A museum and restaurant dedicated to the legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti opened in Milan last week to coincide with Expo.
The Pavarotti Milano Restaurant Museum is “a tribute to a great man, an immense artist, a true Italian in gastronomic habits”, states the website. Located inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, on the fourth floor, the 600-square-meter space overlooks the city’s landmark, the magnificent Cathedral in Piazza Duomo.
Opened by Pavarotti International 23 and Seven Stars Galleria, the museum-restaurant is an homage to the late singer, “one of the greatest Italian artists ever”, and to his love of the traditional cuisine of his native Emilia-Romagna. The restaurant serves in fact some of Pavarotti’s favorite dishes, including tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù. The museum area features photographs and memorabilia, and includes a space for live music performances.
Nicoletta Mantovani, Pavarotti’s widow, said the restaurant-museum, which includes seven rooms, is intended as a "moment for remembering Luciano. We remain Luciano's family, we are united in trying to interpret his dreams and it's not easy when a person is no longer alive. We are trying to do it without exaggeration, as he would have liked, keeping our feet on the ground."
And since we are writing about Big Luciano and can never get tired of listening to his fantastic voice, here's his interpretation of "Caruso", the 1986 song by singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, another one of Italy's greatest singers:
