Throughout the years, we’ve all managed to gather a number of certificates. From that mouldy piece of paper declaring you were the most honest student in Year 3 to a confirmation that you’ve completed a course you never ended up putting to use, all our certificates have varying degrees of importance. But we’re willing to bet anyone would gladly frame and hang up a certificate saying a city in Florida has named a whole day after them.

Taking to Facebook this morning, Malta’s superstar tenor Joseph Calleja had a unique honour to show off from his travels in Naples, Florida.

“I was given the ‘key’ to the city and the 21st of March was officially declared as ‘Joseph Calleja’ day!” the 41-year-old proudly declared

Accompanying the post was a photo of a written declaration by Naples’ mayor, Bill Barnett.

The certificate, which lists Calleja’s accomplishments throughout the years (from singing in his church choir at the young age of 16 to last night’s recital at Opera Naples), also had the centuries-old City of Naples key just casually chilling there.

Calleja’s Facebook post quickly went viral among his 200,000 strong following, garnering hundreds of reactions and dozens of congratulatory comments.

An old practice evoking medieval walled cities (the gates of which would be guarded during the day and locked at night), the gesture of giving someone ‘the key to the city’ symbolises the freedom of the recipient to enter and leave the city as a trusted and well-respected friend of the city.

Performing at the Opera Naples last night, Grammy-nominated Joseph Calleja also dropped in to an ABC7 Florida on the morning of the 20th for a TV interview after flying down from New York.

“I came down to Florida to sing, but also for the sun,” Joseph Calleja joked on the interview, no doubt missing his home country’s signature sunshine.

Share this post if you think Joseph Calleja deserves this honour!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).