A mayor in the Italian town of Pesaro has apologised to Luciano Pavarotti’s family after the late opera legend’s statue was unintentionally left knee-deep inside a Christmas ice rink. The temporary rink, built in the town’s central piazza, encircled the bronze statue with ice and clear plexiglass walls. Pavarotti’s widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, criticised the setup as an act that “ridiculed” her husband, expressing anger and disappointment at the council’s decision.

Mayor Andrea Biancani admitted the council had “made a mistake” and said he never intended to cause offence. Before the rink opened on 29 November, he even posted a playful edited image of the statue playing ice hockey, using the hashtag #DaiUnCinqueAPavarotti (“Give Pavarotti a high-five”). Mantovani, however, condemned the installation as “poorly executed” and “absurd,” noting that it disrespected the memory of a man who helped elevate Italy’s profile worldwide.

The statue, unveiled in April 2024, honours Pavarotti’s close connection to Pesaro, where he owned a villa and was an honorary citizen. Despite the backlash, the mayor said neither the sculpture nor the rink can be moved at this point but promised that such an incident would not happen again. Pavarotti, one of history’s most celebrated tenors, performed globally with the Three Tenors and famously sang “Nessun Dorma” during the 1990 World Cup. He died in 2007, leaving behind four daughters from two marriages.

Pic courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright