While some residents are proud to host celebrations, others lament road closures and the city’s transformation into a ‘theme park’.
Concetta Chillemi was chatting to friends outside her shop next to Palermo’s gallery for modern art housed in a sublime baroque church in the city’s historic centre. A few metres away, an Italian TV crew had its camera trained on the tiny square in front of the church where event staff in black T-shirts scurried around in the heat. They were preparing for the arrival of the British singer Dua Lipa and the actor Callum Turner, who over the next two days are celebrating their wedding in the Sicilian capital after exchanging vows in London last weekend.
Dua Lipa is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, but Chillemi admits she didn’t know who she was until last summer, when the couple holidayed in Palermo soon after their engagement and shared photos on Instagram, including one taken during an aperitivo at a nearby bar. Curious about all the fuss, Chillemi said she had familiarised herself with Dua Lipa’s music. “I got together with some of the other shop owners here and we listened to a few songs,” she said with a shrug.
Late on Friday afternoon, the newlyweds are expected to be given a private tour of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Palermo, whose collection includes more than 200 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces, before joining their guests in the Palazzo Gangi opposite. The details are closely guarded and everyone involved is tight-lipped owing to strict confidentiality agreements, but a council worker hinted that a sort-of “buffet” would be laid on – and perhaps Elton John will play the piano.
The couple arrived in Palermo by private jet on Thursday night. They are staying at Villa Igiea, a five-star art nouveau hotel where an entire floor of suites has been booked to host an expected 200 guests. The DJ Mark Ronson and his wife, the US actor Grace Gummer, landed on Friday, as did Charli xcx, another British pop star who tied the knot in Sicily last September. Alongside Elton John, other guests reportedly include Kylie Minogue, Donatella Versace, Harry Styles and possibly Robbie Williams.
The Italian media has spent weeks building anticipation, hailing the celebrations as the wedding of the year. The mood on the ground in Palermo, however, is somewhat ambivalent. While some residents are proud that Dua Lipa has chosen the city to mark her nuptials, others lament the road closures, security cordons and general disruption to daily life. Chillemi counts herself as among those viewing the excitement with a degree of scepticism. “Sometimes it feels as though the city is becoming a theme park,” she said, echoing concerns about mass tourism and the high-profile occasions that intensify it.
