The China Mail - Sicily braces for post-wedding blowout of Dua Lipa, Callum Turner

The city of Palermo and neighbouring Bagheria on Sicily's northwest coast are poised for a two-day blowout beginning Friday, following the May 31 nuptials in London of 30-year-old pop star Lipa and actor Turner, 36.

Organisers have been tight-lipped about the VIP event for the British couple, with rumours swirling about a star-studded 300-person guest list that could include Elton John -- and Lipa's wardrobe consisting of 26 different dresses.

The Grammy-winning singer of "Levitating" and "One Kiss" and the star of "The Boys in the Boat" and "Masters of the Air" spent time in Palermo last summer, according to Lipa's Instagram page, where they wandered the city's historic alleys, enjoyed fresh seafood pasta and frolicked on a boat.

On Friday morning, paparazzi spotted the happy couple -- with Lipa in shorts and a baseball hat worn backwards -- on the terrace of Palermo's luxurious five-star Villa Igiea, where hotel rooms are entirely sold out, according to a video posted on La Stampa daily.

Two plazas in the historic centre of Palermo have been closed to traffic, where the festivities are expected to begin. On the itinerary, according to local media, is a visit to Palermo's Gallery of Modern Art, which is closing early at 2:00 pm.

The celebration then shifts to the small city of Bagheria to Palermo's east, where the 18th-century nobility built sumptuous Baroque summer villas, including Villa Valguarnera, the site of Saturday's party.

Called "Sicily's most Romantic Hideaway" by Conde Nast Traveler, the villa is often used for weddings, special events, and as a backdrop in film and television productions, such as Netflix's 2025 miniseries based on Sicily's most famous novel, "The Leopard".

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was married at the villa in 2020.

The entire plaza in front of the villa will be shut to traffic beginning at 8:00 am Saturday, according to a city circular.

"All sorts of press have arrived, foreign media, Italian, lots of journalists," Bagheria Mayor Filippo Tripoli told AFP.

Local chefs and florists had been hired for the event -- "a lot of manpower for various services", he said.

A local source who asked not to be named said participants in Palermo had been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, but that was not the case in Bagheria.

- Tabloids chasing rumours -

On Thursday, Italian news agency ANSA reported that the 90-metre yacht "Nero" -- whose website boasts of "luxury on every deck", including a cinema, beauty salon and gym -- was already docked in the Palermo harbour, with speculation that it could transport guests from Palermo to Bagheria.

"British tabloids have sent correspondents to Palermo who, lacking certainty, are reporting on all the rumours swirling through the alleys of the historic centre," ANSA wrote.

As for Mayor Tripoli, he shrugged off not being invited to the party.

"She's an international rock star," he said of Lipa.

"Some have even compared her to the new Madonna -- it might be a bit early for that, but it seems to me she's also quite spectacular."

H.Au--ThChM