Aftertaste of Venice amid Bezos-Sanchez Wedding

Interview with Leo James Smith, Venetian of American descent. One of the leading Tour Guides in Venice featured by the New York Times.

Victoria Voigt: You spent your whole life in Venice so must have seen a lot of modern "madness".
It’s not a first "royal celebrity" wedding hosted by the city of Venice. There were others in the recent years, for example George Clooney with Amal, Salma Hayek with François-Henri Pinault or Kim Kardashian with Kanye West. What is different this time? Why are the activists protesting this time?

Leo J. Smith: Being born and raised in Venice, yes, I’ve definitely seen a lot of “madness” around. The whole world comes here, it’s just about being at the right place, at the right time. I’ve witnessed people diving from the Rialto bridge, Kanye West having “fun” in a water taxi, I once started my day taking a gondola ferry only to see IShowSpeed jumping from boat to boat. I don’t want to say I’m used to it, but crazy events and “mad moments” are not so rare in Venice.

This event was without a doubt different. The scale, the guests, the locations.

The public opinion does not grant to all the big names the same level of respect, admiration or love. Musicians, actors and even some royals have it easy compared to others, such as Bezos.

Activists just saw this as an opportunity to protest against a wide range of issues: capitalism, inequality, climate change, conflict of interests (our mayor who’s under trial for corruption rented one of his palazzos to Mr Bezos), poor management, and more.

VV: You’re a very experienced guide and one of the most "wanted ones" in Venice with a great majority of clients from the US. Why do you think Americans love Venice so much? What are the impressions they share with you?

JLS: My last name is Smith, not very Venetian, I know. Some of the clients hear me talk, read my name and they go “Leo, are you REALLY Venetian?” And to that I answer “So più venessian de un gransio poro” which translates roughly in “I’m as venetian as the crabs in the lagoon”. I have family and friends in the US, I grew up fishing and rowing, but also watching MTV and Cartoon Network, so I can understand them better than anyone.

They love Venice both for their own personal fantasy about what Venice is (this legendary island without cars, with great food, that is miraculously floating) and for what Venice actually is. And this is something I try to tell my clients: look beyond your dreams, wake up, Venice is so much more than what you previously thought. It’s a rich ecosystem, a beautiful community, thousands of years of history, art, architecture and innovation, and it’s still producing so much. We have modern art expo, floating cinemas, beach parties.

Everything they know about what a city is, and what a city can be - is rewritten. The look on their face as we sail the grand canal is what makes me happy everyday.

The feedback is always spectacular, especially after a boat ride. They have so many questions, and they want to know as much as possible about the culture, which they highly respect.

VV: Do you think the Bezos-Sánchez wedding fits with the true spirit of Venice, or does it feel out of place? How did you see the city transform around the time of celebration?

JLS: I will answer with a provoking question: does Venice even have a spirit anymore, if so, what is it like? I can speak for myself. I think that yes, this wedding was well balanced in the organization, and it’s something that fits this city. Unlike the protesters claimed, Venice was not “sold” (only three churches/locations were used, all in the outskirts of town).
It was very well planned. Few water taxis were booked. Remember we are talking about a city that makes carnival luxury parties for 3 weeks every year, thousands of masked and dressed guests from all over the world come to celebrate our carnival. They spend thousands of euros just to reenact the baroque style ballades.

What about the Venice Movie Festival? And the Biennale opening? Or the big catwalks of Dolce&Gabbana? Why didn’t the protesters move a finger to those much bigger and much more disruptive events? They found a stage with a spotlight here and now, they found an opportunity, and - according to their logic - they rightly seized it.

VV: Is overtourism a real problem for Venice? Do you think it’s adding to the sustainability problems? Is it difficult to live there?

JLS: Just one year and a half ago I thought “I want to be right at the center, where everything happens” so I moved from Dorsoduro, a quiet residential neighborhood, to San Marco Square.

Again, I feel like I can only speak for myself, when I say that for me it's absolutely bearable, I put my headphones on, I dribble the thousands (millions) of tourists, I take the shortcuts and all things considered is not too bad, the Rialto fresh market is 5 minutes away, the hospital is 7 minutes walking, the water bus can take me in 12 minutes at the train station or in 25 at the airport. I’m 30 minutes away from Lido beach. Go on and find me another city that can do that. Most of my friends try to avoid the busy areas of San Marco and Rialto, because they say are too crowded … I’m just used to it by now.

Overtourism is a real problem as it is in many other cities, most of it (some say 40, some say 60%) is because of day trippers and that is not sustainable. We need to push for a slower, more sustainable and careful type of tourism. I don’t think shouting “overtourism” or shooting tourists with water gun - like in Barcelona - is a smart choice. We need a long term vision, diversify the economy, incentivize young couples to stay, and more.

VV: Does an event like this help protect Venice’s culture, or turn it into just a stage for the rich?

JLS: An event like this has ramifications that are very hard to ponder, especially during the aftermath. The 3 million euros donated by Bezos and the guests will certainly help protecting Venice (although we need way more than that). We have many great foundations and donors that already contribute to the maintenance of our very fragile city (and ecosystem).

It’s more about how all this money will be spend. Foundations are very sectorial, we would benefit from a cohesive approach that takes into account the citizens’ needs and would be rapidly processed by the local government, something that currently is not happening.

I like seeing Venice being “the chosen one” for big events, as long as the city is respected, the citizens’s life is not disrupted, and the money is used to better services for the locals. If it turns into a “let me invite my rich friends and mind our own business”, then it’s a big NO.

Bottom line — it’s up to us.

VV: Do you think this kind of mega events brings real benefits to local people? How much did it bring into local economy? (It is estimated to be ~1 bilion euros).

JLS: You have no idea how many times friends asked me if I would be the one touring around Bezos or some of his guests. I didn’t. I didn’t see a single penny, but I know people that did benefit from this. Mega events hardly bring real benefits to local people as the entourage is already set, and many external players are called. Again, it is all about the venetian government’s approach to these events.

How much we can have a say on these events.

VV: If you were in charge, how would you balance big luxury events like this with the needs of regular Venetians?

JLS: I would create an intermediate body between the two very different groups (the luxury guests and Venetians), a process that involves assemblies and a problem solving approach. It takes time, effort, but it’s the only way, oh and I would make the donations as transparent as possible.

What would have the neighborhood of Madonna De L’orto done with 3 millions donated by Bezos (in order to use their church) ? Maybe restore some crumbling palaces, fix some apartments for the community? Just listening to their problem is a big step. One I do on a daily basis. I have experience with big and small events (Biennale, Venice Cocktail Week) and the closer you can get with your ear to the mouth of the locals, the better. It’s just counterproductive and disrespectful not to.

VV: Venice was once a powerful trading city. Today, it lives off tourism, and its trade is at an average Italian port-city level. But what does it say about the city today that billionaires come here only to party? What are the most alerting challenges that Venice is facing right now?

JLS: Everyone comes to Venice to party, billionaires are just more visible. They come here not only to party, but to learn about our history, about our artisanship. Billionaires wont get a BnB but will stay in a couple of palazzos in the Grand Canal. I wish there were still families willing to live in those amazing homes.

But the city has almost no Venetians anymore. They left. Too expensive, too crowded, and the Venetians are too greedy, so they don’t rent to Venetians, but only to tourists (that’s why I believe its wrong to blame tourism for all of this).

Another challenge is the rising waters, but that’s way more technical. We are working on it.

VV: Could events like this be used to raise awareness about Venice’s problems, like climate change or rising costs? What were the protesters telling you?

JLS: Of course yes, these events could be used to raise awareness. I’d say they MUST be used to raise awareness, money and projects. Those are the times to shine, to bring people here.

It could have actually been a great opportunity to have serious talks as a community with these guests and of course Bezos himself. But quite the opposite has happened. It was a free for all of topics during the protest : climate change, local government, national government, inequality, Venetians infrastructure, tax the rich, and more.

The protesters had some valid points - such as the mayor shady business and inability to fix the housing problem or regulating BnB platforms - but all in all it was a terrible display of diplomacy and welcoming culture, something we Venetians are traditionally famous for.

In their eyes, this was a success, but for Venice, it was an embarrassment.

VV: You're my age, in roaring 20s. As someone who wants to go into politics, what would you do differently next time Venice hosts something like this? How would you approach tourism?

JLS: I would love to keep spending my days with my VIP clients on a private water taxi sipping Bellini, and staying away from the muddy waters, but there are simply too many scandals, too many horrible greedy politicians worldwide. In Venice, in Italy, in the US. It’s time to stand up.

I'm warming up for the next election in 2026, we need to kick out this terrible local government. When I tell my mom I will be a politician she gets very sad, but I smile, we need to stay positive and "clean".

As for the event, I think it was managed quite well all things considered, maybe I would have organized round tables between the foundations and wealthy investors and Venetians to support the city in the best way possible.

Tourism is the ultimate expression of this comfortable yet twisted market society, that sacrifices history, tradition and nature for the sake of freedom to do and get whatever you want. For the sake of money. The souvenir shops, the Disneyland vibes of some stores, they make me sick.

We need to push for a different type of tourism. It is already partly happening, with a lot of 5-star hotels opening, city tax discouraging day trippers - but there is so much more to do. To give back to the local Venetians. So before that, we need to push for a different type of city.

More research teams, university students, more houses to for the locals, better services and less cheap tourism. It’s bad to say “you can’t afford to come here because you can only stay half a day”

But it’s worse to see your city suffocate, stores turn into cheap souvenir shops, and the overall quality dropping drastically.

And let me tell you this, if we fix tourism in a way that benefits everyone, and brings back people, we fix way more than this little island. We send a message. What if the government was to give public transportation, healthcare and education for free to all under 35 Venetians for free? What if the government was to remove bureaucracy and taxes from young professionals?

But for that we need more people like Bezos, not less.

VV: If you could send one message to the world through this wedding, what would it say about Venice and its future?

May this city inspire you through the stories and legacy of great families of merchants, families that like you risked everything they had in perilous voyages just to go back and built the most beautiful city in the world. Families that still live here and that always supported the community, that paid their fare share during difficult times. In a period of wars and world conflicts, let this wedding be a seed that grows into a tree of hope, mutual care within our community, and wealth. Not charity but shared projects for a resilient world that thrives.

Thank you!

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