Join Diamond members behind the scenes at a party at Sting’s Tuscan estate

On a warm August day, a group of Cathay insiders and Diamond members drove through Tuscany’s rolling hills to Il Palagio, the 16th-century villa that has been the home of Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, since 1997.

The select group – which included five Italian Diamond members along with Cathay’s Edward Bell (General Manager, Brand, Insights and Marketing Communications), Ronald Khoo (Wine, Spirits and Beverages Manager), and Lisa Delaney (Regional Head of Marketing and Lifestyle, Europe) – was invited to celebrate Sting and Styler’s 32nd wedding anniversary at their private estate.  

We’re truly grateful to have been part of such a special occasion at the couple’s beautiful home, which they have lovingly restored into a fully functioning vineyard and organic farm over the years.

Cathay’s relationship with Sting and Styler began in 2023 following a fortuitous meeting in Singapore, where Sting was performing. Khoo, who has known Sting since 2017, met the singer and Styler for tea at Raffles, where he was offered a taste of La Regista Chianti Riserva 2019 , one of Il Palagio’s wines. Khoo was so impressed with the vintage that it would eventually come to be served on board our Business flights to and from Milan as well as in The Pier, First.

Our journey to Sting and Styler’s estate began with a trip to Florence, where guests freshened up at the Grand Hotel Baglioni, a magnificent 19th-century property in the heart of the city. 

Guests were then picked up at the hotel and driven to Sting’s 350-hectare estate. The celebrations kicked off in the afternoon with a wine tasting session at Tenuta Il Palagio Farm Shop. Khoo introduced the different wines produced at Il Palagio, some of which are named after Sting’s most famous songs, including Message in a Bottle, Roxanne, When We Dance and Sacred Love​.

As other guests began arriving around 7pm, delectable cocktails and canapes were brought out, while a live band started to play. Styler gave everyone a warm welcome in her opening remarks, before guests settled down to a dinner of pizzas, fresh from the oven at the estate’s Farm Shop Pizzeria. Of course, the bites were paired with Il Palagio’s wines.

As you might expect,  there was no shortage of good music; guests were treated to performances by Sting himself, his and Styler’s child Eliot Sumner, the world-renowned flautist Andrea Griminelli, Italian singer-songwriter ​Zucchero Fornaciari and a lively Irish band.

We would like to say thank you again to Sting and Styler for their hospitality. It was a treat to dance the night away at their gorgeous estate.

​Want to try Il Palagio’s wines for yourself? Remember to stop at ​The Pier, First for a glass. You’ll be instantly transported to the sunny climes of Tuscany.