On March 12th there was a beautiful press conference in Pompeii “POMPEII IS ART”, held by the MIC (Ministry of Culture) in which the concerts that will be held this year in Pompeii were presented.
I want to point out to you that in this conference there was really “consideration” and also very nice words towards Il Volo.
As people took their seats, there was Makari music playing in the background (it wasn’t added to the video, it was played in the conference) and at the end of the conference Capolavoro will be played!
The conference is very long and I will not translate every speech for you but only the direct and quick one made by Il Volo and I will summarize the other speeches.
It was a very interesting press conference with important guests.
The speaker at the beginning invites you to begin and introduces the guests:
The Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano
The undersecretary of culture Gianmarco Mazzi
The director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel
The mayor of the municipality of Pompeii, Carmine Lo Sapio
The artists of Il Volo: Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble.
Undersecretary Mazzi begins by presenting a video of Ludovico Einaudi (pianist composer who will give one of the concerts) who in the video reiterates that he is happy to play in a site like Pompeii.
Mazzi thanks everyone present and says he is a supporter of coexistence between artists and places of culture, he finds it a natural alliance because in his opinion artists bring life to monuments and these archaeological sites. Artists are ambassadors of beauty and culture, they talk about art, they communicate emotions.
He also appreciates a less elitist and more pragmatic approach to culture.
“Artists, especially singers, are very important because they very often represent a crucial first step in the education of people, let’s say young people.”
“We know that our task comes from the law, it is the protection of monuments, but also their valorisation and in this, in my opinion, artists can help us a lot.”
Furthermore, Mazzi says that today people are always in contact with the internet world and all the artists who will give these concerts have a lot of presence in this sense, so there will be a lot of diffusion via the web and therefore it will benefit the world of culture, museums, art.
Speaking of Il Volo he says that they have more than 5 million followers and their song Grande Amore has more than 250 million views, so these sites need the contribution of these artists like “bread and butter”. So he thanks Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca who are also ambassadors of Italy in the world, they are known all over the world and carry messages of Italianness everywhere. So Mazzi believes this partnership is essential to also stimulate tourism and all those who love the “Italian style” in the world and that artists such as Il Volo and Bocelli and others certainly contribute to this.
A video of Pooh is shown, then the word is passed to the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
He says it’s a great honor to be there in that conference with those guests. He talks about the Pompeii site and the archaeological excavations, thanks Minister Sangiuliano for his support in the budget law. The excavations of Pompeii are enormous, they continue to find treasures, but at the same time they must guarantee access to people, to museums, all infrastructures that must be supported and therefore these musical festivals are an opportunity to bring young people closer to the ancient, archeology and also the many travelers and therefore these events that attract people to visit archaeological sites, such as Pompeii, a UNESCO heritage site, must be encouraged.
Russel Crowe’s video follows and then the mayor of Pompeii, Carmine Lo Sapio, speaks.
Lo Sapio says that the city of Pompeii is experiencing a new season. Pompeii is history and thanks to the agreement with the minister of culture and the director of the park they are pushing culture which in Italy is also the engine of the economy and this favors tourism and this influx of tourists to Pompeii has exceeded all expectations and therefore, on behalf of the city, he thanks him for this contribution and will guarantee the support of the infrastructure.
The word goes to Il Volo.
PIERO= Good morning.
IGNAZIO= Good morning everyone
GIANLUCA= Good morning
PIERO= For us it is a great honor to be present here today and in some way try to share our thoughts with you. This year is a very important year for our group because we are celebrating 15 years of career and we could only celebrate them in music, we will start with this two-year tour and as we have always done from day one we try to be promoters of our music and if December was a very important date because we all know that the art of “Bel Canto” has become a heritage of humanity, we do it with infinite passion. I want to conclude, I promised myself not to be verbose, it is often said that Il Volo takes Italian music around the world, but we have always thought that it is this musical and cultural heritage that we have inherited that makes us travel the world and therefore we must to all be very proud of what we have inherited.
GIANLUCA= Yes, it is a great pleasure to be here and thank you for making us part of this wonderful project that promotes beauty, that promotes culture, because culture, like art, is beauty. Beauty strikes us immediately, but behind any kind of beauty, be it works of art like Pompeii or great music like opera, there is a lot of work behind bel canto and beauty can only be appreciated through time, sacrifice and also culture. We try to bring with great passion, this music which is immortal and certainly to combine this great music through the beauties of Italy, starting precisely from Pompeii, it is also one of the objectives, to associate our name also with Pompeii, so it will be a new start, for us too, so thank you very much for everything.
IGNAZIO= Well, there’s little left for me to say, obviously, they said everything, but we can’t be anything but happy to return to Pompeii, the first time was in 2016, if I’m not mistaken, but in another area different from the one where we will perform in July. We are really happy about this opportunity, thank you so much for sending us today. See you in Pompeii, you’re all invited, Piero pays!
And at the end the words were given to the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano who said beautiful words for Il Volo. He begins by thanking everyone present but then focuses on Il Volo.
“…thanks to the artists of Il Volo because meeting them was truly a great pleasure because I am an admirer of theirs, once a colleague from TG1 gave me one of their CDs for my birthday and I then listened to it several times, I didn’t tell them this before, so I’m glad they’re here.”
He continues explaining the notion of beauty, saying that it is a philosophical term, which can be traced back to the extraordinary nature of Italian historical places and asks which of the three boys is from Agrigento, the world of Magna Graecia, while Pompeii is that of Roman times, then there are immaterial beauties, recognized by UNESCO, such as bel canto, therefore the minister compares our singers to artists like those who have handed down concrete beauties to us such as sculptors or painters and therefore by harmonizing everything together, we can celebrate the union between the heritage artistic cultural (archaeological sites) and the Italian excellence of bel canto, therefore two elements that come together and by doing this, article 9 of our constitution which speaks of the protection of artistic heritage but also valorisation through dissemination to the world.
Then he speaks with pride about the latest findings in the Pompeian excavations, and adds that the quality of life today is not only given by comfort but also by culture and today’s tourism is aimed a lot at the study of ancient beauties, it informs itself, it wants to know the history traditions, so what better way to spread all this with bel canto, furthermore these concerts will also bring an interest not only for tourism but also for the citizens of Pompeii and surrounding areas who will be able to participate in these events.
He ends by saying that after you have participated in a good concert and visited a beautiful ancient site, from a cultural point of view you have enriched yourself and that is why they believe a lot in this project, all in the rigorous protection of the sites.
Conference finished, Masterpiece is heard in the background, the usual photos are taken.
Here is a list of artists and the dates they perform in Pompeii:
Carmen Consoli (8 June);
John Legend (11 June);
Russell Crowe (9 July);
Ludovico Einaudi (12 July);
Il Volo (17 July);
Biagio Antonacci (18,19,20 July);
I Pooh (22 July) and
Francesco De Gregori (26 July).
Naturally the news was reported on the news, I propose this one which has English subtitles to be activated.
Here the subtitles are only in Italian, but at the end things are repeated.
What a wonderful initiative, it will be a magnificent event, a series of concerts in an amazing site. and what a pride to hear the words of the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano towards Il Volo, he publicly admitted to being a fan of theirs.
I await your comments, I imagine you would like to be present in Pompeii during the Il Volo concert!!!! I’m keeping my fingers crossed…..who knows!!!
See you soon:
Daniela 🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Fantastic to be able to read these speeches
Yes Rosina, I liked this interview too.
How awesome for our guys! Thank you!
I agree with you Kathy, I think they were very flattered by the compliments.
Merci Daniela pour cet article si enrichissant !
Paule, ça nous enrichit certainement, ils parlent d’art et de culture et nos favoris sont directement impliqués, que dire de plus ?
Paule, it certainly enriches us, they talk about art and culture and our favorites are directly involved, what more can we say?
Daniela, will you go?
I don’t think so, RoseMarie, of course I would like to, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Daniela, as always your attention to details make this article outstanding…
Not only because we love all information about Il Volo, but also the the details of the press conference in
POMPEII …
To know our guys are so respected and appreciated for their music ” Bel Canto”, is a very beautiful compliment to Il Volo.. That appreciation is also a compliment also to their team that is behind the scenes, helping Il Volo’s music the extraordinary quality that it is, and loved around the world….
🎶 🎤🎶🎤🎶
Thanks for the compliment Jeannette, we certainly love reading every little thing relating to our young men and this is a press conference truly full of compliments for Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca. I’m so happy for them.
Thank you so much that was a wonderful and you are amazing to do these translations
So thanks again
Thank you for the beautiful compliments Diane, you are very kind.
What a privilege for Il Volo to be in concert AGAIN at Pompeii! It is such an exceptional venue and so much restoration has gone on over the years. Pompeii was part of the tour of Sicily and Italy I took back in 2012 and was something not to be forgotten.
It is a treasure of the Italian people, as are our young men, Il Volo. Never to be missed, if possible. 😮😮😮
Oh! to be able to see them perform there would be amazing!
Thank you, Daniela and Pat for this superb posting. Hugs, Dol. 😽😽
What you said Dolores is certainly true, Pompeii is a unique site, full of history and imagining an Il Volo concert there in that place is truly priceless.
You’re welcome, Dolores! 😊
What a beautiful location and wonderful posting you share with us! I keep I feel more about Italy by your posts than I could learn from a book. Now if I could see IlVolo in their homeland, I would be complete. Since my lottery tickets keep letting me down, I will continue to listen to all their music and pray the financial ferries will land in my bank! Thank you for your wonderful stories 🥰
Sheila, what a nice compliment you gave us regarding reading our articles published here, thank you so much and always listen to good music!
The financial ferries will arrive in your bank sooner or later.
I have watched many documentaries about Pompeii. In spite of the suffering the people went through, without their knowledge they have contributed to science and history in the best way possible.
It is wonderful that Il Volo was asked to participate in the conference, and I especially loved what Piero had to say. I remember watching the Taormina concert 2014. I have watched it many times, but the one thing I loved most was the fact that they had invited some gentlemen to perform local (I assumed) music. It was wonderful, and I knew immediately that Italian music (all of it) has a special place in my heart. Loving Il Volo is also loving Italy. I am happy to be loving both.
I’m also happy that Italian music has entered your heart, Karen, it’s certainly not the same music that’s popular here now, unfortunately, but lately I feel that people are tired of certain music that isn’t music.
I also found it fantastic that Il Volo was invited to the conference, the only singers present, and they received so many well-deserved compliments.
I noticed John Legend will be there the day before Il Volo. It would be cool if they could do a couple songs together. I think he and Gianluca.
Can’t wait for the next US tour. Thanks for keeping us updated on concerts.
It would be really nice, Ruth, for Il Volo and John Legend to meet, surely something truly remarkable could arise between Gianluca and him.
Time passes quickly and they will come to you soon too.
Hi Daniela
I am pretty sure John Legend will be at their concert and hopefully they will bring him onstage.
It’s just a feeling I have🙂
Hello dearest Jill, how nice to hear from you, it’s been a long time since I heard from you and I’m extremely happy to be able to read about you.
How are you?
You have a great feeling about Il Volo and John Legend, let’s hope it comes true, it would be the best!!
I wish you many beautiful things and above all lots of health. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Isn’t it amazing that these Sanremo losers are again getting great honors like this, plus TV and radio shows, magazine covers, articles, etc.😘 We should all aspire to “lose” like our guys did!
And a belated but heartfelt thank you, Daniela, for the huge translation of the wonderful Radio Subasio show, and also to Pat for all her efforts on it.
Yes, Judi, it’s really surprising and I have to tell you that there is a lot of “movement” around Il Volo and now even more with the release of the new CD.
In this period they are unstoppable, busy and are putting me to the test with translations!! But that’s fine!
You’re most welcome, Judi! 😊
Thank you very much Daniela. I am so glad about the translations. I have been to Pompeji twice. The first time as a young girl and the second time with my husband an my children. Every time it was very hot and we have seen a lot of homeless dogs. The atmosphere in the lanes in the excavations was sad. You could feel what had happened a long time ago. It was interesting but scary. I have bought a book about this and often I read in it.
I wish our three friends a wonderful tour with much success. I adore them so very much.
Best greetings to all of you
Uschi
Ursula, for this reason during the interview they also spoke of a “dark period” in Pompeii. In reality the new director of the site is doing excellent work and every day they find unthinkable and very well preserved excavations, which is why they want a relaunch of the site with concerts and new infrastructure, and the government is supporting him in this. I think the outlook is excellent.
Merci encore Daniela, vous faites un travail formidable. J’aimerais que nos garçons voient tous ce que vous faites pour eux et pour nous!!!!
C’est un vrai plaisir Ginette, tu restes avec nous, il y a encore beaucoup à lire.
It’s a real pleasure Ginette, you’re staying with us, there’s still a lot to read.
I was happy to see Bel Canto mentioned so many times. I love that phrase. And I too now have a certain love for all things Italian, but sadly will never get there. But I have my laptop and can read and re-read your wonderful passages, watch the videos anytime and enjoy the pictures. They may sing all over the world but you infuse us with all they are about and what a gift. How I would love to see Pomeii in person. Never dreamed I would become addicted to a blog.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments Mark and I’m happy that you really like what we publish. In this period there is a lot to read about, so I don’t draw on the past, there is too much to see in the present and future of Il Volo.
I’m so glad the guys are receiving such nice accolades and so much well deserved praise from such important people. I love the idea of connecting music with beautiful historical places and who is more perfect for this than Il Volo. I can only imagine how special this concert will be. Thank you Daniela.
Cathy I too was extremely happy with the words the boys received, lots of praise and compliments. What a joy, not even if they were our children, but we love them as such!
Thank you Daniela. I can hope we get to see some of the concert. All I can think of is the whirlwind life they lead. Youth has its advantages.
We all love how much you share and know this is a lot of work for you. I don’t know how you do it.
Our family is thinking of going to Italy for Christmas. What is your weather then?
Love, Victoria
Victoria, of course we will see the concert, I hope to go, but in any case it will be recorded by Italian television, so we will definitely see it.
Piero Ignazio and Gianluca after Sanremo are having one commitment after another, I myself am struggling to connect everything, damn what strength they have, they are all commitments of respect!! I’m happy for them. As for the weather in Italy in December, it depends where you go, Italy is long and narrow and in the north it is colder and maybe even snow, in the center there is generally milder weather near the coasts and colder outside inside and even snow. In the south there is hardly any snow and the climate is certainly milder, much milder.
Fabulous! What a wonderful pairing! The culture and art of Pompeii and Il Volo. I’m glad they looked like regular guys for this occasion!
Gaetanasv you are absolutely right, the art of singing and the art of Pompeii are a wonderful combination, it will be a fantastic concert!
Thank you both Daniela and Pat for these incredible and inspiring interviews with our guys! I thought I had read awhile ago that PBS was recording the Pompeii concert. We’re kind of do for a PBS concert with the guys again, they’re good partners and means many of us get to watch! I’ve never been to Pompeii but have heard wonderful things about this historic site. I’m also an Italian fan…the food, the culture, the wine and cheese, the country and the people AND the music….love Bel Canto and ILVOLO does it so elegantly!
Having been married to my own darling Italian for 53 yrs, I feel more Italian than English and German!! The first place I always want to go is back to Italy, it feel like home even though I don’t speak Italian I can understand some of it.
I also can’t wait for the new music and a visit from IL VOLO in the USA…even though I’m still hoping for a concert in Italy!!
Just really enjoy all your writings and translations! You allow us to follow them around….how busy they are! It’s just wonderful how Italy is finally giving them their fair due, long overdo!
Thank you both again, I’m with Mark, I really love getting these blogs and participating…. Feel like you are all friends I’ve just not been able meet in person, some day?
Blessings for Palm Sunday! Carol🎼🎤💖💖💖❤️🤗😘🙏
Carol, it’s not too late to visit Pompeii. I was your age when I went to Sicily and Italy on a bus tour BY MYSELF! 😊😊 Take some of that money you’ve been salting away for a rainy day. Why not spend it on a bright, sunny day in Italy??? Hope you do it, not necessarily to attend the Il Volo concert, but to soak in the essence of the wonderful Italian culture. Hugs, Dol.
Ladiessssssssssssss I am 70 years old and this past Christmas and New Year was spent in italy and Sicily and I loved every single second of it!!!! I walked the streets of Naro and Rome and all over sicily because of my love of history then saw the boys on New Years Eve In Crotone it was marvelous they were Marelous!!! I enjoyed San Remo and Milan and Balogna and invisioned every thing they go through even sent to the home studios of Il Voli Italy is the most incredible coutry I have ever been in and I have been through a lot of Europe!! The joy of the people and the history along with the beauty is amazing I saw so many places but no where long enough I hope to go back this summer or later in the year …… YOU are NEVER to old to enjoy life!!!!
Thanks
Cindi Dominguez
Thank you Dol, you are so right! I’ve been leary of traveling alone but it’s now or never! I would love to meet you and spend time getting to know you, where are you in England?
You are a good sponsor for Italy, Dolores! 🙂
How wonderful Cindy and what a beautiful tour of Italy you did.
I’m glad you liked what you saw and I hope you come back soon, there’s so much to discover!
Touche’!! Carol!! –
You’re welcome, Carol! 😊 Palm Sunday blessings to you! I am off this morning to sing in my choir!
Would love to hear you sing, Pat. I’m sure with all your years in the choir, you must have a wonderful singing voice, or they would have asked you to leave! Ha! 🤣🤣
Love, Dol.
Dolores you are too funny! 🤣
Hi, Carol! It’s Dolores (Dol). I don’t live in England but am a closer neighbor to you in Ontario, Canada. I guess with all my notes to Roz in England, you probably thought I lived there, too. I’m a lot closer to you, so, you never know — we just might meet some day! 😃😃😃😃😃 Hugs, Dol.
Although some of us do live within an 2-hour drive of Roz…
Carol, I already said that the concert in Pompeii will be covered by TV, but not by PBS, because a concert in Pompeii with Il Volo has already been covered by PBS. I think it will be Italian TV that will resume this year, while PBS will resume a concert with Il Volo in Egypt, in front of the pyramids!
So you’re married to an Italian, where was your husband from?
And it’s not too late to come to Pompeii, you’ll be amazed to discover everything about life back then, it’s beautiful and sad at the same time to see how everything stopped in that fateful moment of the eruption.
Ohh, I got the 2 concerts confused….will be able to view the concert in the US?
Yes Charlie’s family was Sicilian (Patti) and Napoleodon ( Quintiga?), his grandparents but even I felt Italy’s influence from them…still makes me very happy!🩷🇺🇸🇮🇹💖💖💖🙏🏻🎤🎵🎶🎹🤗😘Carol
Hi Daniela
Oops, should have done my research first before posting message earlier. It shows John Legend as being in Pompei June 11, and our guys July 17.
I guess they won’t be meeting.
It makes me truly happy each time I learn that Il Volo are chosen to represent their art at an important event – it proves the Italian press so terribly wrong and ought to have them blush with shame. Il Volo are fantastic ambassadors for music, singing and Italian Bel Canto and hence the perfect choice in such situations. And I loved reading how praised and appreciated they were in this forum. So well deserved!
I have visited Pompeii a single time – truly awesome and giving – I had no idea though that there was an arena as well. Wow it must be fantastic for the guys to perform in this unique venue adding no doubt a lot to the class and ambiance of the concert. And to be in the audience must be a double cultural experience in the full sense of the words. I wish and hope that you may be able to attend Daniela – if anyone deserves to share this experience with the guys, it is you!
Thanks for yet a great and interesting article and for all the time and work you two lovely ladies put into same to meet our cravings for everything IL VOLO. Love and greetings from Copenhagen 🇩🇰
Kirsten, you can’t imagine how happy I was when I heard the words spoken by the Italian culture minister, addressed with such admiration to Il Volo.
You’re right, the Italian press should be ashamed, or at least certain press.
Yes, I agree that the Sanremo effect is leaving a long trail of beautiful interviews and great interest and you will also discover this in the next post with the review of Ignazio and Gianluca’s songs. There has already been a concert by Il Volo in Pompeii and there are two arenas, one semi-circular and one completely circular which you also see in the attached photo. I admit that I would really like to go to Pompeii!
Kirsten, from your comments, I don’t think you know about their wonderful 2015 concert in Pompeii–dvd available on Amazon.
Thanks Judi. No I wasn’t aware that there is a DVD from a concert at Pompeii with the guys back in 2015. I’ll definitely keep an eye out on that. All the best.
The guys were right all along. Bel canto is such a cultural treasure/sound that the world needs to be introduced to it. And they’ve done exactly that. They grew up with it, it’s a part of them, and they’ve spread it to so many parts of the world.
The combination of Pompeii and Il Volo is truly a Capolavoro!
Wish I could be there, but I hope the concert will be filmed by PBS(or so I’ve read somewhere). I’ve been to Pompeii many years ago, but would love to see it again.
Thank you again, Daniella for bringing us news about our guys’ activities, and for the work you do translating. I really appreciate it.
Maija I’m glad you visited Pompeii and that you liked it. As I already said, PBS won’t be filming it because the concert in Egypt is scheduled for PBS, but it will still be filmed by TV and we will definitely see it.
Yes, the combination of sculptural art and singing is truly a masterpiece!!
I was truly moved by the true inspiration that shows through the culturally historical information presented by Piero and the Il Volo. They were shown what an impact their music brings to their region and the world.
Sincerely, Mary Dwork