So often I write about the journalists who have no respect for Il Volo and treat them very rudely. But today I want to write about a journalist who is a champion for our guys.

Marino Bartoletti has always been A True Defender of Il Volo.

Marino Bartoletti is a true friend to the guys, often standing up for them on television and defending them before the Sanremo jury. A distinguished Italian journalist and writer known for his integrity and refinement; Marino deeply admires Il Volo. In the realm of entertainment and communication, he emphasizes that “the value of affection, esteem, and sincerity is immense. Human relationships and friendship hold great significance.”

To give you a bit of background, Marino Bartoletti is a renowned journalist, a profound music connoisseur, and an expert on the Sanremo Festival. Above all, he is a man of great culture and humanity.

In a January 2024 interview with Paola Stranges of italiani.it, Marino discussed his illustrious career and his latest book, “The Supper of the Gods.”

Marino explained, The Great Old Man is a creation that gives me immense satisfaction, reflecting a lot of who I am. It’s a story about a provincial boy who, even before he grew a mustache, wondered about the fate of our entertainment, music, and sports champions. I’ve envisioned the Great Old Man, Enzo Ferrari, who has spent over forty years in his world, contemplating a celestial dinner with people he admires, including those he has known and others he wishes he had met.

He continued, Ferrari, as the Great Old Man, sets up this ideal dinner in Olympus, even if his strong personality sometimes clashes with the other Great Old Man up there. Despite this, the dinner turns out well, with carefully chosen characters sharing true stories.

Paola: Sanremo is upon us for the first time in a different guise. Will the magic of music reach the audience from home?

Marino: …. After thirty years it will be the first time that I don’t go there, I will watch it from my home. Sanremo has to do it, they have been doing it for 71 years or at least it is the seventy-first edition. It started in 1951, it’s almost my age, I think I’ve seen almost all of them since the age of reason, I’ve seen more than thirty professionally. I am wary of those who distrust Sanremo because it means that they have not understood its social as well as artistic value. It is right that it should be done, not for commercial reasons which also exist, but for this very reason artistic value and for this social value that must be preserved. We think that just sixty years ago, the organizer threw some singers into the fray so there was someone who tore his clothes saying: “But who is this Celentano, who is this Giorgio Gaber, who is this Gino Paoli with dark glasses, who is this Milva, who is this Little Tony, who is this Pino Donaggio, who is this Umberto Bindi, who is this Edoardo Vianello, they were the ones who made the fifty years of history of Italian pop music next one. We old people have to be careful, at this moment I am seized by a flash of irresistible youthfulness.

In November 2017, during a book promotion event in San Lazzaro di Savena near Bologna, Marino was pleasantly surprised when Piero and Ignazio along with their manager Michele Torpedine, showed up to support him. Marino noted, Although Gianluca Ginoble couldn’t attend due to prior commitments, he sent a heartfelt message. It was heartwarming to see these incredible artists, who were performing in Buenos Aires and soon traveling to Miami and Kiev, supporting me despite their busy schedule.

Marino expressed his appreciation for their presence, stating, Their talent and dedication to promoting Italian music worldwide is admirable. They are preparing to release a new album after a successful tour in Central and South America. I always feel a deep sense of joy seeing them, not just for their talent but for who they are as people. They are genuine and wonderful individuals.

In April 2018, Marino had dinner with Piero and Ignazio at a tavern. He humorously remarked about Ignazio’s habit of blasting their CD in his car, saying the volume was so high it could be heard from the Madonna di San Luca Church (high on the hill) in Bologna. Marino reflected on their time together, appreciating their simplicity and enjoying their stories. He found it amusing when people who had never met them labeled them as ‘pretentious’ or ‘arrogant.’

Marino described Piero as more serious with unexpected bursts of irony, while Ignazio was a sweet trickster who, by the end of the evening, shared a video of a model airplane he built with his dad, humorously lamenting how it used to fly better when they had less money.

Marino also gifted the group a beautiful sketch by Giorgio Serra, affectionately known as ‘Matitaccia.’ He proclaimed, We all shared smiles. Please, keep being ‘bad’ in the eyes of those who don’t yet appreciate you. But never change! If you continue to achieve success worldwide, it’s simply a sign of your exceptionalism. Those who doubt you will eventually come around because you truly are BRAVI.

Marino admitted, Initially, I had some reservations about them. However, after meeting them during my book presentation, I was struck by their authenticity and courtesy. They were generous with their time and open to chatting with everyone present—qualities that are rare these days. Their compassion and skill make their global success well-deserved. Well done.

So, where did this relationship begin?

In an August 2019 interview with Luca Maggitti, Marino Bartoletti discussed Il Volo. Maggitti reflected on Bartoletti’s initial visit to Roseto, noting how this place had become special for him, particularly because of his connection with Gianluca Ginoble.

Marino said: Everyone knows of my respect for him, but it’s more than that—it’s a deep friendship and affection.

Maggitti then asked, What makes Il Volo so special? They’ve completed eleven consecutive world tours and continue to fill theaters everywhere. As a music expert and journalist, why do you think they’re so beloved and famous globally?

Maggitti also questioned why some journalists still fail to fully grasp their success and talent. He acknowledged his own attachment to them as stemming from affection, friendship, and admiration, but also recognized their embodiment of great bel canto: skill, and the ability to showcase Italian genius abroad. He wondered why this same genius isn’t more appreciated in Italy and what more these young men need to prove.

Bartoletti: I could answer you by reversing the question, that is, by asking me how there are still people (even our journalist colleagues) who still do not understand, this success of theirs and their talent. I admit that I am attached to them by affection, friendship and admiration towards them, but they have everything that is asked of bel canto, skill, the ability to transmit the Italian genius abroad. But it’s the same Italian genius that should be better understood in Italy, and then I wonder, what else do these guys have to prove?

They are boys who have reached their tenth year, and sold out everywhere, even here in Italy. I can only say that I admire them very much, that I admire their “spirit of sacrifice” which is extraordinary, because they could “sit on their laurels”, instead they continue to improve, to improve. This year they were very good, even in Sanremo where they achieved third place, so very elegantly. I would like the Italian guys to look more like them, especially as the families of the Italian boys were more like the families of Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio, because I always say this publicly, that the strength of these guys is what they have behind them, family, culture, education, humility.

Marino has always been there for the guys, and they truly appreciate his friendship and his love and affection for them.  He is by far A True Defender of Il Volo.  We need more journalists like him.

Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!

For your listening pleasure, Il Volo in Moscow their Concert 2019.

Credit to  owners of photos of videos and photos.