In a heartfelt apology to the family of the esteemed opera star Luciano Pavarotti, the mayor of Pesaro, Andrea Biancani, conceded his error after the town's fiasco of enclosing the late singer's statue within a Christmas ice rink. The decision to "ridicule" the memory of Pavarotti, as described by his widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, had left her "angry and upset."
The temporary ice rink was erected in the heart of the town's piazza, with Pavrotti's statue kneeling in ice and encased in plexiglass walls. Before its unveiling on 29 November, Biancani posted a mock image of Pavarotti's statue playing ice hockey, using the hashtag #DaiUnCinqueAPavarotti, which translates to "Give a high-five to Pavarotti."
Mantovani, speaking to local outlet Il Resto del Carlino, labeled the council's decision as a "poorly executed, absurd mistake." She recounted that the life-size bronze statue was officially unveiled in Pesaro in April 2024, with her and their daughter Alice in attendance. Pavarotti, an Italian tenor and one of the most successful opera stars of all time, often vacationed in Pesaro, where he had a villa and was an honorary citizen.
Biancini explained to Il Resto del Carlino that he was initially assured that the Pavarotti statue would remain untouched when plans for the ice rink were presented to him. However, he later discovered that designers had been forced to alter their construction. Despite his efforts to dismantle the rink or move the statue at this late stage, he insisted that "it would not happen again."
Pavarotti's performances in the Three Tenors concerts were widely acclaimed worldwide, and his rendition of Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot remains a beloved memory from his 1990 football World Cup performance in Italy. His final performance was at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006. He passed away the following year at the age of 71, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mantovani, his second wife, remarried financial advisor Alberto Tinarelli in 2020.
