STROMBOLI — Mick Jagger has filled stadiums for 60 years. On Stromboli, the volcanic island off northern Sicily, he was no match for a local council order that bans public music on Wednesdays.
Local carabinieri shut down a private party attended by the Rolling Stones frontman on September 26, 2026, after organisers played music on the wrong day of the week. Officers from the carabinieri, Italy’s national military police, arrived to enforce the rule.
The party was being held to celebrate the end of filming for “Le tre sorelle incestuose” (Three Incestuous Sisters) directed by Alice Rohrwacher and adapted from the graphic novel by Audrey Niffenegger. Local media reported some guests as saying the offending music as only coming from a small speaker at a polite volume.
The guests took it well. Surprise gave way to amusement, and the music was switched off, as per those present cited in the media. A rare night when satisfaction, for once, could not be gotten.
Jagger plays the lighthouse keeper of Strombolicchio, the rock and lighthouse off the island’s coast. The cast includes Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan, Jessie Buckley, Josh O’Connor and Isabella Rossellini.
The crew left by ferry the next morning. Jagger left by private helicopter, music presumably switched off.
The island is not amused
Not everyone saw the funny side. Brand Eolie, a commercial alliance of more than 100 local companies employing over 1,300 people, apologised and invited Jagger to return.
“We are truly sorry for what happened and we apologise on behalf of the entire Aeolian community,” said spokesman Daniele Corrieri, inviting Jagger to choose his own transport, island and date for a second attempt.
“The Aeolian Islands have been hospitable for thousands of years, and there are situations where all that is needed is a little common sense,” he told Italy Now.
Rosa Oliva, president of the Pro Loco Amo Stromboli, a local tourism association, called it a misstep, according to local media reports. “It is the latest sign of a territory that, instead of being valued and supported after a winter of serious shortages and neglect, finds itself penalised even in its moments of togetherness,” she said.
She said islanders had expected Jagger to receive a welcome as opposed to punitive measures. The islands, she noted, live on tourism.
Jagger knows the south well. He spent time visiting Sicily in past years and in 2021 was reported to have purchased a house in the quaint southern seaside village of Portopalo di Capo Passero, near Siracusa. Next time, the islanders hope, somebody will check the calendar first.
