July 6:
It is the first time that Il Volo held a concert in Val d’Aosta which is a small region in the north, on the border with France and Switzerland.
The concert was held in the Bard Fort which is a beautiful fortified complex in the middle of the Alps, a typical example of a barrier fortress from the early 19th century.
The concert took place in the internal courtyard which has been used for the event. The performance of Il Volo opened the concert series.
Unique emotions. A great evening of music with Il Volo which opened the 2024 summer of Forte di Bard. A musical journey that celebrates 15 years of activity of the famous trio.
And here are some moments from the concert. (turn on subtitles)
CARUSO
CLICK HERE to view CARUSO
FRAMMENTI DI UNIVERSO
Finale
I remind you that after this concert, on July 9th, unfortunately and with immense pain, Barbara Vitali died.
On July 11th there was a concert in Catania and we talked about it in the post previous to this one.
July 9th, a very sad date, Barbara Vitali is no longer with us, with her beloved boys.
“The show must go on” and we’ll continue with the chronology of the concerts.
July 13, concert in Palermo, the beautiful city full of wonderful monuments and the capital of Sicily.
The concert was held in the Falcone-Borsellino velodrome, the two magistrates killed by the mafia.
I immediately propose this beautiful video which contains many clips of the songs of the evening.
Before singing Hallelujah the boys made a beautiful dedication to Barbara and then sang for her with emotion.
I thank our friends Yukio and Kumico Kobayashi who were present at the concert in Palermo and recorded the video of the dedication to Barbara which I translate for all of you.
CLICK HERE to view the dedication
IGNAZIO= This is a special song and it is even more special for us, because in life the beautiful thing is to create relationships, friendships, real relationships, human relationships, and we had created one of these relationships with a wonderful person, a wonderful person who was our shadow for 15 years.
(applause). She was perhaps one of the five most important people in our lives outside of our family, who helped us grow, helped us become the men we are today.
PIERO= Her name was Barbara (applause) she traveled with us to every part of the world, without her we wouldn’t go anywhere. (applause) We ask you to turn on the flashes of your cell phones one at a time to create an atmosphere and perhaps go up there.
At the end of the song all the people stood up and gave a very long warm applause.
Other videos of the evening:
NESSUN DORMA
CLICK HERE to view NESSUN DORMA
CARUSO
SE
CLICK HERE to view SE
LA CURA (Gianluca) On a special note, before starting the song Gianluca spoke about the love and care that a person must have for the person they love. At the end of the speech he said that he is in love and that she was there.
So Gianluca is in love again! 😍
AMOR VIDA DE MI VIDA (Piero)
SHOW MUST GO ON (Ignazio)
MISERERE
CAPOLAVORO
A sweet moment during the concert.
This little girl who sings CAPOLAVORO is truly beautiful and this comment was written by her mother, Tsvetelina Rizzuto:
My wonderful daughter is a super fan of, as she calls them, “our boys”. Going on stage yesterday was a dream of hers and she was very emotional! We came from Bulgaria to see the concert in Palermo! It will remain a beautiful memory for both of us. 🥰
Ignazio asks the little girl who her favorite is and suggests he say Piero, the little girl nods.
Piero greets the little girl and tells her to go back to Santa Claus (Torpedine). 😂
.
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But the performances in Palermo are not over yet because on July 15th in Palermo Santa Rosalia, patron saint of Palermo, is celebrated.
This festival is deeply felt by the people of Palermo and this year marks the 400th celebration.
The story goes that the plague and the dark ages had invaded Palermo, there was pain, disease and famine.
Rosalia, a very young girl from Palermo who was martyred, will free Palermo from the plague.
It is a very long ceremony that takes place in several stages.
The statue of Santa Rosalia is carried along the main avenue starting from the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and reaches the Cathedral where Il Volo will perform singing two songs from the roof of the Cathedral.
They will sing NESSUN DORMA and CAPOLAVORO, but only Nessun Dorma will be filmed on local TV because, due to copyright issues, Il Volo cannot be recorded for more than three minutes. So we will only be able to see Capolavoro recorded from fan videos.
The procession will then continue to the Quattro Canti and then arrive on the seafront where there will be splendid fireworks.
300 thousand people were expected, it is a truly very special event.
Here is Il Volo during rehearsals:
CLICK HERE to view the rehearsal
The arrival of the boys at the Cathedral for the final performance.
The people present greet them and say: “You are a masterpiece.” 🤩
And here is the NESSUN DORMA in the evening, so many people are present.
But someone still recorded a nice video of CAPOLAVORO, hear the people singing along with Il Volo and the final applause.
And here’s a short fan video of Capolavoro. Look at how many cell phones turned to record the song.
CLICK HERE to view CAPOLAVORO
The Sicilian moment of Il Volo with the concerts in Catania, Palermo and the Santa Rosalia party ends here.
Our boys quickly return to Bologna, on July 15th there will be the funeral ceremony dedicated to Barbara 🙏❤️, Il Volo communicated it with these words:
For those who wish to say a final farewell to Barbara Vitali, the funeral will take place on Monday 15 July with a Holy Mass which will be celebrated at 11.30 am at the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi – Strada Maggiore 43 Bologna, and at 4.00 pm with a Holy Mass. Mass at the Parish of Santa Maria Villiana hamlet. Gaggio Montano.
The Bologna newspaper IL RESTO DEL CARLINO published this article.
CLICK HERE to view the IL RESTO DEL CARLINO article
Il Volo at Barbara Vitali’s funeral: “You were our second mother”
The funeral of the 54-year-old manager who died in an accident in Gaggio Montano: the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna was packed. The coffin was carried by relatives and friends united in grief. The singers also spoke to remember their collaborator and friend.
Bologna, 15 July 2024 – A day of condolence for the numerous people who gathered this morning at 11.30 to say a final sad farewell to Barbara Vitali, inside the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi, in Strada Maggiore.
The coffin is surrounded by family and friends of the 54-year-old, historic collaborator of the tenor trio Il Volo, who died on Tuesday 9 July at Sant’Orsola due to serious injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred two days earlier in the Gaggio Montano area.
Inside the Basilica the coffin was carried by relatives and friends united in grief over the passing of their loved one. The tears of the emotional eyes of those who came to the commemoration are hidden inside the dark sunglasses and the hugs are more of pain than anything else. And so the Basilica became the frame and mourning box for those present at the funeral.
The arrival of the coffin inside the small square was followed by that of the guys from Il Volo and Michele Torpedine, the manager of the three singers and friend of Barbara.
The singer Nina Zilli also brought her greetings to Vitali.
During the ceremony, we were moved by the memory of Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, the three tenors of Il Volo, who paid tribute to Barbara with their voices, singing during the ceremony and then speaking. “Our second mother and she made us the men we are today. Events that remind us how ephemeral and precious life is. There are no words to describe our pain”, says Gianluca Ginoble, tenor of Il Volo, during the funeral. Even more moved was Ignazio Boschetto, part of the trio, who told some anecdotes about Barbara and remembered “her contagious smile”.
Piero Barone, of the trio, also described Vitali from the microphone: “Barbara is the only person who could have written a book about us perfectly. She demonstrated to us the seriousness of the work and what it means to dedicate yourself to your passion. Thanks to your father Gianni for making her the woman she was.” The head-on collision last Tuesday also caused the death of the driver of the other car, 49-year-old Pietro Bervicato from Cremona. Vitali, on the other hand, who turned 54 last June 13th, had been at Sant’Orsola since the late evening of Sunday July 7th when his Fiat 500x was involved in a dramatic accident on the ss64 Porrettana in Gaggio Montano. Following this, at 4pm, there will be a second mass in his area of origin, the Apennines, in the church of Santa Maria Villiana in Gaggio.
IL RESTO DEL CARLINO also filmed the moment in which Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio said some words in memory of Barbara.
PIERO= How she met us, how she loved us, no one.
Barbara showed us the seriousness in work, what it means to dedicate your life 360 degrees to what you do, with passion.
A little while ago the priest was reading the questions that are asked at the end of life: have you loved? She knew how to love.❤️
GIANLUCA= How ephemeral life is and how precious it is to enjoy every moment with the people we love, and that’s what we did with Barbara in 15 years of our life, she was our second mother, she accompanied us in all the moments our travels, made us grow artistically, personally, made us, I can say, the men we have become today.
Maybe it’s a natural process, you have to accept it, but it’s the hardest thing especially when you know the pain at such a young age. There are no words to describe the pain. ❤️
IGNAZIO= I don’t want to say that this loss is the worst, but I can tell you that I feel the same way. Because as Gianluca said in those 15 years I spent more time with Barbara than with my family. We shared joys and sorrows and unfortunately, due to my personality, I can’t remember Barbara without a smile, I don’t know, I imagine her now telling me:
“When you go to drink a spritz, get one for me too”.
I want to remember her so. ❤️
Il Volo sung Panis Angelicus during the mass for their Barbara.
The man who hugs Ignazio outside the church is Barbara’s elderly father, her mother was not present, she is not well.
Barbara was an only child.
Detroit PBS also sent its condolences.
There are no words, just a lot of sadness.
R.I.P. Barbara 🙏❤️
CLICK HERE to view Kumico’s short video
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Je ne sais pas ce que l’on peut voir sur la courte vidéo car je ne l’obtiens pas en cliquant sur le lien. Dommage de ne pas avoir de vidéo du chant qu’ils ont interprété durant la cérémonie. Moments très difficiles pour tout le monde mais encore plus pour ses parents qui sont âgés et voient partir leur enfant. C’est très compréhensible que la maman ne soit pas venue. Quand au papa il semblait énormément souffrir, Ignazio a été super en le soutenant
Eliane, je pense que personne n’a filmé Il Volo chantant à la messe de Barbara et je comprends ça.
Les parents de Barbara sont âgés, mais je crois aussi que sa mère a des problèmes de santé dus à son âge, c’est pourquoi elle n’a pas pu être présente. Déchirant de voir son père au cœur brisé et touchant de voir le soutien d’Ignazio.
Eliane, I don’t think anyone filmed Il Volo singing at Barbara’s mass and I understand that.
Barbara’s parents are elderly, but I also believe that her mother has health problems due to age, which is why she could not be present. Heartbreaking to see his heartbroken father and touching to see Ignazio’s support.
Thank you for the stories. I am too sad to write something. I always think of Barbara and the young men who must stand the pain. I hope they will be successful.
Ursula, we are all infinitely sad, Barbara is gone and the behavior of our , of her boys was impeccable, she gave them so much love and they amply demonstrated it……..but “the show must go on”.
Merci Daniela ⚘️ ⚘️ pour ce bel article
C’est tellement triste de partir si jeune et en bonne santé
J’ai été bouleversée par cette tragédie et je pense beaucoup à Piero Ignazio et Gianluca et Michèle comme ils doivent souffrir
Et comme ils le disent c’était leur maman de cœur qui a pansé leur bobos
Elle a su les guider en pleine adolescence
Ils ont bien rit ensemble
partager les joies des concerts et des voyages aux quatre coins du monde
Elle en a fait des hommes merveilleux humbles simples bons
Elle restera graver dans leur cœur ❤️ à tous jamais 🙏🕊⚘️⚘️
Oui Francine, l’absence de Barbara sera certainement lourde, elle a toujours été présente avec les garçons, ce sera très dur pour eux et je pense que personne ne pourra la remplacer.
C’est vrai qu’ils sont devenus des sages sérieux et charmants aussi grâce à elle.
Yes Francine, Barbara’s absence will certainly be heavy, she was always present with the boys, it will be very hard for them and I think no one will be able to take her place.
It’s true they became serious and delightful wise men also thanks to her.
The pain of our boys is written on their faces. I’m so very sorry for her mother and father. Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio will continue to make her a proud mama. May her memory be eternal. Ciao Barbara. Thank you Daniela and Pat.
You’re most welcome, Rose Marie. Barbara’s passing has truly broken my heart…as much for the guys as for her. Seeing them in this kind of anguish just makes me cry.
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.
It’s true RoseMarie, this time too Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero were “an open book” their faces described the pain in detail and their tears flowed copiously and their words were painful. Barbara will always be present in their memories and they will talk about her to their children. I cannot think of the parents’ pain for the heartbreaking loss of their beloved daughter.
Not understanding Italian, I appreciate and thank you for what you do. Keeping the fans of Il Volo informed.
BJW, thank you for the thought, this time it was very painful, but it was right that you all knew the sad events.
Barbara is so proud of her boys, what fine young men she helped to raise. Their tributes to her were so heartbreaking, I’m feeling proud of them but heartbroken to see how this tragedy has affected them emotionally. They will carry Barbara in their hearts forever. Eventually the beautiful memories wil help to ease the pain. My prayer for Barbara is still a swift entry into heaven. Her father also broke your heart, poor soul. Parents should never out live their children!
Thank you my dear ladies. Love and affection to both Daniela and Pat, Carol 😔💔😢🕊️😇🙏🏻💖💖💖🩷🩷
Carol, I think that from above, seeing all this, Barbara must have thought that she had done a really good job with these three boys, they became famous men, but always maintaining their simplicity and their affection.
I agree with your final thoughts to parents.
Couldn’t play Kumico’s video.
Linda, I’m sorry that you can’t open the short video of Kumico, anyway I’ll explain it to you, it’s just a fragment of the end of the concert in Palermo, at the end of the Hallelujah, in the video you can only see the photo we posted at the bottom of the page article, the one with Barbara and the boys and you can hear the long applause from the people who wanted to demonstrate their sadness and affection in this way.
Thank you Daniela and Pat. Barbara’s death was heartbreaking for everyone. The boys tributes were beautiful. I’m sure Barbara’s spirit with be with them always. My prayers go out to each of them.
Thank you Edge, and our prayers will also join yours and those of all the people who prayed for Barbara!
You’re very welcome, edge. 😊
Dear Daniela and Pat, you put so much work into this excellent post with all the translations, videos and photos, which ran the gamut from the sadness of Barbara’s funeral to the guys being so enamored by the darling little girl singing Capolavoro to the beautiful celebration at the magnificent Palermo cathedral. Grazie mille.
It was remarked recently that Barbara’s death was so tragic compared to that of Piero’s grandfather and Vito Boschetto since they had been ill. But it seems to me that Vito was not ill for very long. I’m wondering if a cause of death was ever stated. Of course, losing a loved one hurts immensely even if expected due to age and/or sickness. It’s never easy, but this one is especially hard.
I
Hi Judi
I believe Ignazio’s father Vito died from a brain tumor.
Jill ,in reality I always knew it was bone cancer. But there has been no statement from the family, so you might as well be right.
Look how we all don’t know anything. I thought it was pancreatic cancer, and I know that is relatively incurable and fairly fast. I don’t remember where I read that.
And yes, I thought Ignazio really suffered. He became a shadow of himself.
In reality Judi, Vito Boschetto was taken away by an illness, I don’t know why the newspapers broke the news by writing that he was taken away by a sudden illness. In reality he had cancer, unfortunately diagnosed late and nothing could be done for him. Ignazio never leaked the news but just yesterday watching a video of those moments, Ignazio had become very thin, he must have suffered a lot. Of course Gianluca and Piero and their family members were also close to him, but it was the Covid period, you couldn’t go from one place to another, I remember that only Gianluca and Piero went to the funeral with special permits. However, I believe that when you see a family member suffer and die in pain, you want everything to end soon. Barbara was in excellent health, it was a bolt from the blue.
You’re most welcome, Judi! 😊 That little girl was darling!
Thank you to everyone who translated, filmed so that fans like me could feel as sharing these beautiful tributes to a special lady who took such wonderful care of our ‘boys’! I’m certain they weren’t always as angelic as they may have wanted us to believe (right Ignatieff)? Somehow Barbara knew how to guide them back in line and our boys respected and loved her in the process!
Grief will take time to settle, then when you think it is all well and good, it will remind you to never forget the pain you once experienced!
I send my love and prayers to each and all of you each day, be calm, be kind and love each other.,
Sheila I agree with you, there may not have been exactly three little angels to govern and Barbara will have had her work cut out at times to keep them at bay, but there will also have been many affectionate and precious moments and moments of pride experienced by her even before their families , and she was always there for them, to tame them, to scold them, to idolize them, to support them, they were her family.
So heartbreaking to view Barbara’s father being consoled by Igna. How sad for her father to lose his only child. Even if there were many more children, to lose one of your own is devastating.
That sweet little girl, singing Capolavoro brought a smile and proves that Il Volo’s fan base is not only older ladies but they will have fans for a long time to come. 💕💕 Dol.
Yes Dolores, there is so much desperation in Barbara’s father, what infinite sadness.
The sweet little girl singing Capolavoro certainly brought a smile to the faces of our guys.
I’m sure you and Pat must be aware that Hallelujah was written by a Canadian in 1983, Leonard Cohen from Westmount, Quebec (a well-to-do western area of Montreal).
He was born on September 21, 1934 and died in Los Angeles on November 7, 2016. A very prolific song writer and poet, he was admired by many Canadians, including myself. Hugs, Dol 🧡🧡
Dol, like you I am a huge fan of Leonard Cohen! HALLELUJAH has been a favorite of mine for years. The emotion shown by the boys was matched by my own tears! I am certain the emotions of the boys will be felt every time they sing this song!
Hope to meet you in Toronto Dol! You assured me they would be there🥰
svp quelle date à Toronto?
No date yet – hopping for 2025!
Sheila
merci !
It is certainly well known that the beautiful Hallelujah is by Leonard Cohen, I honestly didn’t know it was Canadian.
Here in Italy, as I believe throughout the world, Hallelujah is very popular and is interpreted for very sweet or commemorative situations. I have to tell you that when they sang it for the Pope, many people didn’t agree because we tend to believe that it is a religious song, but in fact it is not.
But the Pope loves beautiful music and this is it.
Daniela, thanks! Its a late reading but now I have time. Mixed feelings with this reading. The pain is hige, that is obvious. And the boys are very strong singing when that pain is next to them. But that little girl, didnt see before. She is from my country, how lovely, and I call them my boys as well. And Im waiting for the concert in November. Sendind love to make a pain beareble. Love is all we need now a days.
Hi Dol, I too am a fan of Cohen’s’. Hallelujah has always been a favorite of mine and I did know he was Canadian. He was pretty well known in the US as well.
Hope you are doing well……I still would love to meet you!!
Love, Carol😉🩷🤗
Likewise, Carol. Maybe some day we’ll meet! 😊😊 Love back at you, Dol. 🧡🧡
Thanks 🙏🌹❤️💖❣️ we love you all
I will certainly repeat myself, as many before me: a huge thank you to all of you who maintain this site and bring us valuable information. I hope that the boys have calmed down a bit now. Part heals the initial shock a little, and although they will never forget Barbara, time will allow them to move on. I like to believe that the knowledge of the huge support of their fans also helped them. People who love them and sympathize with them.
I confess that I have a little conflicting feelings from all the published photos and recordings of the first concert on FB after Barbara’s death. On the one hand, I am grateful that I could share their sadness, their feelings and their love for Barbara, at least from a distance. To give them support in spirit, even if they didn’t hear my words. Seeing and hearing them sing Hallelujah for Barbara in Catania was one of the most emotional experiences for me, I’ve never heard anything like it and I don’t think I ever will. As if the song was written just for them. The cry of their souls. Their tears and emotions clearly expressed how much Barbara meant to them. And whoever says men shouldn’t cry doesn’t know what they’re talking about. On the contrary, I think it was a display of their pure humanity, enormous strength and courage, and they deserve admiration for that. And here comes the other side: a slight doubt whether this first grief should have remained unpublicized, private, only at the concert. Just as there was no recording of their performance at Mass in Bologna Cathedral.
In any case, they are extremely lucky to be three and to be able to support each other.
I feel that this common tragedy has strengthened their friendship, their brotherhood.
Iva, first of all thank you very much for the nice compliments which are always well accepted.
I think that Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca demonstrated all their love for Barbara in their behaviors. They also knew that, since it was a concert, someone could have filmed it, but I think for them, at that moment, it was a really secondary problem. There is only one entire video of Hallelujah made by a fan and I assure you that I expected that the gossip magazines and those newspapers that are obsessed with news would abuse that video, but instead there was respect to honor the death of Barbara and also the respect towards the pain that these three boys felt and this made me very happy. I expected that no video would be made inside the basilica during mass, because in any case it is a place of full respect and so it was.
I felt, that when Igna sang his part of Hallelujah, his voice was almost a loud scream, as you feel like doing when you can’t really express your sorrow and the unfairness of her tragic death. That song will forever be in my mind.
I only wish there was some way that Gian, Igna and Piero could read the comments of their devoted fans, who mourn with them on the passing of Barbara. 🧡🧡🧡 Hugs, Dol.
Thank you for continuing to show the love that “the boys” have for their dear Barbara. The love and guidance that she has given them for the past 15 years will continue to live on in their hearts forever. She will always be one of God’s angels who watches over them throughout their lives. They are better men because of Barbara’s love.
Your Englist translastions of their words, makes it more special to those of us who are not fluent in Italian. Thank you again, Daniela, for your wonderful posts.
My is so sad for Barbara’s family, friends and loved ones…..God Bless!