"Famous Japanese pop star marries young bartender from an Apulian village she met at the hotel . They live happily ever after!"
Sounds like a fairy tale, yet it really happened. Utada Hikaru, one of Japan’s most famous and beloved pop stars, got married to Francesco Calliano, a native of Fasano, a small town near Brindisi, on May 23.
The wedding took place in Polignano a Mare (Apulia). Onlookers and journalists were not able to see or photograph much, as a high level of security was in place, as is always the case when a celebrity is involved. Utada arrived on board a Mercedes, escorted by her bodyguards who were carrying umbrellas to cover her. Inside the church and at the reception, only few authorized photographers were allowed and guests were instructed not to snap any picture from their smartphones and not to let out any information about the wedding.
Utada is a celebrity in Japan and the rest of Asia. She has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. She met Francesco, who is eight years younger than she is, in London where he was working as a bartender at a hotel.
When Utada announced she would get married last February, she described Francesco as “a sincere young man, loved by many friends.”
