ROME — Madonna will celebrate her 66th birthday with a private evening tour of the famous Italian archaeological site of Pompeii, officials said.
The prefect of Naples, Michele Di Bari, denied speculation in the Italian media that the singer was planning a big birthday party in the ancient city, which was destroyed in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, but confirmed that Madonna was planning a private evening tour on Friday that would be purely cultural in nature.
“She loves Pompeii, loves the archaeological park and can’t wait to come,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Archaeologists have been excavating the ruins of Pompeii for decades, regularly uncovering beautifully preserved frescoes and pottery. Just this week, new human remains were discovered.
Madonna, whose family comes from the Italian region of Abruzzo, has been in Italy for several days, reportedly as a guest of designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
On Tuesday night, she was filmed taking an evening stroll in the Ligurian resort of Portofino, dressed in black lace and carrying an umbrella. She later dined with her two daughters and entourage at the famous Puny restaurant in Portofino’s main piazza.
Madonna ended her “Celebration Tour” in May with a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
An email to Madonna’s press agent was not immediately answered.
