The Italian island of Pantelleria will rename its airport in honour of Giorgio Armani, the legendary fashion designer who passed away earlier this month.

Armani, who has a vacation home in Antigua, nestled in Galley Bay Heights on Antigua’s western coast, died in Italy on 4th September, 2025 at the age of 91. 

Armani’s Caribbean retreat comprises two villas, Villa Flower (with seven bedrooms) and Villa Serena (five bedrooms), joined by a tranquil central pavilion.

Armani often spent his summers on the Mediterranean isle, located between Sicily and Tunisia, where he owned a sprawling estate made up of seven traditional dammusi stone houses surrounded by more than 150 palm trees. 

The proposal to rename Pantelleria Airport was put forward by the local council and has been backed by Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC, with the support of Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

Pantelleria Airport

 ENAC President Pierluigi Di Palma said the move ties in with plans to upgrade the airport and promote tourism to the island, which is accessible via flights from Rome and several Sicilian airports, including Palermo.

The announcement comes as details of Armani’s succession plan emerge. According to La Repubblica, his will instructs heirs to sell a 15 percent minority stake in the Armani Group, marking a rare openness to outside investors. 

The distribution gives 40 percent of the company to longtime collaborator Leo Dell’Orco, 15 percent each to niece Silvana Armani and nephew Andrea Camerana, and 30 percent to the Armani Foundation, established in 2016 as a succession vehicle.

Armani, one of the most iconic figures in Italian fashion, leaves behind not only a global empire but also a personal legacy tied deeply to the places where he found respite, Pantelleria and Antigua.