George and Amal Clooney look straight out of a romantic film as they arrive in Venice

George and Amal Clooney are back in one of the most meaningful places in their love story. The couple arrived in Venice looking in love and ready to celebrate. 

The couple was photographed arriving by water taxi on Tuesday, September 1, ahead of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, with George preparing to receive one of the biggest honors of his career. 

© Backgrid UK/The Grosby Group

Amal looked incredible, wearing an olive-green ensemble that included a structured blazer, fitted camisole-style top and matching shorts. 

© The Grosby Group

She finished the look with oversized black sunglasses, a small gray clutch and her signature long brunette hair flowing in the breeze.

© Backgrid UK/The Grosby Group

George kept things much more relaxed in a navy polo shirt, light trousers, sunglasses and an off-white belt as the two made their way around Venice by boat.

George is about to receive one of his biggest honors

© Getty

This time, George has another reason to be in Venice. On Wednesday, September 2, he will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the festival’s opening ceremony.  His Jay Kelly co-star Laura Dern will deliver the laudatio honoring him.  

The 65-year-old has already joked about what the award says about him now. “I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice. This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor,” he said. “It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.” 

Venice has always been special to them

© Mondadori Portfolio

Venice isn’t just another stop on George’s incredibly long list of film festival appearances. It is where he and Amal got married in September 2014.

The couple first met in Lake Como in 2013 after being introduced through a mutual friend. George has said he was immediately struck by Amal. Their relationship moved quickly, with George proposing in April 2014 after only months of dating. 

“I have someone who I can talk to about anything and someone who I care more about than I’ve cared about anybody,” he told CBS after proposing. 

© Getty

He later admitted that he knew fairly quickly that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The wedding eventually became one of the most photographed celebrity weddings of the decade, with the couple exchanging vows in Venice surrounded by family and friends.

In 2025, he explained that he had never actually planned on getting married again before meeting her. “I had no intention of getting married again, but I fell madly in love with the person who changed that,” he said.

The couple welcomed twins Alexander and Ella in 2017, and while they have kept their children largely out of the spotlight, both have spoken about how much becoming parents changed their lives. 

George once jokingly referred to the twins as “these two knuckleheads,” while also admitting fatherhood was something he never expected to experience. 

Amal has been just as open about what George means to her. When she received the DVF Leadership Award in Venice in 2023, she used part of her speech to talk about him.  “I just wanted to say, you, my love, like this city, take my breath away and you make our lives magical,” she said. “Thank you for being the brightest light in my life.”