Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice on Wednesday – kicking off the weekend of the couple's lavish wedding celebrations and taking part in a rage among the anger of some of the world's top celebrities and protesters who see it as a huge gap, a huge gap, a one-percent person.
Bezos and Sanchez waved their hands as they arrived at the dock of the five-star hotel Aman Hotel on the Italian city's Grand Canal, with two safety ships.
It is expected that 90 jets will arrive at the local airport before the weekend event. About 200 guests are expected, including Ivanka Trump and her family, Mick Jagger, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday that blocked the area's lockdown – quarantining guests of militants who have been protesting for weeks, and the celebrations will turn the cities of Gundoras and Palazzi into private amusement parks for the wealthy.
“There is only one thing now: money, money, money, so we are losers,” said Venetian resident Nadia Rigo.
The celebration will begin Thursday night, with an open-air gathering in Madonna Dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central area of Cannaregio known for its lively nightlife, sources close to the matter told Reuters.
The date and location of the wedding itself are still unknown, and some speculate that Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, may have already tied knots at private ceremonies in the United States.
Protesters also spent the whole week in the city. Activists believe that Bezos-Sanchez’s wedding illustrates a wider failure in the city’s political theory. Their concerns are mainly the lack of investment in affordable housing and basic services.
City officials defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro calls the event a honor in Venice, and the city denies that the wedding will cause interruptions.
“Venice once again reveals itself as a global stage,” Brugnaro told the Associated Press, hoping to meet Bezos while he is in town.
