Sophie Loren's son married a young Georgian woman and converted to Orthodox Christianity for her

Son of actress Sophia Loren, conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. married Georgian Mariam Sharmanashvili, who is 20 years younger than him. The video from the ceremony was published on Facebook (owner Meta company is recognized as extremist in Russia and banned) by Georgian singer Tamar Iveri.

In the video, Sharmanashvili and Ponti Jr. walk to the altar in Georgian traditional outfits accompanied by a church choir. According to media reports, the star's son converted to Orthodox Christianity for his beloved.

The wedding ceremony took place at Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The place was closed for 40 minutes for the celebration, which, however, was not attended by the 90-year-old mother of the groom. In an interview with Georgian publication Ambebi, Sharmanashvili said that the actress will attend the second wedding in Geneva, which will take place in September 2025.

Conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. was born from Sophia Loren's marriage to producer Carlo Ponti. The musician has children from previous relationships with Hungarian violinist Andrea Meszaros, and Sharmanashvili also has two sons from a previous marriage. The couple revealed that they met on social media.

The 56-year-old son of Sophia Loren was the associate conductor of the Russian National Orchestra from 2000 to 2018, and in 2013 he moved to the USA. The 37-year-old Sharmanashvili works as a Zumba instructor.