Madonna celebrated her birthday in Pompeii, Italy, with friends and family – plus local youth involved in an arts initiative she supports.
The Queen of Pop turned 66 on Friday, Aug. 16, and spent the evening with members of Sogno di Volare, or Dream of Flying, a project that allows local youth to act in classical plays in the ancient theater at the Pompeii Archaeological Park, according to a press release .
The singer arrived at the archaeological site late Friday night with a group of about 30 people — including her rumored boyfriend, football player Akeem Morris, and her two daughters, 11-year-old twins Esther and Stella — in front of a throng of fans, sources tell PEOPLE.
Madonna also celebrated her 66th birthday on Instagram, where she posted glamorous photos of herself, her twins and Morris shirtless, with the caption: “Back to Italy…🇮🇹 Happy birthday 🦁✨🎂🥂🇮🇹♥️.”
Madonna; her swashbuckling boyfriend Akeem Morris.
Dave Bennett/Getty; COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID
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On Friday, Madonna and her group appeared a little after 10:30 p.m. local time for a performance. Fans have been waiting since 6 p.m., another insider says. A crowd of around 200 fans sang some of the pop icon’s songs and danced before her arrival.
At the historic site, the park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, took the pop superstar and her loved ones on a guided tour, which was interspersed with performances, according to the release.
Namely, a choir of teenagers and young children involved in the Dream of Flying project funded by Madonna sang for the star in Italian, Neapolitan and English.
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Madonna in Italy for her 66th birthday.
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The Dream of Flying Children’s Choir performs for Madonna on her 66th birthday. Madonna in Italy for her 66th birthday. PHOTO:
Ricardo Gomes
The Dream of Flying Children’s Choir performs for Madonna on her 66th birthday. PHOTO:
Ricardo Gomes
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The goal of the youth initiative, which Madonna has fully funded until 2025 through her Ray of Light foundation, is to involve the local community in the cultural life of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, a world heritage site.
“The Dream of Flying project so generously supported by Madonna is strategic for Pompeii because it addresses the people who live in this beautiful and complex territory, especially young people, and makes them the protagonists of an experience through which we wanted to show that art and culture can truly change our lives” , Zuchtriegel said in the post.
The director of the site also stated that he wanted to “sincerely thank Madonna for her generosity, vision and humanity which will be a great source of inspiration going forward”, and expressed gratitude for the “beautiful gift she gave us for her birthday”.
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Madonna with her twin daughters, Estere and Stella, in July 2024.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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Madonna was first spotted in Italy on a birthday visit to Morris – with whom she has sparked rumors of a romance in July 2024 – earlier that day on August 16.
The star was seen arriving by boat to a remote destination in Portofino, which is allegedly the private estate of Dolce & Gabbana, Italian media reports.
Although twins Estere and Stella joined her and Morris on their tour of Pompeii, the star’s four other children – Lourdes, 27, Rocco, 24, David, 18 and Mercy, 18 – did not accompany her.
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Source: HIS Education