Venice begs Bezos to save crumbling city

Telegraph

06-05-2025

Venice has appealed to Jeff Bezos to sink some of his wealth into the city to stop it becoming a cultural 'Disneyland'.
The billionaire founder of Amazon is having his star-studded wedding in the Italian city in June. He will marry Lauren Sánchez, a former television journalist, during a three-day event, with the guest list reportedly including Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria and Orlando Bloom.
It will be the biggest celebrity wedding at the World Heritage site since George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin a decade ago.
Politicians in Venice have written an open letter to Mr Bezos, asking him to come to the rescue in one of the city's biggest challenges: a lack of affordable housing.
There has been a dramatic exodus of Venetians in recent decades, with many residents saying they can no longer afford the high property prices and rents.
Councillors want Mr Bezos to make a generous donation towards restoring the many public housing flats that are sitting empty and abandoned.
'Venice's most pressing need is for residents who live here permanently. The city is being overwhelmed by tourism – specifically, overtourism – which is eroding its authenticity,' a group of councillors said in an open letter released on Tuesday.
'Venetians struggle to find available housing, as the overwhelming demand for tourist accommodation has led to the conversion of residential properties into short-term rentals.'
Venice has 'numerous apartments that have remained unoccupied for years' because of a lack of funds to restore them, they said.
Ordinary Venetians, from teachers and firefighters to nurses and shop assistants, cannot afford to live in Venice, they complained.
The idea of Mr Bezos making a large contribution to Venice was first mooted by Diane von Furstenberg, the socialite and fashion designer.
Ms Von Furstenberg, who lives in the city, gave an interview to the Italian press recently in which she was asked about the Bezos wedding.
'Jeff is a friend. When I heard about his wedding I said to him, if you come and get married here, you should give Venice a big present.' Asked if that should be a financial donation, she said: 'Yes'.
Local politicians seized on the interview to send a message to Mr Bezos, who according to Forbes is now the third richest person in the world, with a net worth of more than $200 billion.
They asked him to consider bestowing 'a significant gift' on Venice ahead of, or after, his wedding.
'Given your considerable resources…I respectfully urge you to look beyond proposals that advocate for donations towards the restoration of artworks or architectural landmarks. I appeal to you to focus your attention on the issue of vacant public housing,' said the letter, which was written by Giovanni Andrea Martini, a member of the city council.
'Addressing this fundamental need is crucial if you, like many of us, wish Venice to be not merely a delicate relic but a living, breathing city. Without such intervention, there is a genuine risk of Venice devolving into a mere Disneyland Park, devoid of its vibrant community.'
Mr Bezos and his fiancée are expected to arrive in Venice on board his $500 million (£386 million) yacht, the Koru.
Sporting three huge masts, it is the largest sailing yacht in the world at 410ft in length.
The nuptials come two years after Mr Bezos, 61, proposed to 55-year-old Ms Sánchez. He gave her a 20-carat diamond ring reportedly worth $2.5 million. Ms Sánchez later said she 'blacked out a bit' when she first saw the ring.