What I want to tell you today, can be considered a beautiful story, a modern history of our times.
It all started a few months ago, when IL VOLO announced that the expected US concert tour had moved from 2019 to 2020. 😢
Among the many sad comments, the one in particular that caught my attention was the comment from SUSAN, a member of the FLIGHT CREW, she was very sorry because with so much love and dedication, she had prepared a surprise to deliver to Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, during a meet and greet after their concert.
The surprise had been ready for a few months and Susan was worried because it would be at least another year that the puppets would be in her home and not given to the boys.
I exchanged a couple of comments with Susan and then we privately communicated with emails.
Susan immediately made me aware of what this surprise was that she had prepared for IL VOLO…three beautiful puppets, with the features of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
When I saw their picture, sent to me by Susan, I immediately thought, “They are really beautiful.”
Susan told me that she herself had made the design of these puppets, establishing measures, deciding their appearance and their clothing and arranging an internal function to be operated by a small button. Yes, because these puppets can also sing! Of course everyone has a different song – Gianluca sings “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, Piero sings “My Way” and Ignazio sings “Torna a Surriento”.
Susan personally followed the details and worked with a professional puppet maker to actually construct them, but always deciding on the smallest details such as Piero’s hat, Ignazio’s earring, an Italian soccer ball dog tag for each, ear buds for Gianluca, brooches (like Lardini’s) on the jackets’ lapels and all of the American accessories to welcome them to the United States for their concerts. Formidable a job well done and well prepared!
But Susan wanted the puppets to go to their masters, without having to wait another year. And so, together, we looked for ways to get them to come to Italy.
It wasn’t easy. The puppets were a nice size, three feet each. Every package had to be prepared very well in order to avoid damage, moreover the journey to Italy was long, so all the necessary precautions had to be taken.
And, someone here in Italy had to receive them.
Susan is a perfectionist, she did not want the puppets to arrive in Italy with untidy hair, and so she called her hairdresser to her house. The hairdresser was able to comb and apply mousse and hairspray, because the hair was made of synthetic fur.
Now they were ready!
Having overcome all these problems, the puppets started from the US, 🇺🇸 destination Italy. 🇮🇹
It had to be a fast and trouble-free journey ……… I said I had to, because of problems and delays there were so many, just say they had to arrive in a few days …….. and instead!!!!
How many problems, mainly due to customs, the puppets had to pass endless passages through the scanner and delivery delays, but then on the third attempt, and after Susan had spoken to UPS International Resolutions three times already, they were delivered after having been scanned 18 times during their journey!
Incidentally and by pure luck, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, at the time of delivery, were together and so all three were able to see their own personal puppet at the same time!
The boys were impressed by the beautiful gift, in particular the details used and the beautiful idea of Susan.
Everyone could have kept their own puppet, but it was a pity, because it meant dividing them and so they thought to keep them together by putting them in a common place: Naro’s HouseTeca.
The idea also appealed to Susan, what better place than that, which is visited every year by many fans? So they would be visible to everyone.
And then they left for another trip, but this time shorter and at the end …………. here they are, they arrived at their destination !!!!
This video demonstrates the happy ending of the story, here are the three puppets which arrived at their destination and were placed exactly under the banner of the victory of Sanremo. They seem right there to witness the beautiful victory.
Well the long journey is over and the three puppets have had a beautiful place of honor.
Susan, you had a fantastic idea. You had a lot of patience and dedication.
The boys will have been impressed by this gift of yours and we also want to congratulate you, for the good idea and for having followed the whole project with such dedication.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
My Dream! A concert with IL VOLO!!!😪
Nice work Susan!! Nice article Daniela !!
Our lovely ragazzi deserved !!! I’m sure their loved.
Very nice place to keep the puppets together.
Congratulations!!!
Yes, Millie, Naro’s House Teca was certainly the best place.
Ana, I hope your dream becomes a reality.
Incredible! Well done, Susan!
🙂 🙂 🙂
What a thoughtful gift So much time and work invested So glad they were put on display so everyone could see Nice work Susan and nice article Daniela
Grazie mille, Beverley !
Thank you Beverly. I also was very happy that the puppets found a nice home. Working on this project gave me a lot of joy.
Thanks Beverley. It was a great pleasure for me to work on this project and try to give pleasure back to the boys who give me such pleasure.
Thanks Daniela. Susan certainly has a talent and made a wonderful likeness of each boy. I would have loved to have been there when they each saw their own puppet and now as they are are in the Castello di Naro museum we fans can also appreciate Susan’s talent. Bravo!!
In fact Marion, as soon as I go to Naro, I’ll go see them.
Lucky you Daniela I am really very envious !!! Susan’s talent is amazing and I would like to know how long each puppet took to make.
Hi Marion-in answer to your question, the planning and ordering of all of the materials took the longest amount of time. The puppet maker had to order the suits, shirt, and shoes, and I ordered the accessories and had them sent to me, and then forwarded them to him. This took a while because I kept adding to my list, and had to figure out exactly how I wanted them to look, and what I wanted them to wear. Pictures of the boys had to be sent to the puppet maker, and I had to pick the exact pictures that I thought would replicate them the best, especially their hair. Since I always see Piero in baseball caps in pictures, I chose for him to wear that, so you really can’t see his hair. Of course I picked a New York team for the baseball cap-I am originally from New York, and that’s probably where I will be seeing them in concert, even though now I reside in southern New Jersey and am closer to Philadelphia. So all of the prep work actually took the longest in this whole process. Each step that the puppet maker did he would e-mail me a picture. I can’t tell you how many times I had him change the hair style on them, and when they were finally shipped to me, their hair had to be re-styled and I had to steam their suits. So the actual making of the puppets took about 8 weeks on the puppetmakers behalf, and almost a month on my behalf regarding the design. It was a lengthy process, but a fun one. The shipping on the other hand was not so much fun.
Marion, I also forgot to add to my comment that I had to choose the songs to record for the puppets as well, and it took me a while to choose the ones I wanted. For Gianluca I really wanted his puppet to be singing Bridge Over Troubled Water, because I heard him sing that for the first time on You Tube, and could not believe how beautiful he sounded singing that. But it was too long for the recording device, even when I tried to edit parts out of it, so I decided on Can’t Help Falling in Love for him because I know he is a big Elvis fan, and I happen to love that song, and he sings it well. For Piero, I chose My Way, because I once heard Piero say he loved that song, as do I, and for Ignazio I chose Torna A Surriento because I just think that his voice projects so well in that song, sounds so clear and gorgeous, and wanted to include at least one Italian song. So then the process began for the puppet maker to make those recordings for me which also took time.
Those are Beautiful Susan. Awesome
Gift to them. Beautiful Story .
🙂
Thanks Diane. I enjoyed working on these puppets a lot. Gave me great pleasure. Daniela did a wonderful job writing my story
Susan
Fabulous! I love it! Thanks for sharing,!
Grazie mille, Geti.
Daniela, can you please email me?
Geti, write me your e-mail and I’ll write to you, or, I’m on facebook with my name, Daniela Perani. (my symbol is a squirrel)
Susan you are a true dedicated fan. The puppets are fantastic and how wonderful that they will be forever on display in Naro. Thanks to Daniela for her help in getting them a permanent home!!!
Annette, I have done little, just some connection.
Thank you Annette. I was very honored that Il Volo decided to bring them to Naro to be put on display. Hoping one day I can get there to see them. It would be quite an experience for me. Daniela was wonderful in coming to my aid, not even knowing who I was. She is a wonderful person.
Well done Susan, they’re impressive! This is a wonderful gift for the boys, thanks to Daniela for telling us this incredible story 🙂
Grazie a te, I had to convince Susan to publish it.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. Yes, Daniela had to convince me to let her publish this article, as I did not want to come off as though I was bragging about anything that I did. I did it to show my appreciation to the boys, as they give me a lot of joy in their music.
Great talent Susan. I wish we could see the museum in Naro. A visual tour would be nice.
Joan, nice idea, we will try to do a virtual tour.
Thanks Daniela for sharing this great story and Susan what a big fan you must be to make these puppets.
Thanks Tineke, but I just wrote the story, Susan did it all.
Yes Tineke, I am a huge fan and just wanted to give back to them what they give to me with their music.
Thanks
Susan
Thank you for this heart warming article Daniela, and Susan for her love. Certainly ILVOLO has called her to Thank her for her beautiful tribute. I am sure that Susan would welcome this almost as much as concert. The expense and love is from the heart. Once again Thank You for sharing Daniela…..it is with a smile that I enjoy your updates. God Bless.
I’m glad Rose Marie, you liked the story.
In fact I had no doubt, it was Susan who was doubtful to publish it.
Thanks Rose Marie for your kind comments. Il Volo’s music just transports me to another place when I hear them sing. A place where I have peace, and can relax and enjoy life. Their music means a lot to me.
Great idea! So much talent Susan! Thank you, I’m sure these young men were impressed! Thanks Daniela for the article, loved it!!
Grazie mille Linda!
Great idea Susan. Piero seems to look right at you. Daniela I know you did your part in helping the “boys” to get to Italy.
I had a small role, Regina.
The credit is all about Susan.
Thanks Regina. Funny you say that about Piero. When I first received them I put them on top of my dining room table which is behind my kitchen. When I would turn around in the kitchen I would be so startled and actually would scream, thinking they were real people. Everyone who came into my house would have the same reaction. Took me about a month to get over that feeling.
Susan
Please email me Daniela
Thanks
Gilda
I answered you a little above, Gilda.
What a beautiful awesome gift for our guys. You did a fantastic job on the puppets. Thank you, JoAllan Tsyitee
🙂
Thank you for your kind comments.
What a wonderful idea, great job Susan! Those puppets look awesome!!!!!! Thanks for telling us about it Daniela!
Anna, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you Anna. A lot of the credit has to go to the actual puppet maker. He was wonderful to work with, and a very patient person, being the perfectionist that I am. Nice experience for me and actually a very funny one, working with him.
What an amazing gift! Daniela, Thank you for sharing this heart warming story!
Barbara in AZ, I knew you would like these puppets.
Thank you Barbara. I am glad that you enjoyed the puppets.
Thank you so much Daniela and thank you Susan. What a beautiful gift for our three lovely boys. The puppets are absolutely awesome. What a lovely story……you are always so wonderful to us fans Daniela in sharing these heartwarming stories for us to enjoy. xxoo
Thank you very much Barbara Brown, I always hope you like what I write.
I’m already preparing the next article !!
Thank you so much Barbara Brown for your generous comments. I am very glad that you, and so many others thought that this was a good idea. I had planned this a long time ago, and it took me a while to actually go through with it, and now by everyone’s reactions, I am so glad that I did.
Susan what a wonderful & heart warming gift of love to the Il Volo boys.& I am glad they are in a safe place. I can just imagine how pleased & happy the boys feel. One day I am going to meet you & thank you personally.
That would be wonderful Loretta. Thanks for your comment. This was an experience that brought me a lot of joy.
Loretta, did you see that wonderful puppets?
Susan was terrific.
A big thank you to all Flight Crew members who have enjoyed and commented on my story of the making of the puppets and their voyage from the States to Italy. I wanted to give back some of the joy that Il Volo gives to me when I hear them sing. A very special thank you to Daniela, who took interest in my project without even knowing who I was, and then went on to write a beautiful story about it. I hope we remain friends forever. So now I look forward to seeing their concerts in America and wait patiently to meet with them in person. Thanks once again to all.
Susan
Susan, I already told you that you did an incredible job.
But what doubts come to you, it is certain that we will always remain in friendship, after all the problems we have overcome !!!
It was a pleasure to help you and I hope to go to Naro soon to see these beautiful puppets.
Kisses .)
Thanks Daniela. My dream is that one day I can also go to Naro-how wonderful that would be. And to meet you as well would be the icing on the cake and tie this entire story together
Susan
Susan, these IL VOLO puppets are amazing! What a labor of love that was! I am so glad I was able to help Daniela get this story posted here. Everyone should know about your talent and love for these fine young men! We all share in that GRANDE AMORE! 🙂
Thanks Pat in your role as well in putting my story out there. It took about eight weeks of planning with the puppet maker to get the end result. Literally almost 100 e-mails back and forth including pictures of the boys and warnings to get their hair correctly done, knowing the way they are about their hair!! This experience brought me a lot of joy and laughter between the puppet maker and myself. I’m so glad that it turned out well and the bonus was meeting so many wonderful people on this site. Thanks again
Susan
You’re most welcome, Susan! It was a pleasure to be able to help get your story published! I am also a perfectionist (as I used to own a printing business and performed all the typesetting) and truly appreciate your attention to every detail on the puppets! Great job!! Brava!! 👏
Yes, thanks to my right-hand man Pat.
This time I made you add and change, but was it worth it?
Always a great job.
Kisses 🙂
How wonderful to read the adventure of first, the love of the IL Volo boys and then the idea to create these fantastic puppets, Susan. ☺ Such enjoyment in the planning and getting them to Italy in pristine condition…wow!!! Daniela what a big heart you have to help Susan. Thank you to Pat for getting this story written for us to embrace. Our boys must have been deeply touched when they saw them. God bless all of you, IL Volo sisters!! ♥
Thank you, Harriett! But I didn’t write the story….our talented Daniela did! 😊 I just take what she send to me, make it look pretty and publish it here! 😉 I enjoy doing it!
Thanks Harriett. I have to say the time period in which I was planning and designing the puppets gave me such joy and was quite funny. I actually kept this a secret from my husband because of the money involved and I just wanted to have something to call my own. One day the puppet maker called me to tell me they were finished and asked how I was going to hide these 3 feet puppets from him so I knew was time to tell him. Knowing me he was not surprised I would do such a thing and when they arrived he helped me put them together and loved them so much he wanted to keep them for himself! So all turned out well and quite funny. And the bonus of this all was getting to know Daniela!!
Susan
Grazie mille Harriett, It is my extreme pleasure to bring you to the knowledge of stories or articles that you might not otherwise know.
This is a really good story, it didn’t have to go unnoticed.
Wow! Susan, your puppets are wonderful! What creative talent you have! What dedication and patience you had while sending these works of art on their long journey to Italy.
Daniela and Pat, thank you for this great story. I was smiling the whole way through.
I can imagine the beautiful smiles three young men had when they saw these. 😊😊😊
Hi Jane. Glad I could put a smile on your face. I was smiling also through the whole process of this. Wanted to just give back some joy to the boys for all the joy that their music gives me.
Dear Jane, when you were in Italy, in Naro, you couldn’t get to the Houseteca.
Now you have another reason to come back.
Kisses 🙂
What a wonderful gift! So creative! I would have loved to have seen their faces when they received the puppets! They must have been amazed and delighted!
Penina, surely they were left speechless.
Wonderful job Susan and Daniela! This is a study in perseverance. I’m so happy you were able to send the puppets to Italy. Unfortunately, especially with large gifts, many gifts given to the guys after concerts never make it back to Italy.
Hope to many of you in 2020 at IlVolo concerts!
LIjoy-Thank you for your gracious comments. I am so glad that I decided to ship them to Italy, because none of the venues would even let me in with these to begin with, (after thinking it through), and then Il Volo would have been stuck with the project of shipping them back to Italy, and believe me, it was quite a project. I had my fingers crossed the entire time that they would make it!!!
Thanks Lijoy, for your kind comments. You’re right, the trip to Italy was really hard and I think that being so big they couldn’t have taken them with them.
But it is good, what ends well. Lijoy, you will have to come to Naro to see them.
I’m due for another Naro experience. The first was so short.
Susan, Daniela and Pat this is totally awesome! The puppets are beautiful and really look like our guys. They have received some great gifts in the past, but these are the best. They must have been so surprised and thrilled to see so much love in a gift to them. I am wondering if you were lucky enough to get a personal thank you from them. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Janet for your kind comments. I wanted to give them something different, and different they are! Best part is that they actually are singing in Il Volo’s voices, each have their own song.
Yes, Janet, I’ve seen other beautiful gifts, but these are by far the best.
Susan & Daniela, a very patriotic salute to us all. Susan your talent shows that creativity is a two way street. Your work is fantastic. Your love for our guys really shows where your heart is. Excellent!
Susan & Daniela, a very patriotic salute to us all. Susan your work shows that creativity is a two way street. Your love for the IL Volo team shows in your work. You could not get any cuter, Just excellent
Thank you Vincent for your kind comments to me. I wanted to do an Italian/American theme, since I thought I would be giving them the gift in the USA during one of their concerts, but wanted also for them to keep their identity. I’m getting overwhelmed with all of these gracious, beautiful comments that are coming my way. Thanks again.
True, Vincent, it’s really a beautiful sight, those details express Italian-American love. Susan expressed this feeling very well.
What a beautiful thoughtful gift. It must have taken many hours/ weeks to complete that task, with so much love poured into her creativity. I am sure Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca were surprized and immensely grateful for such a generous gift. It is creative and bellissima.
Thanks so much Franny for your compliments. Actually it took over 2 months to arrange everything, design it, and have the puppet maker complete it, with so many questions, e-mails and pictures sent back and forth. But it was a pleasure to do and brought me a lot of joy.
Franny, it was a long, painstaking job that took a lot of time for Susan. But the result was fantastic and the appreciation that is receiving from all the great Volo-Family, is wonderful
Here they are.
This was published today, when did Naro read the story?
Thank you so much !!
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/61614850_349003142469600_2235366955278139392_n.png?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent-mxp1-1.xx&oh=dc4aaf5fb794b0218af381fc7eb14e6e&oe=5D56014B
I am in Naro and just yesterday viewed the beautiful puppets. Only the night before had I read this post about Susan and the artistry of their design. The museum of Piero is a wonderful tribute and fitting place to display all three puppets. In addition to the museum I was also allowed to view Piero’s home (from the outside). I did not take a photo feeling that this was a private space. But I did take photos at the museum.
I highly recommend TourNaru and Dario. He arranged my whole visit and tour of Marsala, Naro, and Taurmina. Dario is a gracious, welcoming, and enthusiastic tour operator. My visit here has been spectacular.
Prior to arrival in Naro I toured Marsala and enjoyed a visit to Ignazio’s sister Nina’s pizzeria and of course ordered the “Ignazio pizza.”
I am so grateful for this fan group and all the posts that keep us informed and up to date on IL VOLO. Thank you Daniela. Thank you also to all the fans here who share their love and support for the guys and for each other in this community. I feel very blessed to be a member of the Flight Crew.
Wow, Cristaldawn, what a good news.
Just yesterday I thought of you.
I was wondering if you were able to go to Sicily through Dario.
You did it, what a beautiful thing.
You’re in Naro and you’ve also seen the Houseteca and even the puppets.
You were also at the Pizzeria dei Desideri and Taormina Wow.
You saw how beautiful Sicily is!
I am so happy that our stories create these beautiful connections.
I am very happy that your journey is going well.
You will tell everything in a post if you want.
Continue your journey well, Matera is waiting for you. <3 <3
Yes of course. I will be happy to share my journey in a post. I will be home in Oregon in late June. We can connect then for post submission. Thank you.
Wow from me also Crystal Dawn!! Talking about being in the right place at the right time!! What an adventure you have been on and now onto Matera. I was there a number of years ago. Most interesting!! Safe travels!
Indeed a beautiful story,
labor of love by Susan.
Great job, Susan! What lovely puppets!
and Daniela – your vigilance spotting her story, and you bridging the gaps, also labor of love.
And the puppets – they had/have their own destiny, and now they are in their rightful place.
Grazie, Daniela. You made some hearts smile.
(By the way, where were the boys when they received these puppets? you mentioned that they were together at that time. Grazie.)
Thanks Cynthia, I knew you would like this story.
Susan had a wonderful idea.
yes, those puppets are awesome! talk about a labor of love! 🙂
Thanks Jana for your gracious comment. Yes they were a labor of love for their music. They took a lot of planning, and communication with my puppet maker, but we both enjoyed our time together in making these
Jana, you saw how good our Susan is.
He did a job of taking care of details, dedication and love.
All the compliments really go to her.
and to YOU, Daniela, for bridging the gaps! You made a lot of hearts smile!
Grazie Cynthia <3<3<3
The puppets are amazing!! What a great idea! I am impressed! We celebrate our 50th anniversay this year! I was hoping tickets would be my anniversary gift! I guess next year, God willing. I pray we stay well.
I love the Il Volo music. These young men sing so beautifully. I listen to them every day.
Thank you anf God bless them and you.
Joan Bohata
Thank you Joan for your kind words. Stay well, and hopefully you will get those tickets soon!
Wow I would love to go to Italy just to tast the Ignazio pizza
Susan I love seeing the picture of the puppets standing in the middle of the floor while a recording is playing them singing. Wonderfully beautiful loving job. The Ilvolos joy as well as all our heartfelt thanks is sent to you that the next time you see the Ilvolo boys they will give you the biggest hug you have ever received & you will be getting many many more.
People I dont mean to speak for others. But I’l be looking for Susan at the next concert.I need to give her a big hug.
Thank you so much Loretta for your kind words. Regarding those big hugs I’m going to be receiving, all I can say is from your mouth to Gods ears!! What venu will you be seeing them at?? I will probably be seeing them first at Radio City and also Philadelphia and not sure where else. I may surprise my husband once again and get tickets for another state. We have friends in Florida and California so we’ll see. Hope to meet you one day.
Susan