PESARO, Italy - The widow of famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti has expressed outrage after a statue honoring the singer was partially submerged by the construction of an ice rink in his adopted hometown of Pesaro, Italy. Nicoletta Mantovani described the scene as ”ridiculing” her late husband’s memory, following the circulation of images showing the statue “trapped” up to its knees in the rink’s framework.
The statue,erected as a tribute to Pavarotti-who held honorary citizenship and a home in pesaro,the birthplace of composer gioachino Rossini-has become an unexpected centerpiece of the seasonal ice rink planned for Piazzale Lazzarini. While the local council has apologized for the situation, citing a misunderstanding with contractors, dismantling the rink is now deemed too costly and perhaps damaging to the statue itself. The incident has sparked public debate over respecting the legacy of the beloved tenor.
Mantovani told the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino she was “disappointed, angry and upset” upon seeing the images. ”It was like a bolt out of the blue,” she said. “I’m sorry the city allowed something like this, as it affects Luciano’s image and the respect he deserves. It’s just not right.”
The controversy was initially amplified when Pesaro’s mayor, Andrea Biancini, shared an image of the statue within the rink, accompanied by a hashtag encouraging skaters to “give pavarotti a high five.” Biancini later apologized, stating that the council “made a mistake” and he had been assured the statue would not be incorporated into the rink’s structure.
Despite the outcry, Biancini confirmed the ice rink will open as scheduled this weekend, as relocating the statue is not feasible. Il Resto del Carlino described the scene as the statue appearing “stuck between the guardrails and Christmas lights, like a stage character who fell into the wrong place and now finds himself directing the traffic of skaters.” Pavarotti died in 2007 at the age of 71.
