Venice

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Bezos' Venice Wedding Illustrates Rise of Tackiness

Flaunting one's wealth is in, writes Amy Odell

(Newser) - "Stealth wealth" is out. "Swaggy and braggy" is in, or so it seems as we approach the nuptials of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The occasion has Amy Odell taking a look at how wealth is manifesting itself these days: Being understated and quiet about it is no...

Protesters Force Bezos to Move His Controversial Wedding

Security and activist concerns prompt shift to fortified venue

(Newser) - Jeff Bezos's lavish Venice wedding plans hit a snag this week as activists threatened to flood the city's famous canals with inflatable crocodiles, forcing the billionaire to relocate his celebration to a more secure venue. The Amazon CEO and Lauren Sanchez will now host their main reception...

Greenpeace Gets In on the Anti-Bezos Wedding Protest

Venice banner complained about billionaire tax breaks

(Newser) - Greenpeace on Monday joined the smattering of protests in Venice against the upcoming wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. A half-dozen protesters unfurled a giant banner early Monday in St. Mark's Square reading: "IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE...

Venetians to Block Guests From Bezos Wedding

Activists say rumored $10M event is a symbol of 'exploitation'

(Newser) - Activists in Venice are protesting against Jeff Bezos' plans to take over an island in the city next week for his wedding to Lauren Sanchez, which has a rumored $10 million budget. Banners reading "No Space for Bezos" were unfurled from the bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore...

Venice's Day-Tripper Tax Didn't Slow the Tourists

City expands its day-tripper tax program to combat overtourism

(Newser) - Venice is charging day-trippers to the famed canal city an arrivals tax for the second year starting Friday, a measure to combat the overtourism that officials say is putting the city's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status at risk. A UNESCO body decided against putting Venice on its list of...

Venice: Bezos Wedding Won't Cause Gondola Shortage

City says 'fake news' about wedding is unfounded

(Newser) - Venice has confirmed that it will host the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez later this year, but authorities say the Amazon founder's guests won't be hogging all the gondolas. In a statement , the city administration said the "many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff...

Trump Jr. in Trouble Over Italian Duck Hunt

Italian lawmaker says president's son killed a rare bird and violated law

(Newser) - Donald Trump Jr.'s love of hunting is well documented, including by the president's son himself—and that habit has gotten him into some hot water in Italy over the demise of a rare duck. As AFP reports, Trump Jr. posted video to his Field Ethos side hustle...

Venice Doubles Down on Day-Tripper Tax

Critics say move to combat overtourism isn't working

(Newser) - Venice will extend its day-tripper tax through next year, increasing the number of days on which tourists have to pay to enter the city and doubling the fee to $10.80 for last-minute visitors, city officials said on Thursday. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stressed that the tax aims to help the...

Venice Makes New Move on Tourist Influx

Italian city limits tour groups to 25 or fewer, with some exceptions

(Newser) - In April, Venetians raised an outcry over a new tourist entry fee that they said would make the destination less like a city and more akin to a museum or theme park attraction. Now, the Italian hot spot is making another big move to try to tamp down on overtourism—...

In Venice, Pope Meets Inmates Behind Hit Art Exhibit

Francis calls for imparting hope to the marginalized

(Newser) - Pope Francis traveled to Venice on Sunday to visit the Holy See's pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it. But because the Vatican decided to mount its exhibit in Venice's women's prison and invited inmates to collaborate with the...

Venetians Protest New Tourist Entry Fee

They say it's a city, not a theme park or museum

(Newser) - As of Thursday, one does not simply walk into Venice. The city has rolled out its first-in-the-world tourist entry fee , and while residents have long complained about the effects of mass tourism, not all of them are on board with the idea. Critics say the fee of 5 euros, or...

Selfie-Taking Tourists End Up Soaked in Venice Canal

They reportedly didn't sit down when asked

(Newser) - It's another entry in the tourists behaving badly file, this time out of Venice. The Guardian reports a group ended up toppling into "a murky, cold canal" after they apparently refused their gondolier's requests that they sit down in the gondola and stop taking selfies. While directing...

Migrants Hailed as Heroes After Italy Bus Disaster

They pulled mother, child to safety from burning bus

(Newser) - Two migrants from Africa are being praised for saving lives after the horrific bus disaster near Venice Wednesday. Boubakar Toure, 27, from Gambia, and Nigerian citizen Godstime Erheneden, 30, ran to the scene after the bus fell from an elevated road, the Telegraph reports. The men, who have been in...

21 Dead in 'Apocalyptic' Bus Crash Near Venice

Bus fell from elevated street

(Newser) - A bus carrying foreign tourists including Ukrainians crashed near the Italian city of Venice when it fell from an elevated street Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 18 others, authorities said. Four of the injured were in serious condition following the accident in the Mestre borough, on the...

Overrun With Tourists, Venice to Start Charging
This City Will Be the First
to Charge Day-Trippers
in case you missed it
Sep 10, 2023 4:35 PM CDT

This City Will Be the First to Charge Day-Trippers

Tourists in Venice, Italy, will be hit with proposed fee of $5.40 on certain days starting next spring

(Newser) - Venice, Italy, will be the first city in the world to charge its day-trippers, CNN reports. Starting next spring, the island city's authorities plan to charge visitors who aren't staying overnight as part of a 30-day experiment meant "to discourage daily tourism in certain periods, in line...

Protesters Strip, Disrupt Woody Allen Premiere
Not Everyone Was Happy
at Woody Allen Premiere
the rundown
Sep 5, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

Not Everyone Was Happy at Woody Allen Premiere

Protesters scuffled with cops, slammed organizers for featuring directors accused of sexual abuse

(Newser) - There was chaos on the red carpet at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on Monday as protesters scuffled with police while shouting "Abusers!" and "No rape culture!" The Italian film festival is premiering new films by three directors accused of sexual misconduct: Woody Allen, Roman...

Venice May Soon Be Labeled 'Endangered'

City isn't doing enough to counter risk of damage from tourists, climate change, UNESCO says

(Newser) - Venice isn't doing enough to protect its cultural heritage, according to experts at UNESCO, who are recommending that the Italian city and its lagoon be added to a list of endangered World Heritage sites. Mass tourism, overdevelopment, and rising sea levels linked to climate change put the site at...

Mystery Solved on Why Venice Canal Turned Bright Green

Authorities know nontoxic chemical fluorescein is the cause; they just don't know who put it in water

(Newser) - Venice environmental authorities have now pinned down the "what" behind the city's suddenly fluorescent green Grand Canal—they just don't have the "who" yet. Per the Guardian , an analysis of samples showed that the color shift was caused by the presence of fluorescein in the water,...

'Imbeciles' Pay for Surfing Canal
'Imbeciles' Pay
for Surfing Canal
Aug 18, 2022 6:35 PM CDT

'Imbeciles' Pay for Surfing Canal

Venice fines pair of foreigners, takes their boards after insulting them

(Newser) - A pair of foreigners who raced on motorized surfboards along the Grand Canal in Venice on Wednesday have been fined, had their boards taken, and been publicly insulted for the offense. And the Italian tourist destination isn't through with them yet, USA Today reports; the city attorney plans to...

After UNESCO Warning, a Big Move in Venice

Cruise ships, other large vessels will no longer be permitted to sail into city's lagoon

(Newser) - Giant cruise ships filled with tourists will no longer float past St. Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco, in Venice after Italy put the kibosh on the longtime practice to protect the lagoon in which the city sits. Starting Aug. 1, cruise liners or other large ships, including yachts,...

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