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David Gilmour has been made an honorary citizen of the Italian city of Pompeii.

The honor was bestowed upon him yesterday by the city’s mayor, Ferdinando Uliano.

“Thanks to everyone,” Gilmour said. “Here in Pompeii I feel safe, as if I was at home.”

Gilmour is set to play two shows tonight and tomorrow at the ancient amphitheater where Pink Floyd shot its live concert film in 1971.

This summer David Gilmour will return to play the Pompeii amphitheater, 45 years after Pink Floyd performed there while shooting Adrian Maben‘s “Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii.”

Gilmour will perform July 7 and 8 as part of his “Rattle That Lock” tour.

“I want to thank the Ministry of Culture for giving me the opportunity to once again play this beautiful and historic venue,” Gilmour says. “Performing there in 1971 was very special and I’m looking forward to returning and hopefully creating some more memorable moments made even more special by playing to an audience.”

Floyd was the first to play the ancient city of Pompeii, filming over four days in October 1971. No other artist has performed there since. The film showed the band performing without an audience, though the group’s set-list mimicked those of its other live shows at the time.

This time around, there’ll be more than just a film crew watching.

Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. CET March 22 at www.davidgilmour.com for €300 plus a 15 percent booking fee.

Buyers are limited to two tickets per show.

Pompeii’s amphitheater, built around 80 BC, is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater. It was buried along with the rest of the city by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.