Sicilians were bewildered last week to see a Japanese billionaire, Kaoru Nakajima, block booking entire sections of their city for his extended birthday party. Palermo’s most deluxe hotels were completely occupied by Japanese celebrants. The seating of the grand Politeama theatre was rearranged so that his 1,400 guests could also dine and dance. The opera house, Teatro Massimo, was closed for a private performance of Don Giovanni, with Riccardo Muti conducting.
These pharaonic festivities caused consternation and controversy because Sicily is all about beguiling simplicity. There’s immense panache to the island, of course, but it’s sometimes at the spit-and-sawdust end of the spectrum. So Sicilians perceived something profoundly inauthentic, even unfair, about thousands of jet-setters renting their city for a lavish, gargantuan party.
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