A heated controversy has emerged in Italy after a statue of legendary opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was effectively imprisoned within an ice skating rink in the city of Pesaro. The dispute has gained international attention, with major European newspapers including Germany's Die Welt and Der Spiegel, as well as Britain's The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times covering the story and describing it as a "mockery" of the beloved tenor.
The controversy began when the municipality of Pesaro, located in the Marche region of central Italy, decided to reinstall a winter ice skating rink in the city's historic center. Pesaro, known as the birthplace of composer Rossini and a city deeply connected to opera through its renowned Rossini Festival, placed the rink on a square just steps away from the Rossini Theater. However, the positioning of the rink has literally trapped the statue of Pavarotti, who died in 2007, within the ice skating area.
The mayor's decision to install the rink was intended to revitalize part of the historic city center and was strongly supported by local merchants. However, the move immediately sparked outrage on social media and among local residents. The most vocal criticism came from Nicoletta Mantovani, Pavarotti's widow, who expressed her fury in a newspaper interview that has since gone viral.
In an interview with the local newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, Mantovani declared herself "disappointed and angry" about the situation. "I wasn't informed about this. It's an insult to Luciano, it's terrible," she stated. She went on to express her regret that the city would authorize such a decision, saying, "I regret that the city has allowed such a thing, because it damages Luciano's image and the respect he deserves."
Mantovani concluded her criticism with a particularly pointed observation about how the tribute to her late husband had been transformed: "We started with a tribute and we ended up ridiculing him." Her public condemnation has amplified what began as a local dispute into an international cultural controversy, raising questions about the appropriate treatment of monuments dedicated to Italy's greatest artistic figures.
