The yacht has arrived, as has the flood of paparazzi: singer Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner, seen in a five-star hotel, are preparing to celebrate their wedding party this weekend in Sicily.
The city of Palermo and its neighbor Bagheria, on the northwest coast of Sicily, are preparing for two days of festivities starting Friday, after the civil wedding of the two stars celebrated in London on May 31.
The organizers remain very discreet about this VIP event organized by the British couple. But rumors are rife about a list of 300 prestigious guests – which could notably include Elton John – and a wardrobe of 26 dresses for Lipa.
The multiple Grammy-winning “Levitating” and “One Kiss” singer, 30, and the “Fantastic Beasts” actor, 36, spent a few days in Palermo last summer, according to Dua Lipa’s Instagram page.
On Friday morning, paparazzi spotted the couple – shorts and a baseball cap for her – on the terrace of the luxurious Villa Igiea hotel in Palermo, where all the rooms were booked, according to a video published by the daily La Stampa.
In Palermo, two squares in the historic center have been closed to traffic, where the festivities will begin on Friday. On the program, according to local media, is a visit to the city’s Modern Art Gallery, which will exceptionally close its doors at 2 p.m.
The party will continue in the small town of Bagheria, east of Palermo, where 18th-century nobility built sumptuous baroque villas, including Villa Valguarnera, which will host Saturday’s party.
Described as “Sicily’s most romantic hideaway” by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, the villa is often used for weddings, events or film and television productions, such as the 2025 Netflix miniseries adapted from the famous Sicilian novel, “The Leopard”.
An international rockstar
The frontman of the rock band Radiohead, Thom Yorke, got married there in 2020.
The entire square in front of the villa will be closed to traffic from 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to a municipal decree.
“All kinds of media have arrived: the foreign press, the Italian press,” Bagheria mayor Filippo Tripoli told AFP.
A 90 meter yacht, “Nero”, is moored in the port of Palermo, fueling the hypothesis of transport of guests on board from Palermo to Bagheria.
“The English tabloids have dispatched correspondents to Palermo who, for lack of certainty, record all the rumors circulating in the alleys of the historic center,” according to the Ansa agency.
“He’s an international rock star. Some have even compared her to the new Madonna,” notes the mayor of Bagheria, about the singer.
