The Oscar-winning actor is scheduled to be honored as part of an extravagant seven-day affair to benefit the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.
Article by Chris Gardner
Nicolas Cage is heading to Europe, where he will receive the Andrea Bocelli Humanitarian Award at the third annual Celebrity Fight Night in Italy.
The award will be presented to the Oscar-winning actor at a gala event, which is being packaged as part of a seven-day fundraising trip from Sept. 7-13. Funds raised will benefit both the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.
More than 100 philanthropists are traveling to Italy to participate in the “benefit trip” where Italian designer Stefano Ricci will help kick off the itinerary in Florence on Thursday by welcoming guests through the Basilica di Santa Croce, also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories, where Italian notables like Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni and Galileo Galilei were laid to rest. After exploring the Cappella dei Pazzi, the evening will conclude in the Cloister of the Basilica with dinner and music, led by Bocelli.
The next day, guests depart Florence on a drive through Tuscany to Lajatico (birthplace of Bocelli) where Andrea and Veronica Bocelli will host an event with guest of honor Cage. Highlights include aperitifs at the Teatro del Silenzio and a gourmet dinner at the country home of the Bocellis with entertainment by David Foster, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Peter Cetera, Colbie Caillat and Bocelli himself. Additional guests expected to attend include Evander Holyfield, Melissa Peterman and others.
On Saturday, guests will board a privately chartered train to Venice for a day of exploration. Lunch will be served at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta on the Grand Canal. After lunch, guests will enjoy a gondola ride to St. Mark’s Square. The pinnacle of the seven-day experience will be a gala on Sunday, when guests will walk the red carpet in the Salone dei Cinquecento at the Palazzo Vecchio. Bocelli, along with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under the direction of Zubin Mehta, will headline the evening. Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, will be honored for her philanthropic efforts, having been a part of Celebrity Fight Night along with her late husband for nearly two decades.
The event concludes with an evening in the heart of Florence, starting at the Palazzo Spini Feroni, home to the Global Flagship Headquarters of Salvatore Ferragamo and the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. The Ferragamo family will welcome guests with a cocktail and a visit to the museum and the shop, followed by dining and dancing. The seven-day experience is sponsored by Stefano Ricci, GVM La Civiltà del Marmo, Peak6 Best Marble, Ermanno Scervino, Falconeri, Fratelli Piccini Firenze, Mikimoto, Jeep, Fregoli Luxury Bags, Salotti del Gusto, Excellence Magazine and Euro-Toques.
Celebrity Fight Night Foundation was founded in 1994 by Jimmy Walker to support the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, as well as other charitable organizations. The Andrea Bocelli Foundation was created in 2011 to help people in need due to illness, poverty and social exclusion by promoting and supporting Italian national and international projects that support overcoming these barriers and full self-expression. The foundation will direct proceeds from Celebrity Fight Night to its projects in Haiti.
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