On Saturday 4 February, Il Volo was a guest on the “C’è posta per te” program hosted by Maria De Filippi (she also hosts Amici) on Canale 5.

It was a very long episode and Il Volo was the guest of the last story, therefore it was broadcast immediately after midnight. So it was a long wait, but it was worth it, beyond what the program is, for many considered a tearjerker, the presence of our boys was remarkable. 😘

In the long translation I have omitted nothing, not even the long letters from the daughters that Maria has read, making our sweet boys wait. I also tried to explain how the format of this program works, putting explanations in brackets that could help you understand.😉

I’m sure you will like it a lot.
Happy viewing and happy reading to all of you.

You’ve Got Mail video – Click Here

The video begins with Maria de Filippi introducing a video.

MARIA= Let’s start with a film.

(A video starts with the inscription: Piero, Gianluca, Ignazio, the singing artists that the world envies us, Il Volo, 14 years of success).

PIERO in the video= Now we are really three brothers.

GIANLUCA in the video = We grew up together, a truly unique alchemy was created.

IGNAZIO in the video = Our goal has always been to bring the Italian tradition, through music, to more stages and different cultures.

GIANLUCA in the video = You have to persevere, because you can truly reach the furthest dream. We believed it and we still believe it and we are dreaming, truly hoping to continue and be together for many more years.

(the inscription appears on the video: Great success Christmas in Jerusalem)

IGNAZIO in the video= During World Youth Day, we had the honor of singing for Pope Francis.

PIERO in the video = It’s an emotion that we will tell our grandchildren, that we will tell for the rest of our lives.

(On the video the inscription: We are three completely different personalities, and this is precisely our strength)

MARIA= Il Volo, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. (Applause welcomes the entrance of the three singers)

 

MARIA= You are very elegant. ☺

PIERO= Hello. We agreed (on what to wear – hugs and kisses)

IGNAZIO= I couldn’t introduce myself, inelegant. 😁

MARIA= (to Ignazio) You are in perfect shape.

IGNAZIO= I’m trying, after two years of stopping, I’m starting again to …..

MARIA= I really mean it, since I last saw you you’re…..

IGNAZIO = Thank you! Then I believe it. 😁

MARIA= Look, then I have an eye in calculating the weight, you’ve dropped at least 5 kilos.

IGNAZIO= It could be, you know!

MARIA= You look great. 😉

IGNAZIO= Thank you. (visibly pleased and also embarrassed) ❤

MARIA= (turning to Piero and Gianluca) Excuse me, but it was right to compliment him.

IGNAZIO= I’m happy about it, but you must know (addressing the audience) that her favorite is Piero, so…..(laughter) 😁

MARIA= (She puts her hand on Piero’s shoulder and says to Ignazio) What a nuisance you are. 😁

PIERO= He always falls there…

MARIA= And they suffer…..

PIERO= Eh, they’re jealous….😁

MARIA= Gianluca minus, it’s Ignazio…..

GIANLUCA= It’s Ignazio, he always says so ….

IGNAZIO= She is the most envied woman in Italy (there was a time when the newspapers named Maria that way), she loves Piero and I’m a little jealous.
(Maria kisses Piero, applause) 😁

MARIA= Sit down,

I let Valentina and Simona in.

(Maria introduces the two women who sent the request to the program, the girls have already met Il Volo backstage)

Valentina and Simona are here for their dad.
When I met Valentina she told me:

“In April (2022) we lost mom, we don’t want to lose dad too. I feel bad, I feel like crying and the same thing goes for my sister, every time dad tells us this sentence.

– You two go ahead for your girls, it makes no sense for me to continue staying here, I want to go to my mother and join her –

The love between my father and my mother was a special love, a unique love, there was never a quarrel, they lived in symbiosis, I can tell you that mom was dad’s only woman, and dad was only man in mom’s life.

It’s September 2021 when mom starts having a cough, the doctors give her syrup, in January this cough is insistent, actually worsened, so a CT scan is done, a diagnosis is made shortly thereafter, and the diagnosis is horrible. Mom has emergency surgery, mom has fluid in her lungs, mom loses 20 kilos, mom ends up in a wheelchair. The doctors talked, mom understood what was happening and what was going to happen, I too, dad didn’t.

Dad kept saying mom would get better, and the doctors said so too.

Mom is always in the hospital, but once she manages to get out, and that time she’s not in the wheelchair, she’s standing and me, my sister and dad, we even take her on a trip. She was hospitalized in Milan, we live in Sardinia, before she was hospitalized again, I have to go back to Sardinia because of commitments with my little girls. I talk to mom, that day we hug, mom says this sentence to me:
-Please take care of Dad and Aunt Betty too – We take two photographs and they will be the last two photos I have with mum.

Shortly thereafter, the hospital calls me and tells me that mom is no longer here. (Ignazio rests his hand on the girl’s shoulder). ❤

Dad always looks at mom’s pictures, dad listens to mom’s voicemails every night and keeps telling us he wants to join her. Both my sister and I look at the photographs, both my sister and I listen to mum’s messages, we miss mum too, but if life has taken mum from us, at least let dad stay with us.”

(Now Maria turns to Il Volo).
You are here because, despite your young age, to help in such a circumstance …. because they respect you so much, including their mum and dad too. 😘

Let’s see the mail delivery.
(The external video begins, which demonstrates that the message in a sealed envelope is delivered to the interested party. Whoever receives it cannot open the envelope and to accept it must say the phrase: There is an email for you.)

POSTMAN= Hi Maria, today I’m in Villaspeciosa, a town in the province of Cagliari, to deliver your invitation to Mr. Gianfranco.
I go!

I’m Giovanni, the postman from You’ve Got Mail, I’m looking for Mr. Gianfranco.

GIANFRANCO= It’s me.

POSTMAN= Very pleased, Signor Gianfranco. I think I have an invitation from Mrs. Maria De Filippi for you. (Now the postman always asks a couple of questions to understand if he is really the person he is looking for)
I know that you were born in January.

GIANFRANCO= Yes.

POSTMAN= And I also know that he worked as a school operator.

GIANFRANCO= Yes.

POSTMAN= Ok, then I’ll give you the invitation from Mrs. Maria De Filippi. At the end of a delivery we always say one thing:

GIANFRANCO= There’s mail for you! (applauded)

MARIA= So, you three stand there, you move there. (Maria hides Il Volo next to the envelope, so that Gianfranco does not see them)

Are you ready? (to the girls)
So….. Giovanni (the postman).

POSTMAN= Yes, Maria.

MARIA= Mr. Gianfranco did accept the invitation?

POSTMAN = Yes, Maria, Mr. Gianfranco has accepted the invitation and is here with us. Please. (applause, Mr. Gianfranco enters).

GIANFRANCO= Good evening, Signora Maria.

MARIA= How are you? You take a seat.

(Dad Gianfranco sits down, the envelope is closed and he doesn’t see who is on the other side.)

MARIA= We can use TU, Gianfranco is it ok? (For the Italian language it is not polite, even if it is now very common, to talk to a person you know little using TU =YOU, for Italian it is more polite to use LEI, but nowadays everyone uses TU).

GIANFRANCO= Yes.

MARIA= So, soon we’ll see who sends for you (The envelope is opened and the protagonist sees who sent him the invitation who must not speak at that moment. Once the protagonist sees who invited him, he can decide whether to make him talk or not).

GIANFRANCO= Yes.

MARIA= You look and then you tell me if you want to listen.
Are you agitated?

GIANFRANCO= A little. It’s normal.

MARIA= Right. We opened the envelope.

GIANFRANCO= Yes. (the envelope is opened and Gianfranco sees the two daughters, there is emotion, applause)

MARIA= Don’t we leave them in silence?

GIANFRANCO= No, no, sure.

MARIA= Please.

VALENTINA= Dad, since mom is gone, we see so much sadness in your eyes, and this hurts us so much.
We know well the suffering you find, because it is the same that we feel too. Hearing you say certain things makes our hearts ache, because even if we are adults, we still need you so much. (appaluses) ❤

SIMONA= Dad we miss you so much, even Martina (granddaughter) who isn’t here with us today, but you know she loves you madly. It’s difficult for us too and please dad, you have to react. If you can’t do it for yourself and us, do it for mom. What she could not do, we will do together (applause). Remember that all of this is what mom would have wanted. ❤

(Children enter, scattering leaves on the floor where lanterns are lit)

MARIA= (She reads the thoughts of Gianfranco’s daughters)
We can find her in our prayers, in the memories that everyone keeps in their hearts, but if we want to embrace her we can’t do it anymore. Instead you dad, luckily, you’re still here, we can see you and hug you as many times as we want. Yes, you’re here, but since that very sad April morning when the call from the hospital matron came, it’s as if you weren’t here anymore either.

For months your heart has been covered in a layer of pain, like the forest in winter, when it’s covered in leaves. If before you were the chatterbox of the house, now you are always silent, sleep little, eat little, live to visit mom at the cemetery.

Sometimes we find you in the garage crying, or in the bedroom, with the red jacket and her brush in your hands. Not to mention all the times you abandon yourself on the sofa to listen to her voice stored on your cell phone a thousand times, and afterwards you find no peace, on the contrary, you feel melancholy and the pain of living growing, because you reproach yourself for not having insisted on mother’s medical check-ups, which she put off because of the cost.

You say you should have done more, and you are convinced that if she hadn’t been in the hospital, but at home with you, maybe she would still be with us. Unfortunately it’s not like that dad, the disease would have taken her away anyway, you don’t need to live guilt that you don’t have. Your beautiful eyes that used to always laugh, are now dull and sad and what’s worse is that they have stopped being curious about the lives of the people around you. We know you love us dearly, but lately you’ve been repeating that it doesn’t make sense for you to be in the world anymore, that we have to go on for our girls and that you just want to join mom where she went. But you still have a reason to live dad, just look up and address it to us. We too are always your little girls, Martina is missing tonight, but with her heart she is here beside us, we are blood of your blood and we are the best you and mum could have done together. We have brought you here, because we hope that an evening like this will be able to rekindle that little flame inside you which is called “the will to live”, even if we are adults, we need to find comfort in your arms and to draw strength from your words. You and mom were a special couple, between you only jokes, kisses, hugs and kindness, but every time you tell us that you would like to go to her, we end up crying, because you know how sorry you cause us and in fact you always apologize to us, before retiring to your room.

Death is something that affects all human beings, dad, that day will come too, but now it’s early, you have to be strong, we’re here to protect you from the cold and shelter you from sadness, as if we were your umbrella. You are only 62, your place is next to us. (applause – children enter carrying rain protected by umbrellas)

Dad, you feel lost without a horizon, but we’re here to remind you who you are. You are our example, you are our lighthouse, you are our guide, now more than ever we ask you to stand together and move forward, that there is a life waiting for you. If mom were in the world, she wouldn’t waste a single minute. Do as she would, listen to our words, and allow yourself to be comforted by our love. You are a wonderful father who dedicated his life to his family, now it’s your family that wants to dedicate itself to you. You are not a burden to anyone, you just have to agree to lean on us when you feel that you can’t do it alone.

Over time, our happy scenes will return, the fishing trips together, the walks in the mountains looking for mushrooms, and why not, there will also be moments of recollection to look at mum’s photos and if we feel like crying, we will on each other’s shoulders. It will take time, and no one rushes you, but we promise you that if you know how to look for it, you too will come back to see the sun and the rainbow too, the desire to get up in the morning to make your bed or play tricks on someone will come back, on us, as you always have.

We understand that your life without  mum is over, but also that a new time can begin with us, one full of surprises and emotions. Please dad, don’t let the dark win, send away the bad thoughts and let only the good ones in from now on. (applause – the children come in and bring the sun).

We never told you, but really thank you dad, because you made us live life in color, even if we never sailed in gold at home, you and mom never made us miss anything, from material things to warm hugs. When summer came, we little girls would see everyone at the beach and not to be less, you would take us too, then you would take advantage of it to fish and sell the little fish and make some money, or you would stop with mum to pick oranges and also sell those to round up (make some money).

It took you a lifetime to pay off your home loan, and you must be proud of yourself, because you have always been an honest man, a smiling father, a husband with a quick answer and full of passion. Now you even give up going fishing with the excuse that there’s no more mom to cook fish, actually the two of us at the stove cooking fish are a disaster, the face you made this Christmas says a lot, when we managed to burn the whole dinner. You couldn’t believe it, but deep down, you can’t deny that we always put our hearts into it, like you taught us. You are the one who, when the harvest period arrived, came back with the small tractor full of grapes, while we waited for you next to the basin in the garden, with bare feet and laughing like crazy. You are the one who went around the rooms at night to check that we were well covered and kissed us on the forehead. You are the one who when Simona broke up with her husband, you ran to get her and the baby and brought them home to mom and told her not to worry, that you would take care of everything. You are the one who, when I had a little too pressing a suitor, came down under the house, and faced him with a hard face, and he disappeared in a second.

You’re the one who didn’t love animals, and who now takes care of mom’s cats, with such dedication that we’re even jealous. You are the one who taught us to ride a bike without wheels, to drive a car, to do a thousand other things.

In the name of all this, we will never give up on you. We’re here to help you find a little glow in all this winter, because we miss you and because we would like to come back to see you laughing like you did when there was mom who called you Frankie and made fun of you, because she said you were a little goofy, that you were obsessed with order and washing your hands every five minutes. We’re waiting for you dad, but without hurry, your smiles will come back when you feel like doing them, meanwhile with your permission, we’ll carry on, and we’ll start to turn on some light and joy right now. (applause – children enter carrying balloons of light)

It’s true that we’re here to ask you to make a great effort, because it’s hard for you to take your life back, but in return we’re ready to make important promises to you.
We have the habit of arriving perpetually late, you rightly get annoyed and tonight we promise you it won’t happen again.

Do you believe it? Nod your head yes or no. (Dad nods yes)

GIANFRANCO= Yes, I believe it.

MARIA= Ok. (applause). I, who am Valentina, I promise you that I won’t get distracted anymore when I’m driving and every time I almost touch the mirrors of other cars, and you’re fine attached to the door handles, terrified that we’re going to crash. If you believe it, do yes with your head. (dad nods yes)

I promise you I’ll learn to count to ten, instead of talking right away without thinking, you’ve always told me, I never learn. If you believe in it, nod your head. (dad nods yes) 😘

Now it’s my turn dad, I’m Simona, I ask your forgiveness dad if I’m a landslide in the kitchen, like the other night when I took the vegetables out of the oven and they slipped on the floor and we’ve made up for it with the salad, give me time and you’ll see one day you will be proud of me.

If you believe in it, nod your head. (dad nods yes) 😘

Dad, you and I are shy, and for this reason we hug little or nothing. From this evening I promise you that our hugs will be too many, and that maybe you won’t be able to anymore, but maybe you’ll understand that, you are everything, but not a burden to us. Now to show you that life is anything but certain, do you want to make the last bet with us?

With mom we would have won for sure, but if you think of her and see them (Il Volo), you’ll see that a beautiful smile will return. All you have to do is look at the ladder in front of you.
(the music of Grande Amore starts, Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio, they descend the stairs, applause) 😘😘😘

 (Big kisses and hugs from Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio to Gianfranco, who reciprocates with pleasure. Everyone sits down)

IGNAZIO= Well, then, you saw what a nice present.

GIANFRANCO= Yes!

IGNAZIO= Sfera Ebbasta was better though! 😁 (Ignazio’s usual joker, Sfera Ebbasta is an Italian rapper singer).

GIANFRANCO= No!

IGNAZIO= When we heard about your story, I felt it very personally, because two years ago, I too lost my dad …….and..(applause) …. stay back there , hearing your story, I have seen myself a lot, I know how you felt as a family, but trying to reach someone who is physically no longer there is impossible, because we have people who need us. ❤

GIANFRANCO= Sure.

IGNAZIO= And in this case I need my mom, I can’t lose my mom, also because then there’s that son-like selfishness that says:
“I need you, where are you going?” ❤ (applause)

GIANFRANCO= Sure, sure.

IGNAZIO= Because you have always been our point of reference.  ❤ (applause).

PIERO= Allow me to tell you that you are absolutely not alone, we have met your daughters, we have not yet met the other girl (the niece), but they are wonderful people and they love you so much. We are young, and we know how essential parental support can be, and therefore you have a great duty now, to enjoy your daughters and granddaughters. 😘

GIANFRANCO= Yes, my nieces too.

PIERO= I recommend you. (applause)

GIANLUCA= We are happy to have kept you even a little company, with our music, and then we obviously, we are young, we still have so much to learn from life, but I would like to say one thing that, as we all know, no one is immune in life to the pain of suffering and the unpredictability of life that cannot be controlled. (applause)

Surely, however, it is not true that we only live once, because we live every day, and we have the task of making our life wonderful for ourselves and for the people around us, and we owe them love as much as possible. (applause) 😘

IGNAZIO= Anyway, we first  knew your daughters….we didn’t try, I swear….😁

PIERO= Also because they were crying (when they met them backstage), they were just crying.

GIANLUCA= We have a small gift, because we know you have a great passion. (He holds a small model of VESPA in his hand) With this you can fly…. you see the flight (pun intended) always comes back….

PIERO= Explain it well….then, we have the pleasure of giving you the real one, this is a model because we couldn’t bring the real one here. ☺

IGNAZIO= Also because they haven’t done the three-seater one yet.

PIERO= But in the real one you’ll find at home, there will be the picnic trunk, so you can bring your grandchildren and children.. ok?

GIANFRANCO = Thank you!

IGNAZIO= Piero and I have it (the Vespa). I’m a Vespa aficionado, with my beautiful fifty (Vespa engine capacity), the old one, I go around and it helps me a lot, because it helps me to be alone with myself and who is no longer there, and to converse with who I want. ❤

PIERO= Also because you live in a place, in a wonderful land, Sardinia.

IGNAZIO= “Aiò, pane carasau “ 😁
(is a word in Sardinian dialect, pane carasau is the typical bread of Sardinia  )

GIANFRANCO= Have you ever tasted it?

IGNAZIO= Of course, indeed I will come to see you, I still have to eat the “porceddu” which drives me crazy. (pork cooked in the Sardinian way)

PIERO= (He corrects the pronunciation of Ignazio who said it in the Sicilian way and not in the Sardinian way.)

GIANLUCA= You said it in Sicilian, be careful! 😁

PIERO= Have you ever been to Sicily?

GIANFRANCO= My mom is Sicilian.

PIERO= From where?

IGNAZIO= Don’t tell me about Naro! 😁😁

GIANFRANCO= Between Messina and near Santo Stefano di Camastra.

PIERO= Ah, Santo Stefano di Camastra.

GIANFRANCO= Country of ceramics.

IGNAZIO= Maria, you must know that wherever we go in the world, everywhere, there is always a person from Naro. But I swear to you. 😁

PIERO= (He explains to Maria) It’s the town where I live. 😘

IGNAZIO = (He imitates the people he meets in the world)
“I’m Sicilian, my family is Sicilian.”
Where from?

“Of Naro!” 😁😁😁 (laughter and applause)

MARIA= Valentina do you want to say something else?

VALENTINA= Yes.

MARIA= Go

VALENTINA= Dad today you have to make me a promise, we want to see you smile again like you used to, can you promise us?

GIANFRANCO= (with a lump in his throat) I promise you, but it’s a bit tough. (applause)

VALENTINA= I know.

GIANFRANCO= I will commit myself.

MARIA= Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero, get ready, because when I open the envelope, they sing.

IGNAZIO= We want to dedicate this song to you.

GIANGFRANCO= Thank you, thank you.

IGNAZIO= It’s one of those songs that you can give the meaning you want, and personally, when we sing it in concerts, I use it to be close to whoever I want. (he touches his heart) So we dedicate it to all of you.

GIANFRANCO = Thank you.

MARIA= Let’s open the envelope. (Valentina and Simona hug their father while Gianluca starts singing Hallelujah, a very touching moment.)

At the end, kisses and hugs between Piero, Ignazio, Gianluca and Gianfranco and his daughters who compliment the boys as they embrace them)

IGNAZIO= I had prepared myself earlier and had brought a spare (He gives a handkerchief to Valentina)

MARIA= Guys, you were very good, but I mean not only in singing, which is obvious, but also in your way of approaching him, you spoke like children, and you spoke with such sincerity, especially you Ignazio.

IGNAZIO= Thank you.

Final greetings.

What can I say, as always I’m speechless. When I wait for Il Volo as a guest in a program, I expect a lot from them, but my expectations are duly confirmed, indeed, they give even more than what I expect.

I begin by saying that they immediately appeared beautiful, elegant, in excellent shape, something Maria also noticed. Very polite, they listened to the long explanation and the long beautiful letters from the girls and read by Maria.

They gave Gianfranco big hugs of support and were able to say beautiful, moving, heartfelt words, Ignazio was particularly touching and sweet.

They sang impeccably and conducted everything with elegance, sympathy, education and love.

Even Maria, who usually isn’t the type to give many comments, wanted to congratulate them saying nice words, because these guys deserve it, they are a great example for those who see and listen to them, not just singing.

I want to finish with the translation of this short video shot backstage.

Click on link below to view the video:

C’è Posta Per . . . IL VOLO

IGNAZIO= The elements of the family become truly indispensable. Perhaps Gianfranco must understand that it is essential for his daughters to have him in their life.

PIERO= We have to congratulate Ignazio, because he said some beautiful words.

IGNAZIO= I have a past that is very similar to theirs, I lived almost the same thing with my mother. The nice thing is that you become even more united.

GIANLUCA= If people occasionally remembered that, unfortunately, no one is truly immune to pain and suffering, we would also live a more peaceful life, without malice, without envy, because it is too much bigger than us, and the family must be united when above all, unpredictable things happen to us.

IGNAZIO= Often, where words fail, music arrives, you can also not speak and sing and this makes things easier for us.

PIERO= We are happy to have brought a smile to Gianfranco and his splendid daughters.

Again I am speechless, they have all my respect and admiration.
I love them. ❤❤❤

Daniela 🤗

BREAKING NEWS!!

It has been announced that there will be two concerts in Verona on May 1 and 3, 2023.

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.