After a two-month absence I planned to come back and write an amazing story about our truly amazing guys. I thought a lot about what I would write. But on the last day of my trip to Iceland, I got the sad news that Barbara Vitali had passed away as the result of a car crash. Poor beautiful Barbara. What a great loss!
When I got the news, I thought I will still write an amazing story, but it will be about an amazing woman ~ Barbara Vitali.
Barbara was a crucial figure for Il Volo, though she remained behind the scenes she was ever present. She quietly fulfilled a significant role in Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca’s lives. Her influence was palpable, akin to a guiding shadow that watched over the boys.
Finding information about Barbara is challenging, almost impossible, yet her impact was undeniable. Very little is known about Barbara’s life. We know next to nothing about her childhood and her formative years. If I had to sum up Barbara’s life, I would have to say her life began the day she met Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. She never sought the limelight. She never imposed on the tour but was always present. Her role was vital, and it took immense patience to fulfill it. Michele Torpedine once said, “she was instrumental in harmonizing the lives of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.”
The boys’ diverse backgrounds, their adolescent challenges, and their often-long absences from their parents required someone to step into the role of mother with a certain gentleness and compassion. Barbara stepped into and up to the role of Second Mother. Barbara was by far an exceptional mother to the boys.
Her role also required her to be a diplomat. She was exceptional in the role! She was the buffer between the boys and the fans who wanted so much more. She knew the limits and proposed the boundaries. She was overly protective! Perhaps that is why she excelled in her role; always present, always supportive, accompanying them on their journeys without fanfare.
Coordinating three youngsters from different family backgrounds into a cohesive unit was no small task. On international tours she managed all of their daily lives, keeping in mind no two boys were alike, and each needed to be handled in a different way. She was the person the boys most loved and admired besides their families. She was the go-to person! In her role as Second Mother, she certainly won the Mother of the Year Award (for 15 years).
She cultivated a profound relationship with the boys and their families, earning the love and respect of all of them.
Fans who were fortunate to meet her were captivated by her warmth and grace.
The boys have matured into fine young men, partly due to her role in their lives. Until that fatal moment, Barbara remained indispensable to them. Her guidance extended beyond professional duties, influencing the character formation and fostering a deep mutual affection and respect between herself and Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca.
Barbara was a cherished confidante and supporter, essential to the fabric of Il Volo’s success and personal growth.
The fans are grateful for her invaluable contributions, recognizing her enduring impact on the group.
Her role as Road Manager came second to her role as Second Mother.
Dear Barbara, you will be dearly missed by the guys. They are heartbroken by your loss. You are gone from their sight but not their hearts. You will always be one of the reasons why Il Volo became who they are. Their greatness was your reward in life.
I didn’t want to disturb the story with music, so, I left the music till the end. At their concert in Catania, the guys sang their hearts out through their tears! Very emotional moments, tears of love for the woman who gave her life to these young men and gave them all her love and affection! Just as any good mother does for her children!
Piero:We started this profession when we were 15 years old and we traveled the world and with us there has always been a person who traveled all over the world with us, every day.
She was a mother when we were younger, she was the person, the most important figure for us in our travels and we would like to publicly say that we, but above all our families, will be eternally grateful to her, because our parents when they knew that she was with us and we were with Barbara, they slept soundly.
It’s very difficult and this evening, this concert will be the first of all those we will dedicate to it throughout our lives.
Gianluca: We are all united, everyone, everyone, everyone for our Barbara, everyone, from the crew, from the technicians, from the musicians, from Michele Torpedine, all for her, because she was a special person who will continue to live inside us and will give us strength to continue doing this work, because we will sing for her, Barbara we will sing for you, for a lifetime, for a lifetime, we love you.
Ignazio:And as I said before, we would like to make this moment even more special if you help us with the flashes of your cell phones to illuminate the whole square, so for those who believe in it, someone from up there is watching us.
Thank you, Daniela, for the translation.
Following are more songs from the concert at Catania. It was all about Barbara!
According to Daniela Perani, there was a tragic car accident, Sunday evening at 8 PM near Bologna. Barbara was driving her Fiat 500 car. For reasons still under investigation, the car driven by a 49-year-old man and the car of Barbara, 54, had a head-on collision. The man died immediately; Barbara was transported by helicopter to the hospital in Bologna.
Barbara passed away on July 9, 2024, at the Sant’Orsola Hospital in Bologna.
22 thoughts on “Second Mother by Susan De Bartoli”
It was shocking news that brought incredible sadness.
You can understand how life really hangs by a thread, Barbara was in excellent health and nothing could have been predicted, but it happened and the heartbreak was profound.
We are all close to Barbara’s family and also to her artistic family who adored her for always being a very sweet and kind person. Her memory will always remain in the hearts of those who knew her, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca will never forget her!
Beautiful story of Barbara. Yes the guys sang with heavy hearts that night and Piero couldn’t sing some parts. It was nice to see Gianluca reach for Piero s arm and they all hugged each other. She and Vito are proud of them and will always be watching them.
That was a sad story ,the boys are going to miss her so much ,their concert must have been so hard for them to do that night and many tears fell even reading your story ihad tears, RIP Barbara you will never be forgotten
So sad. Thank you Barbara, a job very well done. You helped to mold them into the fine young men they are today. Every il Volo fan is eternally grateful to you as are the guys and their families and crew. May you rest in eternal peace❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Thank you so much Susan for the story about Barbara. Was a nice read for us that knew so little about her and her relationship with them.(Ignazio,Gian,Piero).So sad a hugh loss for our guys.
Rest In Peace Barbara. Home now in the arms of the Angels. You fulfilled your divine purpose on Earth to guide and protect these precious boys
Into manhood through their musical journeys.
And we the supporting fans are forever grateful to you for this. We are sad that your own journey has been cut short by a devastating accident and our hearts are filled with grief for our beloved IL VOLO and we will send them all our love to help lift their spirits as they so deeply mourn your passing.
Good to have you back Susan.
When I read your thoughts that the whole concert was for Barbara I went back to see the English translations again.
So many songs about love. This time a different kind of love. And now I’m crying again for our dear survivors.
What a senseless tragedy to take such a wonderful person. It may possibly be that her role in life was to set our Il Volo on the right path, to watch over them (as she will continue to do). They and all Il Volovers will remember all you had done for them in their formative years to become the admirable men they are today, Barbara. Thank you. Dol.
Welcome home Susan!
Thank you so much for your lovely recounting of the events since sweet Barbara’s🌹loss. Everytime I look at the sad, devastated faces of our beloved Gian,Piero and Ignazio my heart breaks all over again. Gian is usually the one who can’t hide his emotions and it always breaks my heart but to see Piero and Ignazio with tears and running noses was so heartbreaking 💔💔💔. I find that it is very difficult for men (even young ones) to be able to show those emotions publicly, they rather wait to be alone. It so much healthier for them to share those emotions with others no matter the size of the group (or crowd). I’m so proud of the men they are and have such a strong urge to just wrap my arms around all of them to try to console their broken hearts. We owe Barbara as well as their families a debt of gratitude for forming into the young men they are.
May Barbara rest for all eternity in the arms of our Lord.
God bless her memory and those amazing ILVOLO men, Gian Piero and Ignazio. Please give the our boys strength to carry on.😢😇🙏🕊🦋🙏💔💖💖💖
With gratitude and affection, Carol
Thank you, Susan, for carrying us through our sorrow with these words. I did consider her a surrogate mother to the boys, especially in those first years. Road Manager was an inadequate title. As a fan and being unknown to the family and all those who are in the inner circle of the lives of Il Volo, all I can do is offer prayers, which I am doing. I hope all of us who are fans can come to terms as well, as we are also grieving. We as fans have loved and supported them for many years.
Susan, thank you for the beautiful words about Barbara. It was painfully clear what she meant to the guys. The Cat snow concert dedication was terribly sad to watch.
The thing that cones to mind most is that if she would have been with the guys that Sunday, she would still be around. So terribly tragic.
Barbara added a “fourth-part harmony” and gave our guys
a beautiful example of “responsibility” starting with their developmental stages at 14 and 15 years old. (Mixed in with a lot of love) Thanks to Pat and Susan.
Sólo Dios y el tiempo mitigan ese dolor!!! Dios le de un descanso eterno a Barbara y fortaleza en la fe para ese grandioso ” A TEAM ” junto con familia Vitali, que hoy se ven golpeados casi de muerte espíritual ,del alma, del cuore ante tan inconmensurable pérdida.
Desde Colombia reciban un abrazo inmenso ,apretado como el que más ……lleno de dolor, de amor y de Consuelo y de deseos de que al seguir adelante con su vida familiar ,haciendo suyas la de los Vitali ,Torpedinne,y obviamente las familia Barone , Boscheto y Ginoble y demas del equipo, y también en su carrera , entregandose como siempre y de lleno a su profesión ,a su público ,que sólo desea acogerlos y consolarlos, lo mismo a sus familias dolidos en el corazón , puedan ellos tres superar y mitigar en algo el dolor,el vacío que deja su Barbara, su Sombra ,como la llamaban, amorosamente , y encuentren entre ellos tres el consuelo y sobre todo la Fuerza y el coraje necesarios para seguir siendo la cura para cada uno y para su público que como dije anteriormente solo deseamos abrazarlos ,consolarlos.
De nuevo mi abrazo va tan fuerte y apretado como para intentar exprimir el dolor inmenso que hoy los aqueja. Solo admiración, cariño y respeto desde Colombia.
Susan:
Welcome back!
Once again, nobody could have portrayed better all that Barbara’s guidance, affection and support has meant for Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio.
Hopefully, she can continue guiding them from Heaven above!
RIP Barbarina! You will be terribly missed!
“Approachable & Kind.” These are the two words I would use to describe Barbara. My wife and I, now both in our 70’s, have been fans of Il Volo since they first appeared on American TV some 15 years ago. We have had the good fortune of attending several of their concerts here in the United States. That’s where we introduced ourselves to Barbata who was standing off to the side of her charges; Piero, Gian and of course Ignazio.
We didn’t know what to expect as we walked up to Barbara but when she saw the hesitancy in our faces she smiled at us – a warm gesture giving us the OK to exchange greetings, etc. While the guys busied themselves with fans wanting pictures my wife and I enjoyed a few moments with Barbara.
It was shocking news that brought incredible sadness.
You can understand how life really hangs by a thread, Barbara was in excellent health and nothing could have been predicted, but it happened and the heartbreak was profound.
We are all close to Barbara’s family and also to her artistic family who adored her for always being a very sweet and kind person. Her memory will always remain in the hearts of those who knew her, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca will never forget her!
It , her family was never, ever mentioned, parents, siblings ?
Beautiful story of Barbara. Yes the guys sang with heavy hearts that night and Piero couldn’t sing some parts. It was nice to see Gianluca reach for Piero s arm and they all hugged each other. She and Vito are proud of them and will always be watching them.
That was a sad story ,the boys are going to miss her so much ,their concert must have been so hard for them to do that night and many tears fell even reading your story ihad tears, RIP Barbara you will never be forgotten
So sad . It is not fair !
They are going to miss her so much .
Keep the Good memories and stay strong Guy s
So sad. Thank you Barbara, a job very well done. You helped to mold them into the fine young men they are today. Every il Volo fan is eternally grateful to you as are the guys and their families and crew. May you rest in eternal peace❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Thank you so much! Barbara was such a sweet, kind soul!💕😥😥😥
Thank you so much Susan for the story about Barbara. Was a nice read for us that knew so little about her and her relationship with them.(Ignazio,Gian,Piero).So sad a hugh loss for our guys.
The brightest stars in the sky, To YOU – Star Barbara..✨🙏💜✨
Rest In Peace Barbara. Home now in the arms of the Angels. You fulfilled your divine purpose on Earth to guide and protect these precious boys
Into manhood through their musical journeys.
And we the supporting fans are forever grateful to you for this. We are sad that your own journey has been cut short by a devastating accident and our hearts are filled with grief for our beloved IL VOLO and we will send them all our love to help lift their spirits as they so deeply mourn your passing.
Good to have you back Susan.
When I read your thoughts that the whole concert was for Barbara I went back to see the English translations again.
So many songs about love. This time a different kind of love. And now I’m crying again for our dear survivors.
What a senseless tragedy to take such a wonderful person. It may possibly be that her role in life was to set our Il Volo on the right path, to watch over them (as she will continue to do). They and all Il Volovers will remember all you had done for them in their formative years to become the admirable men they are today, Barbara. Thank you. Dol.
Welcome home Susan!
Thank you so much for your lovely recounting of the events since sweet Barbara’s🌹loss. Everytime I look at the sad, devastated faces of our beloved Gian,Piero and Ignazio my heart breaks all over again. Gian is usually the one who can’t hide his emotions and it always breaks my heart but to see Piero and Ignazio with tears and running noses was so heartbreaking 💔💔💔. I find that it is very difficult for men (even young ones) to be able to show those emotions publicly, they rather wait to be alone. It so much healthier for them to share those emotions with others no matter the size of the group (or crowd). I’m so proud of the men they are and have such a strong urge to just wrap my arms around all of them to try to console their broken hearts. We owe Barbara as well as their families a debt of gratitude for forming into the young men they are.
May Barbara rest for all eternity in the arms of our Lord.
God bless her memory and those amazing ILVOLO men, Gian Piero and Ignazio. Please give the our boys strength to carry on.😢😇🙏🕊🦋🙏💔💖💖💖
With gratitude and affection, Carol
Thank you, Susan, for carrying us through our sorrow with these words. I did consider her a surrogate mother to the boys, especially in those first years. Road Manager was an inadequate title. As a fan and being unknown to the family and all those who are in the inner circle of the lives of Il Volo, all I can do is offer prayers, which I am doing. I hope all of us who are fans can come to terms as well, as we are also grieving. We as fans have loved and supported them for many years.
Susan, thank you for the beautiful words about Barbara. It was painfully clear what she meant to the guys. The Cat snow concert dedication was terribly sad to watch.
The thing that cones to mind most is that if she would have been with the guys that Sunday, she would still be around. So terribly tragic.
Again, thank you for this beautiful story.
Barbara added a “fourth-part harmony” and gave our guys
a beautiful example of “responsibility” starting with their developmental stages at 14 and 15 years old. (Mixed in with a lot of love) Thanks to Pat and Susan.
Sólo Dios y el tiempo mitigan ese dolor!!! Dios le de un descanso eterno a Barbara y fortaleza en la fe para ese grandioso ” A TEAM ” junto con familia Vitali, que hoy se ven golpeados casi de muerte espíritual ,del alma, del cuore ante tan inconmensurable pérdida.
Desde Colombia reciban un abrazo inmenso ,apretado como el que más ……lleno de dolor, de amor y de Consuelo y de deseos de que al seguir adelante con su vida familiar ,haciendo suyas la de los Vitali ,Torpedinne,y obviamente las familia Barone , Boscheto y Ginoble y demas del equipo, y también en su carrera , entregandose como siempre y de lleno a su profesión ,a su público ,que sólo desea acogerlos y consolarlos, lo mismo a sus familias dolidos en el corazón , puedan ellos tres superar y mitigar en algo el dolor,el vacío que deja su Barbara, su Sombra ,como la llamaban, amorosamente , y encuentren entre ellos tres el consuelo y sobre todo la Fuerza y el coraje necesarios para seguir siendo la cura para cada uno y para su público que como dije anteriormente solo deseamos abrazarlos ,consolarlos.
De nuevo mi abrazo va tan fuerte y apretado como para intentar exprimir el dolor inmenso que hoy los aqueja. Solo admiración, cariño y respeto desde Colombia.
That was a touching beautiful tribute to Barbara. Thank you. My sincere thoughts are with the entire team of IL Volo. Their loss is heartbreaking..🙏🙏🙏
Susan:
Welcome back!
Once again, nobody could have portrayed better all that Barbara’s guidance, affection and support has meant for Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio.
Hopefully, she can continue guiding them from Heaven above!
RIP Barbarina! You will be terribly missed!
“Approachable & Kind.” These are the two words I would use to describe Barbara. My wife and I, now both in our 70’s, have been fans of Il Volo since they first appeared on American TV some 15 years ago. We have had the good fortune of attending several of their concerts here in the United States. That’s where we introduced ourselves to Barbata who was standing off to the side of her charges; Piero, Gian and of course Ignazio.
We didn’t know what to expect as we walked up to Barbara but when she saw the hesitancy in our faces she smiled at us – a warm gesture giving us the OK to exchange greetings, etc. While the guys busied themselves with fans wanting pictures my wife and I enjoyed a few moments with Barbara.
Wow!! – really nice Randall.
You and your wife were so fortunate to meet Barbara, Randall. An opportunity most of us will never have. Hugs, Dol. 💕💕