Los Angeles, Aug 18 (IANS): Singer-songwriter Madonna rang in her birthday celebrations in Pompei, Italy, where she was joined by friends, family, and local youth involved in an art initiative she supports.

The Queen of Pop, who turned 66 recently, spent the evening with members of Sogno di Volare, or Dream of Flying, a project that lets local youth act in classical performances at the ancient theatre in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, reports People magazine.

The singer arrived at the archaeological site with a group of about 30 people — including her rumoured boyfriend, soccer player Akeem Morris, and two of her daughters, 11-year-old twins Estere and Stella — to a crowd of adoring fans.

As per People, Madonna also marked her 66th birthday on Instagram, where she posted glamorous photos of herself, her twins and a shirtless Morris, captioning the post: “Back in Italy. Happy Birthday to ME.”

Madonna and her group appeared just after 10:30 p.m. local time for the performance. Fans had been waiting since 6 p.m.

The crowd of admirers, which reached up to about 200, sang some of the pop icon’s songs and danced before she arrived. 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, per the release.

Namely, a chorus of both teenagers and young children involved in the Madonna-funded Dream of Flying project sang for the star in Italian, Neapolitan and English.

The goal of the youth initiative, which Madonna financed in its entirety through 2025 through her Ray of Light Foundation, is to involve the local community in the cultural life of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, a world heritage site.

Madonna was first spotted in Italy for her birthday visit with Morris — who she sparked romance rumours with in July 2024. The star was seen arriving in a boat at a remote destination in Portofino.