San Francisco Frontiers - Bezos, Sanchez to say 'I do' in troubled Venice

"This city seems impossible! It can't exist... and yet, here it is!" an enchanted Bezos told a Repubblica journalist Thursday who had got close to the magnate as he whizzed around the canals by boat.

Here it is, say the protesters, but for how long? While the billionaires party, activists say the fragile city is sinking, overrun by tourists, a victim of depopulation as locals unable to pay soaring rents are forced out.

"No Kings, No Bezos" read a sign in green neon projected on St Mark's Campanile Thursday night.

- Serenaded -

Bezos and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez have been celebrating their nuptials with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.

The tech magnate, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge.

They will exchange vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore later Friday, according to Italian media reports.

The wedding is expected to take place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from St Mark's Square.

The newlyweds will then be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, the son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the reports said.

Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino will be preparing the wedding dinner, while the cake has been made by French pasty chef Cedric Grolet, the Corriere della Sera said.

Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.

Italian designer Domenico Dolce -- half of the duo Dolce & Gabbana -- was seen leaving the Aman hotel on Thursday, possibly following a fitting.

- 'Enchanted' -

Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan's Queen Rania, US football player Tom Brady, American fashion designer Spencer Antle, singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump -- the daughter of US President Donald Trump.

The guests reportedly lunched together Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista.

The celebrations are set to end Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse.

Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans.

Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags which will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass.

Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner.

"They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass," Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had had a go at blowing their own.

Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.

Some locals say this wedding too brings good business, but critics say Bezos -- one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers -- is different.

And environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets -- at least 95 -- bringing the rich and famous to the canal city.

Italy's health ministry has issued a red heat alert for Venice for the weekend, part of a heatwave affecting much of southern Europe.

Scientists say extreme heatwaves are a clear sign of global warming.

K.Gray--SFF