George Clooney has married Amal Alamuddin in Venice, in one of the most eagerly anticipated showbiz event of the year.
A host of fellow stars descended on Venice’s canals for the union between George Clooney, 53, and Amal Alamuddin, 36.
The ceremony was celebrated in a hotel overlooking the famous Grand Canal.
George Clooney’s agent Stan Rosenfield broke the news to journalists.
George Clooney has married Amal Alamuddin in Venice
Stan Rosenfield announced the news in a single sentence in what, according to AP news agency, is expected to be the only communication on the marriage.
George Clooney and his friends had sipped champagne before gliding up the Grand Canal on Saturday evening to the luxury Aman Hotel, waving to hundreds of well-wishers.
Guests include Cindy Crawford, Bill Murray, Matt Damon and the U2 singer Bono.
George Clooney’s boat was momentarily blocked by a passing cruise liner and then by a water bus, giving time for dozens of boats carrying photographers to catch up, AP writes.
A police boat swerved in vain to try to keep the paparazzi away.
Human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin was last seen publicly on September 26 riding in a water taxi down the Grand Canal with George Clooney’s arm resting around her.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin were engaged in April 2014.
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According to new reports, Venice city officials are closing a walkway fronting the picturesque Grand Canal to keep crowds away from George Clooney’s wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
Venice city on September 26 issued an order closing walkways accessing the 16th Century Palazzo Cavalli (Cavalli Palace) for at least two hours on September 29, citing “the George Clooney wedding”.
A city official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said city police requested the closure to prevent crowds from gathering and creating a safety risk. The official said such closures have taken place previously for both public and private events.
Venice city officials are closing a walkway fronting the Grand Canal to keep crowds away from George Clooney’s wedding to Amal Alamuddin (photo People Magazine)
The Cavalli Palace is used for civil marriage ceremonies, with rooms overlooking the Grand Canal and the famed Rialto Bridge.
Amal Alamuddin flew from London to Milan with her mom Baria on Thursday, September 25, ahead of her wedding to George Clooney.
The future spouses are anticipating big-name guests at their nuptials, including pals like Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford, as well as Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana.
George Clooney proposed to Amal Alamuddin this past April, after they started dating in late 2013.
Venice authorities have set out proposals to make navigation safer on the city’s main waterway after a German tourist died in a crash last week.
They aim to regulate traffic flow on the heavily congested Grand Canal, and include plans to carry out checks for drug use by gondoliers, the mayor says.
A 50-year-old German man died after his gondola collided with a “vaporetto”, or public water bus, on August 17.
Police say traces of cocaine were found in the bloodstream of the gondolier.
“We have to think of the Grand Canal as a street, a main street like that of all cities, with particular heavy traffic…we need some discipline,” said Venice Mayor Giorgio Orsoni on Monday.
Venice authorities have set out proposals to make navigation safer on the city’s main waterway after a German tourist died in a crash
To avoid future accidents, he said, “these measures will require some sacrifices for citizens”.
Gondolas may only be allowed to operate at certain times of the day after morning rush hour, he added.
He said the city council was assessing the possibility of widening narrow passageways – such as where the recent crash took place – by removing structures such as small docks.
They also hope to introduce a system of checking for drug and alcohol abuse by those in charge of boats and are looking into proposals to ban captains from using hand-held devices whilst navigating the canals.
Jaochim Vogel and his family were thrown into the water after their gondola collided with a water bus, which carries members of the public around the city’s canals.
His three-year-old daughter was treated in hospital for head injuries. Joachim Vogel, however, died after getting crushed between the two vehicles.
An association of gondoliers, which oversees training and issues limited licenses, is also engaged in discussions on safety and accident prevention.
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The city of Venice has imposed its first ever ban on motorboats, launches and barges on one of its main waterways, Grand Canal.
Almost all the usual traffic was cleared from the Grand Canal for several hours.
The aim was to draw attention to the city’s environmental problems, and help make the case for more ecologically-sound forms of water transport.
“This initiative is to raise awareness of the pollution and promote the use of electric or hybrid boats,” said a council spokesman.
Down through its history Venice has sometimes been called “La Serenissima”, meaning the “most serene” one.
The name conjures the perfect image of the place; beautiful old palaces standing in the calm of the city’s canals.
The city of Venice has imposed its first ever ban on motorboats, launches and barges on one of its main waterways, Grand Canal
But the day-to-day reality of life in Venice can be a little less than serene. Around 7,000 small craft are registered to use its waterways.
They are an essential part of the private and commercial lives of many Venetians, but the sound of buzzing, growling, or throbbing engines often fills the air.
The boats and barges pollute the water and give off fumes. At the same time, they create waves that continually slap at the crumbling walls of the ancient buildings that line the canals.
The authorities would like to see a gradual switching to electric-powered craft, or boats with hybrid engines.
According to the council spokesperson, work is being done on studies and initiatives that might make this transition easier.
A parade of the kind of environmentally-friendly vessels that the city is trying to promote was to be held on the Grand Canal while it was cleared of other craft on Sunday.
And the idea of the brief ban on traffic on the waterway was welcomed by conservationists.
“It’ll be very nice to have peace and quiet in the centre of Venice, even if it’s just for a few hours,” said Paolo Lamappo, a spokesman for Italia Nostra, which works to preserve the city’s heritage.
He said that Sunday’s initiative should be a “first step”.
“We hope it’ll make Venetians more aware of how lovely the city could be if we insist on boats only with electric power.”
The conservationists say that a particular problem are the two-stroke marine engines that create fumes and smell.
“It comes into the houses along the canals and gets up our noses,” said Paolo Lamappo.
“The pollution is making the walls of our houses crumble.”
