man. Advertisement It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land. Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Sánchez Bezos (@laurensanchezbezos) The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall. Advertisement Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colourful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialised as of Friday. Instead, the glitterati were partying and the paparazzi were jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. On Friday afternoon, Sanchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony on Friday night. Bezos followed two hours later. Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio and more. Advertisement Kim and Khloe Kardashian leave a hotel ahead of the wedding celebrations of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez (Luigi Costantini/AP) Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera. There are some who say these two shouldn't have been married in this city. They characterise the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change. Advertisement Stella Faye, a researcher at a university in Venice, said: 'Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there.' About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attended the wedding (Antonio Calanni/AP) Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash. Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought. 'There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony,' Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, told the AP. 'All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs and hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.' As Amazon's chief executive, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today, he has a net worth of 234 billion dollars, according to Forbes. Protests included a mannequin, resembling Jeff Bezos, being floated in a canal in Venice (Click News via AP) In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sanchez, a former TV news anchor. Sanchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos's divorce was finalised. He stepped down as chief executive of Amazon in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin; The Washington Post, which he owns; and his philanthropic initiatives. Sitting beside Sanchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos's Earth Fund was supporting its work with an 'important donation'. Corila, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos mocked over 'cringe' wedding invitation that 'looks like it was made by a 10-year-old'
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are tying the knot this week in Venice, Italy, during what's expected to be a lavish, multi-day celebration. It's believed their wedding will be attended by a slew of Hollywood stars, business moguls, and political figures. And while the nuptials - which will reportedly be attended by some 200 guests - are set to be a luxe experience, one element has been criticised. A copy of part of an invitation that was sent out by the couple has been obtained by ABC News, with some saying it looks like it could have been made by a 10-year-old. The document, which is decorated with whimsical cartoon images says: 'We're excited for you to join us! We have one early request: please, no gifts The invitationalso features what appear to be computer-generated §designs of butterflies, doves, the Venice canals, gondolas, and feathers in purple, gray and pink-hues. It adds: 'Instead, we're making contributions in your honor and with gratitude to you for making the journey to celebrate with us in Venice. 'Donations on your behalf are being made to the UNESCO Venice Office to safeguard the city's irreplaceable cultural heritage, to CORILA to restore the lagoon habitats that protect Venice's future, and to Venice International University to support research and education for sustainable solutions.' The document continues: 'This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories. 'Our hope is that through these efforts and by you joining us, Venice will continue to inspire wonder for generations to come.' Despite the invitation's positive message, many were critical of the design - with some saying it looked cheap. One commentator said: 'Was the invitation made in microsoft paint?' Another agreed, adding: 'Wow what an ugly announcement/invitation. With all the money he has they could have at least done something pretty and classy.' In a similar vein, a third wrote: 'What in the Microsoft Paint is this? They couldn't afford an illustrator?' 'Did chat GPT make the invite?' another asked. 'Wow! Did they just send an evite for their multi million dollar wedding?' asked another. One strongly worded criticism said: 'That invite is atrocious. Onviously, money can't buy taste or class.' 'Canva for the win,' a further X (former Twitter) user joked. Another social media user wrote: 'Why does it look so goofy?' And another added: 'when you're one of the richest people on the planet but can't afford a Canva Premium template for your wedding invite.' The couple have caused some controversy by holding their wedding in Venice - something that was highlighted in the invitation's note that the couple would be making donations to 'the UNESCO Venice Office to safeguard the city's irreplaceable cultural heritage, to CORILA to restore the lagoon habitats that protect Venice's future, and to Venice International University to support research and education for sustainable solutions'. Despite this, their arrival in Venice has been far from smooth sailing and the couple is being plagued by protesters who are furious the needs of local residents are allegedly being sidelined to make way for wealthy tourists. Bezos is worth around $224.6 billion and is thought to be spending tens of millions on his wedding. 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,' one gigantic banner read in St. Mark's Square. Greenpeace and the UK-based collective Everyone Hates Elon have joined protests in Venice attempting to disrupt, or even prevent, the planned wedding celebrations of Amazon founder Bezos this week. 'Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1 percent true tax rate,' the two groups said in a joint statement. 'The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5million.' A spokesperson from Everyone Hates Elon said: 'As governments talk about hard choices and struggle to fund public services, Jeff Bezos can afford to shut down half a city for days on end just to get married.' However, Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have spoken out in favour of the nuptials, which have been dubbed, 'the wedding of the century,' pointing out that the celebrations are expected to bring $23-34million to local businesses. 'This is a city that handles 150,000 people a day,' Zaia told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. 'George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.' Bezos has also pledged to make sizable charity donations, including $1.16million to Corila - an academic consortium dedicated to studying Venice's lagoon ecosystem - according to Corriere della Sera and Italy's ANSA news agency.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Crocodile fears see Jeff Bezos alter his Venice wedding plans
Campaigners in Venice have claimed victory after Jeff Bezos was reportedly forced to change the venue for his wedding celebrations in the city as his guests started arriving on Tuesday for the three-day jamboree. The main reception for the wedding of Mr Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, a former TV journalist, was due to be held in the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a majestic 16th-century building in the city centre. But according to the No Space for Bezos group, the couple relented after activists threatened to fill the canals with inflatable crocodiles to block their celebrity guests from entering. The event will instead take place in Arsenale, a historic complex of shipyards surrounded by fortified walls that will be much harder for the protesters to penetrate. READ MORE According to local press reports, the venue switch was also due to security concerns after the US joined the war between Israel and Iran, especially because Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, arrived in Venice on Tuesday. The authorities in Venice have upped security across the city, particularly in the Jewish neighbourhood. The 200 or so wedding guests – who may also include Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Leonardo DiCaprio – will arrive in Venice on Tuesday and Wednesday. An estimated 95 private planes are reported to be landing at the city's airport. No precise dates or details have been confirmed, although it is believed the celebrations will begin on Thursday, with the couple exchanging vows on Friday in San Giorgio Maggiore basilica on the Venetian island of the same name. The big party is expected to be held on Saturday. Activists said that instead of trying to stop the wedding, they will organise a 'no Bezos, no war' march. 'We feel as if we scored a victory,' said one activist, who asked not to be named. 'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city – this is why the venue was changed even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.' The campaign group emerged soon after Venice's millionaire mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, confirmed in March that the couple would be getting married in the city. Protesters say the event risks turning the world heritage site, which has long suffered from the effects of excessive tourism, into a playground for the rich. Posters featuring an image of Mr Bezos's head on a rocket blasting into space – in reference to his Blue Origin space tourism venture – have appeared across the city. Greenpeace Italia and the British activist group Everyone Hates Elon have also joined the protests, unfurling a huge banner in St Mark's Square on Monday with a picture of Mr Bezos laughing and a sign reading: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.' Greenpeace said the initiative was aimed at highlighting the 'social and climate injustice' of such events. 'Bezos embodies an economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse,' Greenpeace said, arguing that lifestyles fuelled by 'the arrogance of a few billionaires' are devastating for the planet. Mr Brugnaro said he was ashamed of those who protest against people who 'bring riches' to the city. – Guardian
CBC
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Venetians plan to march in the streets, swim in the canals to disrupt Jeff Bezos's wedding
When the world's third richest man ties the knot in Venice this week, Federica Toninello plans to be just outside, having a swim in the canal. Toninello is one of hundreds of protesters who are doing whatever they can to disrupt Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's lavish nuptials in Venice, an Italian city that activists say prioritizes the desires of wealthy tourists over the needs of its own residents. As about 200 high-profile guests arrive in Venice, booking up huge swaths of luxury hotel rooms and water taxis, the demonstrators intend to block the streets and the waterways near the purported wedding venue. "We are going put our bodies in the canals of Venice," Toninello told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. "There are going to also be some boats. Whatever can float, we are going to use it." Bezos 'represents the future that we don't want' Bezos, 61, will wed former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, 55, this week after getting engaged in 2023. The couple have not publicly released any details about the event, but local media outlets report there will be three days of festivities across the city, likely between June 26-28. The New York Times, citing unconfirmed reports in Italian newspapers, identifies likely wedding event locations as Lido beach, where the Venice Film Festival is held; the entire island of San Giorgio, which is usually a public space; and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a restored Renaissance building and event space. The latter is where activists believe the pair will say their vows — and that's where Toninello plans to make her splash, literally. While Venice's mayor and some business owners have lauded the wedding as a source of income for the city, other Venetians are making it clear the couple are not welcome by unfurling massive banners in public areas and plastering the city with anti-Bezos posters. Toninello is with the protest group No Space for Bezos, a collaboration of about a dozen Venetian organizations including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and student activists. The group's name is reference to Bezos's space technology company, Blue Origin, which recently launched a rocket with an all-female crew that included the bride-to-be. Toninello says the group's main goal is to draw attention to the effects of over-tourism in Venice, which she says has driven up housing costs and forced Venetian residents to pack up and leave. They are calling on the government to invest in education, environmental protections and affordable housing to rebuild the dwindling local population. "Tourism is not something that brings richness to the people. It's something that brings richness only to few people, and most of the time these people also do not live in Venice," Toninello said. But she says they are also protesting Bezos, himself. She accused the billionaire of paying less than his fair share in taxes, and getting rich off the backs of the working poor. "He represents the future that we don't want to live in," she said. Bezos did not respond to a request for comment. Ahead of the wedding, he made a charitable donation to Corila, a Venetian environmental research association, through his philanthropic organization, the Bezos Earth Fund Corila wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating, but noted contacts began in April, well before the protests started. Businesses, politicians welcome the couple The environmental group Greenpeace is also protesting the wedding. Activists from Greenpeace Italy and U.K. group "Everyone Hates Elon" — referring to Tesla owner and former U.S. President Donald Trump ally, Elon Musk — unfolded a giant banner in central St. Mark's Square featuring a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax." "The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system," Simona Abbate, one of the protesters, told Reuters. "We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure." But not everyone is opposed to the multi-million-dollar extravaganza. Antonio Rosa Salva, whose pastry business is one of several local vendors supplying the wedding, said events like this bring "quality tourism" to the city. "I don't see how an event with 200 people can create disruption," Salva said. "It's responsible tourism. It's prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city." Regional governor Luca Zaia said the wedding will bring an economic windfall to local businesses, including the motor boats and gondolas that operate its myriad canals. He said the celebrations were expected to cost 20-30 million euros ($31-$47 million Cdn). Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro lambasted the protesters while addressing reporters in Venice on Friday, according to CNN. "We will have to apologize to Bezos," the mayor said. "I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters." Toninello balked at the mayor's comments.
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How to skip the tourist traps at the Venice Biennale: where to stay and what to eat, drink and see – from cicchetti and natural wines to the ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective' exhibition
As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Venice is, unsurprisingly, also one of the most polarising. Known in equal measure for its gorgeous, winding canals as for its expensive gondola rides, this is a city whose most compelling secrets are revealed only to those who actually take the time to research what's going on beneath its touristy surface. Tourists sail on a gondola along a canal in Venice. Photo: AFP Luckily, Venice also benefits from a vibrant arts and culture scene – one that's among the best in the world by modern standards. Historically, the city played a hugely influential role during the Italian Renaissance period and many relics of this legacy – from outstanding architecture to Murano glassware and Venetian paintings – still stand as major tourist draws today. And in 1895, the city played host to the very first Venice Biennale, now the oldest cultural exhibition of its kind in the world. Advertisement People visit the main exhibition, titled 'Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.' and curated by Italian architect-engineer Carlo Ratti, at the Corderie dell'Arsenale, on May 7. Photo: EPA-EFE The 19th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture – which opened on May 10 – runs until November 23 of this year. It's a prime moment for visitors seeking an alternative view of the city, focusing on its best arts and culture and eschewing the busy crowds of St Mark's Basilica and the Rialto Bridge. We're here to help you sift through what's really worth seeing, eating and drinking in this cultural capital of truly discreet – if not quite hidden – gems. Stay at Ca' di Dio Ca' di Dio is a charming, characterful hotel with views of the Venetian Lagoon. Photo: @cadidio_/Instagram An unassuming hotel occupying prime real estate just a 10-minute walk from St Mark's Square, Ca' di Dio boasts some of the best views on this side of the Venetian Lagoon from a discreet location along the popular Riva degli Schiavoni promenade. Don't be fooled by its relatively demure exteriors, however. This humble haven has plenty of character dating back to the 13th century. Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola brought much of this historic charm to life upon renovation, converting the former chapel into an impressive lobby that's equal parts expansive and intimate, with high ceilings, a healthy dose of natural light, and carefully curated artworks and coffee table books. The central courtyard provides much-needed respite from the heat of summer. This is an art lovers' hotel through and through, and the rooms feel somewhat like an art deco bohemian's paradise, contrary to the more stately and classical feel afforded by much of Venice's architecture. Red marble countertops in the bathroom and Murano lamps with a retro feel give the suites a truly lived-in atmosphere that you won't find at many of the city's more extravagant hotels. Accessible via private water taxi or the Arsenale ferry station, the hotel is the perfect home base from which to explore the Biennale, centrally located between its two most prominent venues, the Arsenale and the Giardini. Savour some cicchetti at Nevodi
