Dua Lipa and Callum Turner made sure to squeeze in one last gym session on Thursday, before their £1.5 million Sicilian wedding weekend. The couple, who legally married in London on Sunday, wasted no days off as they enjoyed a sweaty workout at the Villa Igiea Hotel on the outskirts of Palermo.
Dua flexed her abs in a black sports bra and matching leggings as she linked arms with her new husband. Callum wore a sleeveless Chelsea FC shirt for the occasion in front of diehard Arsenal fan Dua.
On Thursday morning, Dua and Callum made the most of their £6,000-a-night five-star hotel as they relaxed on the balcony. The hotel will also play host to some of their guests during the weekend.
Dua, 30, who is reported to be wearing a bespoke Versace gown for her big day, dressed down in a pale blue shirt and a striped sarong and bikini bottoms. She added a backwards-facing cap over her dark locks, whilst Callum, 36, was spotted embracing the Sicily sunshine in a brown shirt and shorts as they took in the spectacular view of the Mediterranean from their Donna Franca suite.
The couple's private jet landed in Sicily on Wednesday night, just before 10.30pm local time, following their two-hour 20-minute flight from Luton. Their guests are also set to arrive in the coming hours for the three-day extravaganza and no expense has been spared, with the pair said to have booked an entire floor of suites at the hotel overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The hotel is on the outskirts of Palermo and is the base for the couple's celebrations which kick off Thursday. The couple's suite is described as 'the crowing jewel'. It adds the suite 'offers spacious privacy in fresh, contemporary surrounds adorned in local artwork with a separate living room and the added luxury of a breezy sea-view terrace, outfitted with lounges and sunbeds perfect for leisurely mornings and relaxing afternoons.'
Luxuriate in your super king-sized bed, which can be twinned as requested. Soak up the glamour of your spacious marble bathroom with a separate bathtub, walk-in shower and superb Irene Forte Skincare toiletries.
A source at the hotel said: 'Dua and Callum came down for breakfast at around 11am. She had a boiled egg and he had an omelette. A platter of fruit was placed in front of them, and they were joined by friends. At one point Dua was heard to say "Let's party" and there was a big cheer from everyone at the table.'
Rumours circulating Palermo were that a mega yacht called Nympheas moored by the hotel would be the venue for celebrations on Thursday night. Three hundred family and friends will be attending the three-day shindig with private jet slots booked up at Palermo's airport and a fleet of blacked-out limos to ferry guests to various villas and hotels.
Private security firms have also been doing a roaring trade with teams of bodyguards also hired and all staff involved in the wedding have been made to sign non-disclosure agreements.
The couple paid 10,000 Euros to shut the Galleria Moderna in Palermo where they will hold a cocktail reception for guests on Friday afternoon. The venue will close to the public for the afternoon and then reopen to visitors on Saturday morning after roadblocks have been removed.
A further 10,000 Euros has been paid to the local council at Bagheria where another reception will be held at the Villa Valguanera on Saturday at which Elton John is rumoured to be playing a set.
More than 50 bodyguards have been drafted in from Rome and London to provide security for the event and streets around the Villa Valguanera have also been closed much to the annoyance of local businesses. One cafe opposite said: 'I'm delighted they are getting married but for us it means a loss of business for the day. There is no point opening up because no one will be able to get to us.'
As part of strict security measures waste bins have been removed and temporary no drone fly zones have been established around the Galleria Moderna and Villa Valguanera. One local who lives next door to Villa Valguanera - an Italo-Scot - told the Daily Mail: 'I came out of my house to do some shopping and took a short cut past the villa and two men mountain jumped out on me. They had black T-shirts on with the word security and asked what I was doing. I said I lived here and was going shopping. They thought I was a paparazzi.'
The cost of the wedding is said to be 1.5 million Euros. Antonio Rini, from Palermo Council's tourism department, said: 'For us having Dua Lipa's wedding here is a great honour and the welcome they will receive will promote the city on the international stage. Several big international artists will be arriving in Palermo for the wedding and this is a great return for the city.'
Insiders have been hailing the couple's second nuptials as the 'showbiz wedding of the year', calling it Sicily's most high-profile marriage since Al Pacino's Michael Corleone wed Apollonia Vitelli in 1972 classic The Godfather. Top showbiz names including Elton John, Olivia Dean, Mark Ronson and Charli XCX, will be among the guests for the rumoured £1 million bash.
The ceremony itself will take place at the 17th-century Villa Valguarnera, perhaps the most sumptuous of the villas in Bagheria, an idyllic town ten miles away from the capital. Many will recognise this venue as well as it featured in the opening credits of the hit series The White Lotus and the 18th Century building is a major historical landmark with ornate gardens and a sweeping grand staircase.
Although guests may have to have an early night as the venue is only licensed for outdoor music until 11.30pm but they can move inside for an extra 90 minutes of dancing. Sources close to Princess Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca told the Daily Mail the couple had paid 100,000 Euro to hire the Villa Valguanera. The insider said: 'We are relatives, and I know she was paid 100,000 Euro to let the place out for the wedding. She has been told not to say anything and has gone away for the weekend.'
On Monday, workers began blocking the entrances to the historic Palazzo Gangi in Palermo's edgy Kalsa neighbourhood and erecting screens to prevent paparazzi getting shots. The stunning 18th Century Palazzo – which is privately owned – has a spectacular Galleria degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors) and the ornate Baroque setting will be the centre of the party on Saturday. The venue was the setting for the classic ballroom scene in the iconic 1963 Sicilian film The Leopard starring screen legend Burt Lancaster.
A second civil ceremony is expected to be officiated by the Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla. No expense will be spared for the wedding with the couple estimated to be worth more than £100 million thanks to Dua Lipa's singing success and Turner's acting career – he is lined up to be the next James Bond.
In advance of the wedding, Dua is believed to have travelled to Italy to meet Donatella Versace to finalise the details of the dress she is designing for the singer to wear on her big day. Because of her longtime friendship with the designer, friends are convinced that Dua will wear a custom Atelier Versace gown. One is rumoured to be inspired by the Kate Moss 'wedding dress' adorned with sparkling diamond decorations but there are said to be another 25 outfits for her to choose from.
On Sunday the pop star and actor held their legal wedding ceremony at London's Old Marylebone Town Hall. At their intimate nuptials, Dua radiated bridal elegance in a custom Schiaparelli skirt suit, white gloves, a Bulgari necklace and a wide-brimmed white hat, designed by milliner Stephen Jones. The singer clutched a bouquet of Icelandic poppies and wore white Louboutin heels while strolling out of the registry office hand in hand with her new husband. They were showered with confetti by a handful of loved ones who witnessed the 30-minute ceremony.
