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| Bezos Wedding Base: The Aman Venice, set inside Palazzo Papadopoli on the Grand Canal Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy) It is astonishing to witness the almost non-stop English-language news about the Bezos wedding unfolding right in front of our eyes here in Venice. The media has taken frenzied reports about the Bezos wedding to a new level and warped reality into something unrecognizable. You would think nothing else was happening on the planet these days (like the US bombing Iran's nuclear sites, war in Ukraine, genocide in Gaza, etc.).
Reality check: the average person walking the calli of Venice would not know there was a celebrity wedding going on. It is not impacting everyday life in Venice the way over-tourism and the lack of affordable housing does.
Besides, everyday in life in Venice often includes yachts and celebrities arriving for events like the Venice Film Festival and the opening of the Venice Art and Architecture Biennale. Throughout the decades, every major Hollywood star from Clark Gable to Paul Newman to Timothée Chalamet has been in the lagoon. Weddings take place every day in Venice -- getting married in the lagoon is the dream of many couples.
Reality check: the average person walking the calli of Venice would not know there was a celebrity wedding going on. It is not impacting everyday life in Venice the way over-tourism and the lack of affordable housing does.
Besides, everyday in life in Venice often includes yachts and celebrities arriving for events like the Venice Film Festival and the opening of the Venice Art and Architecture Biennale. Throughout the decades, every major Hollywood star from Clark Gable to Paul Newman to Timothée Chalamet has been in the lagoon. Weddings take place every day in Venice -- getting married in the lagoon is the dream of many couples.
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| Paul Newman in Venice, 1963 Photo:Vittorio Pavan |
In 2014, the Clooney wedding took place in the same place as the Bezos wedding, at Palazzo Papadopoli. Instead of protests, a group of locals used the extra media attention to form the Unlock Your Love project. We went around Venice snapping off hundreds of "love" locks that ignorant tourists had attached to Venice's bridges.
In 2011, Lanza & Baucina, the same wedding planners that did the Bezos wedding, designed the billionaire Agarwal wedding, complete with elephant and Shakira, and no one said a word.
In 2009, Salma Hayek had her big second-wedding bash with billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault and a bunch of celebrities, including Bono. The week after, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla arrived, with Charles contemplating "living like a Venetian" for a time.
Ten years ago in June 2015, when Michele Obama, her mother, and daughters visited Venice, Les Wexner's notorious superyacht Limitless appeared in the lagoon at the same time. .
The point is that celebrities and dignitaries and billionaires arrive in Venice all the time, and it's been that way for millennia. It is a significant venue on the world stage. In 1433, Cosimo de' Medici, then the world's richest man, stayed in the Benedictine monastery on the very Island of San Giorgio Maggiore where the Bezos wedding took place when he was exiled from Florence. Medici was so rich that he was credited for kickstarting the Renaissance.
And Jakob Fugger (1459-1525), also known as Jakob the Rich, came of age in Venice at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Fugger's wealth adjusted to 2015 was estimated to be around $400 billion. Fugger was so rich that he loaned the Vatican the money to build St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.
The point is that celebrities and dignitaries and billionaires arrive in Venice all the time, and it's been that way for millennia. It is a significant venue on the world stage. In 1433, Cosimo de' Medici, then the world's richest man, stayed in the Benedictine monastery on the very Island of San Giorgio Maggiore where the Bezos wedding took place when he was exiled from Florence. Medici was so rich that he was credited for kickstarting the Renaissance.
And Jakob Fugger (1459-1525), also known as Jakob the Rich, came of age in Venice at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Fugger's wealth adjusted to 2015 was estimated to be around $400 billion. Fugger was so rich that he loaned the Vatican the money to build St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.
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| Random tourists kiss for Unlock Your Love project during 2014 Clooney wedding Photo: Cat Bauer |
A few days later, the locals were joined by professional outside activists, who know a good protest opportunity when they see one. The outsiders brought professional banners to promote their own causes. The media mistakenly reported that those outside protestors were locals, which they were not.
When I told one Venetian woman, a hotel owner, I was going to write something about the wedding, she said, "Tell them that Venetians are used to aristocrats shopping next to them at the market. After the flood in November 2012, everyone helped each other, rich and poor. I don't know a single Venetian who agrees with the protestors. They are only two people and basta. We don't care."
Personally, I think there is plenty of space for Bezos, and I am glad that the lagoon is still a crucial spot on the global chessboard. Venice knows how to host popes and emperors, kings and queens, sheiks, high-level forums, and G7 summits. A bunch of billionaires already own a bunch of property here.
It seemed that Bezos wedding suddenly was the topic of every podcast. The only pundit who appeared to have some wisdom and know the significance of Venice as a venue was Walter Kirn, on The Meghan Kelly Show. Kirn said:
"It was a Las Vegas wedding held against the backdrop of a civilized European city. It probably should have been held in the Las Vegas version of Venice, rather than the real version...
"Venice is a city of great commercial enterprise. It was a very rich city. All the ships of the world went out from Venice. The banking of the world was centered there. So, this is an attempt to take over with a new class the sort of old world charisma of this wonderful place.
"...Everybody looked tacky. As you say, the guest list seemed to have been chosen by a PR firm...
"The great irony, and it's only known to some people over-educated like me, is that the ruler of Venice and the great palace of Venice was called the Doge. Remember that? The Doge Palace. The Doge of Venice. Where have we heard that word? ...I think that Elon and Jeff, as they are in space, are engaged in a coded confrontation...uh, competition with each other beyond all of our heads to be the world's billionaire..."
Another interesting note is that the reason that the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas even exists is because the late Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam Adelson, "the prolific pro-Israel donor" who gave $100 million to the Trump campaign, had their honeymoon here in Venice. They went back to Las Vegas, imploded the Sands Hotel, and completed the Venetian Resort in 1999. I remember at the time there was a lot of commotion about Las Vegas wanting to exploit the revered Lion of San Marco, the powerful symbol of Venice, for commercial purposes.
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| Michelangelo river boat & Were Dreams yacht in Venice lagoon Photo: Cat Bauer |
I think yachts liven up the lagoon and am happy to see them here where we can keep an eye on them. There are yachts in Venice all the time. And it is not true that the yachts were taking up all the berths. Docked in front of the Were Dreams yacht was the riverboat Michelangelo. You regulars will remember that a similar riverboat, the River Countess, was slammed by the massive MSC Opera Cruise ship five years ago back in June 2019. Now, the River Countess has transformed into the S.S. La Venezia, completely redesigned with custom Fortuny fabrics and Murano glass elements, and the cruise ships are no longer barrelling down the Giudecca Canal.
In fact, I've always supported the No Grandi Navi movement and Tommaso Cacciari, one of the protest leaders, as did masses of locals. I first covered the No Grandi Navi protests back in 2012, which felt organic and true. In 2015, I translated photographer Gianni Berengo Gardin’s open letter to the mayor of Venice when his cruise ship exhibition was forced to change venues. Back then there were real outside forces that latched onto the protests and tried to create division in Venice.
These days, Cacciari seems to be part of the No Space for Bezos protests, which, to me, seem engineered and manufactured. Again, I feel that Venetians are being used by outside forces to create a narrative. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. I mentioned this to a prominent Venetian Friday evening at a local event, and he said that he agreed and could not wait for the wedding to be over.
In fact, I've always supported the No Grandi Navi movement and Tommaso Cacciari, one of the protest leaders, as did masses of locals. I first covered the No Grandi Navi protests back in 2012, which felt organic and true. In 2015, I translated photographer Gianni Berengo Gardin’s open letter to the mayor of Venice when his cruise ship exhibition was forced to change venues. Back then there were real outside forces that latched onto the protests and tried to create division in Venice.
These days, Cacciari seems to be part of the No Space for Bezos protests, which, to me, seem engineered and manufactured. Again, I feel that Venetians are being used by outside forces to create a narrative. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. I mentioned this to a prominent Venetian Friday evening at a local event, and he said that he agreed and could not wait for the wedding to be over.
The anti-Bezos protestors claimed victory when one of the wedding venues was changed from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia to Arsenale. The protests may have had something to do with it, but I don't think that was the main reason for the venue change.
On June 22, 2025, the US bombed three of Iran's nuclear sites as part of the Iran-Israel war. That same day, Bezos had a pre-wedding foam party on his yacht, Koru docked off the coast of Croatia.
On June 23, in response to the US attack, at about 7pm local time Iran launched missiles at the US military base in Qatar, a neutral country.
Did you know there are two military bases about an hour outside Venice? The US Army Garrison is in Vicenza, and the US Air Force base is in Aviano. Fun fact: B61 nuclear bombs are stored in underground storage systems inside aircraft shelters at Aviano.
On June 23, the wedding venue was changed from Misericordia to Arsenale, which, to me, is a much nicer (and safer) location. The ancient shipyard is funky and full of life because La Biennale is always doing something interesting inside the space, like dance, theater, and music performances. It converts to a press room during Art and Architecture openings. In fact, last year, Diane von Furstenburg had her DVF Awards at Arsenale, complete with excellent dinner -- I ran into Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King in the ladies room!
Very early on June 24, President Donald Trump negotiated a rocky ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He declared that the official end to what should be called "THE 12 DAY WAR" would occur in approximately 6 hours.
Later on June 24, the ceasefire had been violated by both Israel and Iran. Trump was furious, and told reporters, "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing."
About midnight on June 24, 2025, THE 12 DAY WAR between Israel and Iran ended with a ceasefire.
On June 22, 2025, the US bombed three of Iran's nuclear sites as part of the Iran-Israel war. That same day, Bezos had a pre-wedding foam party on his yacht, Koru docked off the coast of Croatia.
On June 23, in response to the US attack, at about 7pm local time Iran launched missiles at the US military base in Qatar, a neutral country.
Did you know there are two military bases about an hour outside Venice? The US Army Garrison is in Vicenza, and the US Air Force base is in Aviano. Fun fact: B61 nuclear bombs are stored in underground storage systems inside aircraft shelters at Aviano.
On June 23, the wedding venue was changed from Misericordia to Arsenale, which, to me, is a much nicer (and safer) location. The ancient shipyard is funky and full of life because La Biennale is always doing something interesting inside the space, like dance, theater, and music performances. It converts to a press room during Art and Architecture openings. In fact, last year, Diane von Furstenburg had her DVF Awards at Arsenale, complete with excellent dinner -- I ran into Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King in the ladies room!
Very early on June 24, President Donald Trump negotiated a rocky ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He declared that the official end to what should be called "THE 12 DAY WAR" would occur in approximately 6 hours.
Later on June 24, the ceasefire had been violated by both Israel and Iran. Trump was furious, and told reporters, "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing."
About midnight on June 24, 2025, THE 12 DAY WAR between Israel and Iran ended with a ceasefire.
On June 25, the Bezos wedding guests started arriving, including President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, her husband, Jared Kushner, and their three children. A gaggle of Kardashians arrived. Jerry Seinfield(?!). Leonardo DiCaprio. Bill Gates. The eclectic list of wedding guests went on and on. With so many prominent potential American targets concentrated in one space, security needed to be top level — especially with the protestors adding an extra challenge.
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| Media covering Bezos wedding - Photo: Cat Bauer |
"Germany. Where are you from?"
"I'm American, but I live here. I'm a writer. Why are you here? Why all the media attention?"
The fellow chuckled. "Good question. They sent me here for three days and put me up in a very nice hotel, which is not cheap. This is not something that I usually cover. I'll talk to you in a second because right now I'm going on air and need to focus."
I waited.
After a few minutes, he took a breath. "They're coming back to me so I still can't talk."
"Just two quick questions, and then I'll leave. How long ago did they give you this assignment?"
"A day, but that's normal."
"What do you usually cover?"
"The war in Ukraine. Bombing in Iran. Gaza. Stuff like that."
"That's what I thought. Thanks. Have fun!"
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| Aman Venice, prime location: Grand Canal at Rialto Photo: Cat Bauer |
Something I do agree with the protestors about is that Bezos has way too much money. That is not the fault of Venice -- it is up to the United States to regulate him. The US must change the laws so that one individual cannot accumulate so much wealth. Bezos must pay tax and give back to the country that made him billions. And not just Bezos...
The problem with the protests was that it seemed like someone had come up with the tagline “No Space For Bezos” and then they tried to jam the narrative to fit that framework. "They booked all the water taxis." Not true. "They booked all the 5-star hotels." Not true. The initial protest narrative was just not true -- the wedding did not disrupt everyday life in Venice. However, the international news coverage of the Bezos wedding was a distraction from THE 12 DAY WAR going on in the background.
After the protests managed to focus on the vast discrepancies of wealth between the few and the many, and how billionaires spend their money (does one really need a sailing yacht longer than a football field?), the global conversation became more interesting, and we can thank Venice for that.
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| Gondola in front of Island of San Giorgio Maggiore Photo: Cat Bauer |
The Venetian nobility not only set the rules for the Republic, they also kept each other in check. Legend says that the reason that gondolas are black was because they had become too ostentatious when families tried to outdo each other with their wealth.
From the book, Venice, A Documentary History 1450-1630, edited by David Chambers and Brian Pullan:
"English travellers were impressed by the tendency of Venetian...nobles to go in for conspicuous investment in building or parks, in things that lasted and could be kept in families, rather than for conspicuous consumption on clothing, feasting and large retinues of servants."
Since 1299, laws had been issued to restrain ostentation and lavish spending. By 1515, things had gotten so far out of hand that a special magistracy was created by the Venetian Senate to enforce them.
"A MAGISTRACY TO ADMINISTER SUMPTUARY LAWS, 1515
It can be plainly seen, and it has come to our attention, that in the city of Venice there is much gross and unnecessary expenditure on meals and banquets, on the adornment of women, and on the decoration of houses, so that fortunes are squandered and a bad example is set to those who seek to live modestly. It is proper, therefore, especially in these hard times, to make every effort to put these matters right, and so do honour to the majesty of God."
By 1562, wedding feasts themselves were regulated by the Venetian government.
"THE REGULATION OF BANQUETS, 1562
From a Senate decree of 8 October 1562
BE IT THEREFORE DETERMINED that, at nuptial feasts, at banquets for public and private parties, and indeed at any meal of meat, not more than one course of roast and one of boiled meat may be provided... Wild birds and animals, Indian cocks and hens, and doves shall be strictly forbidden... Oysters may be served only at private meals for twenty persons or less, and not at larger banquets or feasts..."
The impossible city of Venice was born over 1,600 years ago in the
middle of a lagoon, the product of the powerful creativity and ingenuity
of humankind.
I like to believe that the sacred majesty of
Venice's architecture, built on the highest principles by enlightened
beings, affects the souls those who visit. It's good for the spirit just
to walk the twists and turns of the ancient labyrinth of Venice.
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| Vintage Amazon Mouse Pad |
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos and his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, back on July 5, 1994, when the Internet was tiny and squealy. The majority of the public wasn't online, but writers were, and MacKenzie Scott was a writer. When Amazon first starting selling books online back in 1995, many of its first customers were writers. We thought it was revolutionary and cool.
Amazon was so small back then that it gave a Christmas present to all of us who had bought a book that first year: a mouse pad with a quote by Groucho Marx:
Outside of a dog,
a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog,
it's too dark to read.
Groucho Marx
I'll bet the mouse pad gift was MacKenzie Scott's idea. Maybe it was Jeff's, but if not, he did go along with it. The good will of writers gave Amazon a strong foundation, and we loved being appreciated with a mouse pad. It was a novel gift back then.
Venice was told by the media how Bezos had used mostly local businesses to execute the wedding, including goodie bags for the wedding guests from the
Venetian pasticceria, Rosa Salva.
You know what I think would be a nice gesture of appreciation? If Bezos bought all the residents of Venice (less than 50,000 people) breakfast at any Rosa Salva in the historic center on July 5, the 31st anniversary of the founding of Amazon. Coffee, plus a certain selection of sweets, no takeaway. You must show your carta d'identità as proof of residency.
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| Zaleti from Rosa Salva |
You know what I think would be a nice gesture of appreciation? If Bezos bought all the residents of Venice (less than 50,000 people) breakfast at any Rosa Salva in the historic center on July 5, the 31st anniversary of the founding of Amazon. Coffee, plus a certain selection of sweets, no takeaway. You must show your carta d'identità as proof of residency.
Venetians enjoy Rosa Salva, too.
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
It is astonishing to witness the almost non-stop English-language news about the Bezos wedding unfolding right in front of our eyes here in Venice. The media has taken frenzied reports about the Bezos wedding to a new level and warped reality into something unrecognizable.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, informative article, Cat!
ReplyDelete— Frank Weaver
Thanks for reading, Frank! I still think there is more to this story...
Delete